“GADE NAN MIZÈ-A M TONBE: VODOU AND HAITI’S ENVIRONMENTAL CATASTROPHE”

Monday, October 3rd
7-9pm
French Department Lounge, Room 4202
CUNY Graduate Center
365 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY

In “Gade nan mizè-a m tonbe,” a plaintive Vodou song dedicated to the lwa Bwa Nan Bwa (Tree in the Woods spirit), the singer asks the spirit to look at the misery into which he has fallen. Guided by this poignant song, Paravisini-Gebert’s talk explores what the nation’s severe deforestation—and the loss of its sacred mapous—has meant for religious practices and beliefs in Haiti.

Lizabeth Paravisini-Gebert is a Professor of Caribbean culture and literature in the Department of Hispanic Studies and Director of the Environmental Studies Program at Vassar College, where she holds the Randolph Distinguished Professor Chair. She is also a participating faculty member in the Programs in Latin American Studies and International Studies.

This event is cosponsored by the Caribbean Epistemologies Seminar and the Center for the Humanities. It is part of the City SEEDS Lecture Series “Aesthetic and Cultural Expressions of African-Derived Religions.” For more information on the event and the Lecture Series, please see the full schedule at the Trans-Caribbean Reflections website.