Real World Vodou with Patrick Bellegarde Smith

In this informative hour, the Godspeed Institute explores the spiritual tradition of Vodou. Michael Hallundbaek interviews Dr. Patrick Bellegarde-Smith, author and professor of Africology at the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. Originally from Haiti, Dr. Bellegarde-Smith has a PhD in international relations and comparative politics. But he is most proud of his status as 'oungan asogwe,' the highest ranking that one can achieve as a priest of Vodou, Haiti's national religion. Topics include: the misconceptions of Vodou, largely due to the US military and Hollywood films; what Vodou actually is; its African origins; core beliefs and ceremonies; historical linking to Roman Catholic saints; the faith's concepts of spirits, deities, nature, and taboos; women as primary clergy; holy sites and family temples; oppression and persecution of practitioners, including during the aftermath of the recent earthquakethat devastated Haiti.