Past issues
Feeds
The Paper in print
Twitter
Facebook
Contact
Email updates Twitter Facebook RSS Feeds
Do you Vodou?
Stephanie Keith does. The Clinton Hill resident has spent nearly five years capturing Brooklyn’s Vodou community — specifically, photographing the religious ceremonies and practices hosted by Mambo Marie Carmel in her Flatbush basement.
“I’ve always been interested in religion, but I just love the beat of the drums, the songs, and the energy that’s created between the participants,” said Keith. “It just seemed so free.”
Keith’s passion in shooting the ceremonies culminated this past summer in her book, “Vodou Brooklyn: Five Ceremonies with Mambo Marie Carmel.” On Dec. 18, the photographer celebrates both the book and the religion with an exhibit at Five Myles in Crown Heights.
In addition to featuring her work, the night will be a non-intimidating introduction to the Vodou religion, complete with a salute to the spirits and drumming by Gerard and Mandouse, in an attempt to erase negative connotations and myths people may associate with the Haitian religion, such as Vodou dolls and devil worship.
“I feel like Vodou has been such a sustaining religious people to so many people, but it’s still so misrepresented and misunderstood,” said Keith. “I am committed to the idea of Vodou going mainstream and people not having strange misconceptions about it. It’s a really beautiful and rich culture steeped in Haitian history.”
“Vodou Brooklyn” at Five Myles [558 St Johns Pl. between Classon and Franklin avenues in Prospect Heights, (718) 783-4438], Dec. 18 at 7 pm. Free. For info, visit www.stephaniekeith.com.
©2010 Community Newspaper Group
By submitting this comment, you agree to the following terms:
You agree that you, and not BrooklynPaper.com or its affiliates, are fully responsible for the content that you post. You agree not to post any abusive, obscene, vulgar, slanderous, hateful, threatening or sexually-oriented material or any material that may violate applicable law; doing so may lead to the removal of your post and to your being permanently banned from posting to the site. You grant to BrooklynPaper.com the royalty-free, irrevocable, perpetual and fully sublicensable license to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, translate, create derivative works from, distribute, perform and display such content in whole or in part world-wide and to incorporate it in other works in any form, media or technology now known or later developed.
Print this story
Digg this
Del.icio.us