Ayibobo! Haitian Vodou

In this opening episode of Agua Cedito, we lay the foundation for a podcast rooted in ancestral knowledge, spiritual reclamation, and cultural healing of Haitian Vodou. This is more than just an introduction, it’s an invitation. Learn about the intentions behind the show, who we are holding space for, and the lived experiences that shaped the voice behind the mic.

This episode guides you through what to expect this season: deep conversations, educational insights, and unapologetically decolonial perspectives. Whether you're reconnecting with your roots, navigating diasporic identity, or committed to collective liberation, this podcast is for you.

Tune in to discover how Agua Cedito honors the sacred faith tradition of Haitian Vodou laser focused on building a space for truth, spirit, and resistance.

In this episode, we explore the ancestral, spiritual, and cultural meanings of the name Agua Cedito. This isn’t just a title; it’s a prayer, a portal, and a powerful affirmation of resistance and remembrance.

We reflect on how the name Agua Cedito connects to decolonial healing, diasporic identity, and the host’s own spiritual path.

Whether you're curious about the roots of this project or seeking to understand the deeper symbolism within the name, this episode offers some insight, intention, and invitation.

In this episode of Agua Cedito, we deconstruct the colonial distortions and reclaim the ancestral truth of Vodou. More than a name, Vodou is a living tradition, a spiritual system born from resistance, rooted in African cosmologies, and carried through generations in the face of enslavement and erasure.

We explore 8 different spellings such as Voodoo, Vodu, Vodoun, and beyond, including what they reveal about geography, language, and colonization.

Through this conversation, we honor the complexity, beauty, and power of Vodou as it exists in Haiti and across the diaspora.

Whether you're seeking clarity, connection, or deeper cultural understanding, this episode offers a grounded, liberatory perspective on a sacred tradition often misunderstood.

In this episode of Agua Cedito, we journey into the heart of Rara, the vibrant, street-born music that pulses through Haitian Vodou and Haitian liberation. Far more than sound, Rara is ceremony, protest, and ancestral memory in motion.

We explore Rara's spiritual significance within Vodou traditions, its connection to the lwa (spirits), and its powerful role in community organizing, resistance, and celebration. From its roots in enslavement-era uprisings to its presence in today’s rituals and political movements, Rara reminds us that rhythm is a tool for survival and sovereignty.

Whether new to Rara or reconnecting with its deeper meaning, this episode invites you to listen with your spirit.

In this episode of Agua Cedito, we return to the source by exploring the core principles that shape African Spirituality and the cosmological framework of Haitian Vodou. 

These aren’t just belief systems, they are living, breathing worldviews that honor balance, reciprocity, and ancestral connection. This conversation is an invitation to remember that African cosmologies are complex, holistic systems that survived colonization and continue to guide communities today.

Whether you're deepening your spiritual path or unlearning colonial narratives, this episode offers a grounded, liberatory entry point into Vodou's sacred science and our ancestors' wisdom.

In this episode of Agua Cedito, we explore the powerful concept of Fran Ginen, a deeply rooted spiritual principle in Haitian Vodou that speaks to ancestral integrity, purity of soul, and alignment with the original African source.

More than just a phrase, Fran Ginen is a way of being. It reflects the soul’s connection to Ginen, the spiritual homeland of Africa, and the responsibility to walk in truth, dignity, and resistance to colonial corruption. We unpack how this concept shows up in Vodou practice, in everyday life, and the ongoing journey of decolonial healing.

Tune in to deepen your understanding of Fran Ginen as both a spiritual compass and a revolutionary reminder of who we are, where we come from, and the power we carry.

In this episode of Agua Cedito, we explore Haitian Vodou alongside other world religions and spiritual systems, not to rank or reduce them but to honor their distinct wisdoms and shared roots. From other African Traditional Religions to Hinduism, Taoism, and other Indigenous cosmologies, we examine how beliefs about spirit, ancestors, ritual, and community reflect common threads and unique cosmologies.

We highlight how colonization has shaped global perceptions of Vodou, often through contrast with dominant Western religions. But Vodou is a sacred, complex, and deeply relational tradition with its own theology, ethics, and structure.

This conversation invites listeners to see Vodou not as “other,” but as part of a global tapestry of ancestral and earth-based spiritual practices. Whether new to Vodou or looking to understand it in a broader spiritual context, this episode invites reflection, curiosity, and reverence.

In this episode of Agua Cedito, we continue the comparative discussion about Haitian Vodou alongside other world religions and spiritual systems, not to rank or reduce them but to honor their distinct wisdoms and shared roots. 

From other African Traditional Religions to Hinduism, Taoism, and other Indigenous cosmologies, we examine how beliefs about spirit, ancestors, ritual, and community reflect common threads and unique cosmologies.  We highlight how colonization has shaped global perceptions of Vodou, often through contrast with dominant Western religions. But Vodou is a sacred, complex, and deeply relational tradition with its own theology, ethics, and structure. 

This conversation invites listeners to see Vodou not as “other,” but as part of a global tapestry of ancestral and earth-based spiritual practices. Whether you are new to Vodou or looking to understand it in a broader spiritual context, this episode invites reflection, curiosity, and reverence.

In this episode of Agua Cedito, we trace the sacred roots of the Haitian Revolution, focusing on the spiritual, political, and cultural forces that led to the first successful slave revolt in the Americas. Far from being just a historical event, the Haitian Revolution was a spiritual war where Vodou played a central role in organizing, empowering, and uniting the people.

We explore the events leading up to the uprising, from brutal colonial rule to the quiet resistance carried in songs, ceremonies, and community rituals. Central to this story is Bwa Kayiman, a powerful congress that included a Vodou ceremony that lit the flame of revolution and invoked ancestral protection and spiritual force.

Vodou was not just present during this fight; it was the foundation, strategy, and spirit of liberation. This episode challenges colonial retellings and centers the voices, practices, and worldviews that fuel freedom.

Tune in to understand how Vodou and revolution are forever intertwined in Haiti’s fight for dignity, sovereignty, and ancestral justice.

In this episode, Dr. Manbo Charlene shares a powerful, firsthand account of her pilgrimage to Bwa Kayiman, the sacred site where the Haitian Revolution was spiritually ignited. Her story weaves ancestral reverence, ritual experience, and historical memory. Tune in for an intimate glimpse into Vodou devotion at one of Haiti’s most revered spiritual grounds. 

About Dr. Manbo Charlene

 Dr.  Charlene M. Désir is a dedicated scholar and Vodou Manbo/Priestess focused on the healing and academic adjustment of  Haitians in the U.S. and Haiti. She earned her doctorate from Harvard University and  is a research professor at Nova Southeastern University. 

Dr. Désir founded  The Empowerment Network, Global, a non-profit dedicated to empowering  Haitian women and children. She also established the Haitian Mental Health Think Tank  to address mental health issues within the Haitian community. Her research  explores the impact of social and spiritual trauma on cognitive abilities and  social development. She served as the 2012 president of the Haitian Studies Association and Vice President of Kosanba, a scholarly association  studying Haitian Vodou. 

She has authored several publications, including  a recent book entitled Edikasyon and Restoration of Pan African Haitian  Youth: A Guide to Building Diasporic Literacy Programs, based on a seven-year psycho-educational initiative in Miami, FL. Dr. Désir has extensive  experience as a school psychologist, K-12 school counselor, school administrator,  academic advisor, professor, and healer.  

Episode references:

TEN Global 

Kosanba

Sosyete Nago

The Haitian Revolution was not only a political uprising but a sacred war for freedom, fueled by spirit, ceremony, and ancestral power. In this episode of Agua Cedito, we center the role of Vodou as the spiritual backbone of the world’s first successful revolt led by enslaved Africans. Far beyond colonial distortions, Vodou emerges here not just as a religion but as a system of resistance, a source of strategy, and a unifying force that bound communities across plantations and regions.

We honor the legacies of revolutionary spiritual leaders like Francois Makandal, Dutty Boukman, Cécile Fatiman, and countless other Vodou priestesses and priests who carried the torch of liberation through ritual, vision, and sacred leadership. Their ceremonies, including the iconic gathering at Bwa Kayiman, called upon the ancestors and lwa (spirits) to guide, protect, and empower the people in their fight against colonial violence.

This episode calls us to remember that the revolution was not won with just machetes and fire. It was won in prayer, possession, and prophecy. Join us as we reclaim the erased spiritual narratives behind Haiti’s freedom struggle and uplift the power of Vodou as a living, liberatory force.

In this episode of Agua Cedito, we explore the deep spiritual and cultural meaning behind the phrase “Honneur et Respect” a traditional greeting in Haitian Vodou that carries far more weight than mere words. Rooted in African cosmologies and communal values, this call-and-response exchange is both a salutation and an affirmation of shared dignity, reverence, and ancestral connection.

We unpack how Honneur et Respect serves as a guiding philosophy within Vodou, one that honors the presence of the ancestors, reinforces mutual respect among practitioners, and upholds the sacredness of community life. It’s a ritual in itself, one that acknowledges spirit, reclaims humanity, and establishes relational balance before any ceremony or gathering even begins.

More than a cultural formality, this phrase also functions as a form of resistance to colonial erasure. It stands as a living reminder of Vodou’s African roots and how Haitian spiritual traditions preserve, adapt, and protect what colonization tried to destroy.