“We retained the language and the religion (of Africa) so both could serve us. I would say like two scissor tips cutting the skin, they could cut the chains of slavery.”

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Ati Max Beauvoir (ah-tee max bow-vwahr)

Supreme chief

IMAGE SOURCE: Photo by Thony Belizaire in Ed Mazza, “Vodou Leader Max Beauvoir Dies In Haiti At 79.” Huff Post. 14 Sept. 2015. | TEXT SOURCE: “Interview with Ati Max Beauvoir by Valerio Saint-Louis.” Vodou Archive.10 Dec. 2012.

IMAGE SOURCE: Photo by Thony Belizaire in Ed Mazza, “Vodou Leader Max Beauvoir Dies In Haiti At 79.” Huff Post. 14 Sept. 2015. | TEXT SOURCE: “Interview with Ati Max Beauvoir by Valerio Saint-Louis.” Vodou Archive.10 Dec. 2012.

QUOTE CONTEXT: “With this whole blend (of African languages and cultures) came a mixture that is going to harmonize in Bwa Kayiman (ceremony). I believe we harmonized. It’s actually then in the same moment we founded the Creole language.”

QUOTE QUESTION: What ancestral language or religion continues to serve your People?

IMAGE CONTEXT: “Haitian voodoo leader Max Beauvoir shows a relief painting of a voodoo ceremony.”

IMAGE QUESTION: What ceremonial images are you free to share with the world?

MEDIA LITERACY CONTEXT: The quote is from an interview held in a university archive. The photo is from an article in a news aggregator and blog website.

MEDIA LITERACY QUESTION: How widely do you share notice of the passing of your elders?

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“I see my role as a human rights activist and as a Manbo Asogwe (high priestess) as one…to help to literally conjure memory, so that our sense of self and sense of place is restored.”
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“I worship my ancestors. They were free people in Africa, minding their business. Invaders came and took everything from them. The only thing they brought with them was vodou.”