History & Heritage

The Cordasco House (Villa Miramar)

December 4, 2021 by Anton Lau

exterior view of old gothic gingerbread mansion with balcony and green trees — The Cordasco House (Villa Miramar) in Pacot
Photo: Lëa-Kim Châteauneuf / Wikimedia Commons

The Cordasco House (Villa Miramar)

The Cordasco House is one of Haiti’s most iconic gothic gingerbread mansions. The House has been closed to the public since the 90s, but Visit Haiti was able to take a sneak peek inside. Take a look at our exclusive virtual tour of this national treasure.

First impressions

If you drive into Port-au-Prince from the south-east (maybe after a weekend in Jacmel) you can’t miss the charismatic Cordasco House. At a fork in the road where you turn right to continue into PAP proper, rising above you is the yellow, orange, and creamy-brown heights of one of Haiti’s most photogenic Gingerbread mansions. This is the Cordasco House, also known as Maison Cordasco, Villa Miramar, and “Le Petit Trianon” in honour of the palace of the same name in Versailles. In Haitian Kreyòl, Cordasco House is affectionately known as Ti Trianon.

As a child, I remember sitting in the back of a pickup truck coming back from Jacmel and looking up in awe at the latticework, turrets, and high, rounded towers. The high-walled gardens overflowed with the tops of frangipani trees, their aromatic waxy flowers heavy. The house was as imposing as any fairytale castle I could conjure, and my childhood self wondered if Haiti’s own Rapunzel lived up in those towers.

Gingerbread houses are ornate turn-of-the-century buildings unique to Haiti. Like their edible namesake, Gingerbreads are famous for steep roofs and ornate details highlighted in vibrant, contrasting colours. They are architecturally fascinating for a number of reasons – not least because they’ve proven to be surprisingly resistant to earthquakes.

In 2020, I was invited by a colleague in the arts to take a private tour of Cordasco house, and I finally got to go through the tall gates I had been gazing at in wonder since childhood.

stairs to large door entrance to house with decorative metal details — Villa Miramar sign above the main entrance at the Cordasco House (Villa Miramar)
Photo: Lëa-Kim Châteauneuf / Wikimedia Commons

Take a peek inside Cordasco House

At the gates, a stone-faced guard greets me with a twinkle in his eye – one part artisan, one part soldier, I soon discover – and swings open the gate. A long, wide driveway, lined by flowering trees, winds toward the four-story turreted mansion. Large, heavy stone vases are embedded in the entryway masonry, flanking the double staircase leading to the main door.

Cordasco House and many others like it were rapidly built in Port-au-Prince starting in the 1860s, as Port-au-Prince’s economic and industrial growth skyrocketed. At that time, as Haiti’s only port open to foreign trade, it was the epicenter of commerce on the island. A new bourgeoisie class of affluent traders, businesspeople, and educated professionals flourished. Opportunity was everywhere, and as the city’s population grew in tandem with its economy, the newly wealthy class migrated out of the chaotic downtown core to the evergreen eastern hillsides of Turgeau, Bois Verna, and Pacot with gorgeous views of the bay. This district is where you’ll find many of the attractions on our self-guided gingerbread tour.

Villa Miramar, the name given to the house by its original owners, can still be seen traced in wrought iron filigree above the main entrance that arches above the grand staircase. As appreciation for the gingerbread style grew, the house increasingly became known as maison Cordasco, after one of the most famous architects of the style.

There’s two theories on who designed and built the Cordasco House. One theory claims the house was built by Fioravante Cordasco, an Italian-born architect active in Haiti until the mid-twentieth century, and an integral part of the gingerbread movement. Although the nickname of “the Cordasco house” lends weight to Cordasco theory, a joint project by Haitian art collective FOKAL and Columbia University writes that the house was actually built by Parisian-trained Haitian architect Joseph-Eugène Maximilien. According to FOKAL, Maximilien built the house in 1914 for the lady Ewald Clara Gauthier.

facade of old gothic gingerbread mansion with decorative fretworks and latticeworks — Facade of the Cordasco House (Villa Miramar) in Pacot
Photo: Lëa-Kim Châteauneuf / Wikimedia Commons

The guard waves me to drive my car past the main house, to where a second, separate building stands. A series of smaller houses stretches behind the mansion’s back, many of them with ornate balconies and gingerbread trim. Towering trees, manicured gardens and pools complete the picture.

The gingerbread architectural style in which the Cordasco House is built is truly creole, blending together foreign influences with local materials in an ornamental way. For example, Haitian gingerbread houses adopt 1830s Victorian “picturesque” features like intricate trim that resembles lace, but execute it with locally available and affordable elements like timber-slatted siding. The classic flamboyant colors of Victorian houses are intensified to neon.

Here in Haiti, the vaulted ceilings sometimes seen in Victorian architecture are an essential feature, improving air circulation in the sultry eternal summer of the Caribbean. To provide shade from the Haitian sun and accommodate the need for daily meeting space, where much of Haitian life takes place, gingerbread houses have wide galleries and porches, integrated into the faux-Victorian aesthetic with intricately adorned latticework.

Climbing up the main steps, I enter a high-ceilinged ante-chamber which opens out onto a three-story winding wooden staircase, rising up, up, up into the rafters. On either side are the principle rooms of the ground floor, framed by intricately-carved doorways.

interior of gingerbread mansion with old wodden staicase — Wooden staircase at the Cordasco House (Villa Miramar)
Photo: Lëa-Kim Châteauneuf / Wikimedia Commons

In the 1970s and 80s, the Cordasco House rose to new fame in the city as a tea house and fashionable boutique under the name Le Petit Trianon, and many of Haiti’s society ladies recall stories of lunching in these airy rooms.

The early 1990s saw the gingerbread house become a home once again, as a private residence to members of the Hudicourt family. One former resident, Lorraine Hudicourt, currently the owner-operator of La Lorraine Boutique Hotel, recalls fond memories of climbing the frangipani flower trees in the front yard in her youth, and playing hide and seek in the fourth-floor attic space with her many sisters and tribe of cousins. In those days, the gates were often open all day as children and cousins came and went, bringing life, laughter and mischief to all corners of the vast property. Housekeepers slept in the sprawling staff quarters at the top of the property, themselves equivalent in size to three Haitian middle-class houses.

Indicating where I should place my step due to earthquake damage, the groundskeeper leads me up the staircase to the second and third floors. Each doorway, each moulding, is intricately carved. Green granite countertops and Portugese tiles decorate the bathrooms. The slanted floors bely the age of this grand old lady, but do nothing to diminish her dignity or grandeur.

interior of old gothic gingerbread mansion with tile floor and structual damage — Ground floor at the Cordasco House (Villa Miramar) in Pacot
Photo: Lëa-Kim Châteauneuf / Wikimedia Commons

The Cordasco House survived the 2010 earthquake, but not without some bruising. The walls suffered several large cracks, and the three-story spiraling staircase that rises up through the house’s center was destabilized. Fortunately, though much of Haiti’s capital had been levelled by the disaster, the Cordasco House’s foundations were undamaged.

The Cordasco house’s resilience is part of a surprising trend. U.S. conservation experts discovered that only five percent of the estimated 300,000 gingerbread houses of Haiti had partially or fully collapsed due to the earthquake, in contrast to forty percent of all other structures, most of which had been considered to be in better condition. The Wall Street Journal suggests that Haiti’s Gingerbread architecture could serve as a model for seismic-resistant structures in the future.

In the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, the owners opened up “Ti Trianon” as an improvised hospital for earthquake victims, run by Medecins Sans Frontieres. Part of the house continued to be rented out to NGOs for several years, and was fitted with impromptu walls to delineate offices and cubicles. By 2018 though, many international charities had largely pulled out of Port-au-Prince with their budgets in tow, and office rental in the Cordasco House came to a halt. For two years, only the trusty guardian graced the dozens of rooms, protecting this historic property.

In early 2020, the owners threw open the shutters to sunlight once more, investing in renovations. The neighbourhood of Pacot became a flurry of movement as gallons of fresh white paint coated the Cordasco House’s interior and new scaffolding was erected against the famous facade, ready to usher in another new era of the house’s rich history.

By the time I step out onto the uppermost balcony, an orange and pink sunset is unfurling over the bay of Port-au-Prince.

balcony with decorative fretworkand latticework details — Balcony with view of Port-au-Prince at the Cordasco House (Villa Miramar)
Photo: Lëa-Kim Châteauneuf / Wikimedia Commons

Cordasco House is currently not open to the public, but you can see it from the corner of Rue Pacot and Avenue N in the area of Pacot, Port-au-Prince.

Want to see inside a gingerbread house? Here are my two top picks nearby:

Gingerbread Restaurant: For those looking for a fabulous gingerbread house as a backdrop for photos or a video shoot, we encourage you to discover this nearby gingerbread mansion of equivalent grandeur. Known for great cocktail hours by the pool, Gingerbread Restaurant also does great pizza and salads, and the herring and cod croquettes are out of this world.

Open to the public, Gingerbread Restaurant is located on 22 Rue 3, Pacot. Look for the light blue gate. Open 11am to 10pm Monday through Saturday. Closed Sundays.

Hôtel Villa Thérèse: This three-story gingerbread mansion is distinctly different from most of the gingerbread houses, but its pink turrets and ornate masonry, painted in soft yellows and vibrant blues, clearly draw on the same tradition. Villa Therese operates as a boutique hotel, but you don’t need to book a stay to see inside – anyone can visit the restaurant, open 6:30am to 9:30pm.

Hôtel Villa Thérèse is at 13 Rue Leon Nau Nerette, Petion-Ville.

For a list of gingerbread houses open to the public, check out our guide to gingerbread houses in Haiti.

exterior view of old gothic gingerbread mansion — The Cordasco House (Villa Miramar) in Pacot
Photo: Lëa-Kim Châteauneuf / Wikimedia Commons

Written by Emily Bauman.

Published December 2021

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Visit the Oloffson Hotel

October 22, 2021 by Anton Lau

facade of gothic style gingerbread hotel with palm trees — Hotel Oloffson, Port-au-Prince
Photo: Jean Oscar Augustin

Visit the Oloffson Hotel

The iconic Hotel Oloffson, a gothic “Gingerbread” mansion surrounded by a lush tropical garden, has been described as the most iconic hotel of not just Haiti but the whole Caribbean. The rickety 19th-century mansion is amazingly intact given its location in the centre of a city that has seen so much destruction.

While I wait for the black iron gates to open, passersby weave around my car. I honk again, and the gates creak open just enough to let me through. A doorman in a black cap and a faded T-shirt nods at me, then promptly creaks the gate shut again.

A winding cobblestone path flanked by green foliage disappears into deep gardens. There’s no hotel in sight. Instead, wrought iron sculptures with diabolic faces peer out from between the leaves. More and more strange sculptures appear, some created from car parts in a style I recognize as belonging to the Atis Resistance movement.

As the driveway winds further uphill, the white lattice of the mansion roof appears over the palm trees and mango leaves. On the left side of the driveway, a glittering white-and-mirror mosaic wall emerges into view. In the center, the mural shows a red and blue boat. Trained eyes know that more than a simple sailboat, this is actually a dedication to the vodou spirit of the sea, Agwe. Near the anchor that dips into the white waves, sacred inscriptions hint at the magic and folklore that infuses Hotel Oloffson.

Buche Perico restaurant in Santo Domingo — Baron Samedi sculpture, Hotel Oloffson
Photo: Jean Oscar Augustin

Parking on a cobblestone flatway, I turn off the motor, and approach the famous front entrance of the Hotel Oloffson. Craning to look up, I marvel at the nest-like widow’s peak and the many turreted balconies on the upper floors. This particular example of gingerbread architecture was described as “an illustration from a book of fairy tales” by American author Graham Greene who once lived and wrote here. A fan of Wes Anderson Movies, I imagine the Hotel Oloffson as a Caribbean cousin to The Grand Budapest Hotel.

An air of sleepiness and reverie envelops the front steps which veer off to the left and right. Everything is painted white – the bricks, the timber upper stories, the intricately carved wood panels that section off the balconies. In an alcove set into the white stone base of a staircase, several sculptures stand watch, including a three-foot-high man who represents the Gede family of vodou lwa. The Gede are the gods of the crossroads between life and death celebrated annually during the Haitian Day of the Dead.

hotel restauarant veranda with tile floor green doors — Restaurant veranda at Hotel Oloffson
Photo: Jean Oscar Augustin

The Hotel Oloffson Restaurant

At the top of the stairs, an ancient-looking butler stands sentinel at the restaurant entrance. Behind him, an expansive verandah leads through a sequence of lobby rooms to a concert stage. I nod to the butler and choose a table in the far corner, overlooking the city of Port-au-Prince and the strip of azure sea beyond. A century of politicians, musicians, local artists and vodou priests have sat in this same chair.

The butler takes my order – the Oloffson’s famous rum punch cocktail and a side of accra – and shuffles over nineteenth-century mosaic tiles to disappear behind saloon doors painted with a vivid Haitian countryside scene. Haitian art is smattered across the grounds. The corner table of the Oloffson verandah is an excellent vantage point to take in the art collection that begins in the sculpture garden below and creeps up to the mansion, covering nearly every wall of the hotel lobby, restaurant, and its myriad guest rooms.

Above the table, a pearly pink-and-white sequined flag catches my eye. It carries one of the lwa cosmograms- sacred designs that act like a beacon, calling down the corresponding spirit. The curving heart shape indicates this is a flag created for Erzulie Freda – spirit of love and protector of children.

hotel bar interior with liquor bottles and old framed mirror — Bar at Hotel Oloffson
Photo: Jean Oscar Augustin

What to order

For starters, try the Oloffson’s famous rum punch cocktail, or a rum sour if you’re after something simpler. The best accompaniment is accra: the deep-fried, very spicy batter made from malanga root is prepared with special care in the hotel kitchen below, and arrives with a heaping pile of spiced pikliz – best eaten with your fingers.

old gothic style gingerbread hotel with lush green trees — Hotel Oloffson, Port-au-Prince
Photo: Jean Oscar Augustin

History

The mansion was built as the primary residence for the Sam family, an influential clan that boasts two former presidents of Haiti among its ranks. In 1915, following the infamous death of its owner at the hands of political protestors, the Sam mansion was seized by US military forces. The mansion served as a US military hospital until the US occupation ended in 1934.

Few visitors to Haiti know how the famed Hotel Oloffson got its current name, but I’ll let you in on the secret. In 1935, when the US occupation ended, the mansion was leased to a Swedish sea captain named Werner Gustav Oloffson, who wanted to retire from life on the open water in Haiti’s summery climate. Along with his wife Margot and two children, Captain Oloffson set about converting the lush expansive gardens, gingerbread mansion and hospital wing into Haiti’s finest hotel.

In the 1950s, 60s and 70s, the hotel went Hollywood. An outpost for the rich and fabulous, the Oloffson hosted the American political and cultural elite – Jackie Onassis Kennedy would often be found fanning herself on the nest-like balcony of the grand honeymoon suite. The emerald-green swimming pool in the garden hosted an endless stream of parties for musicians, models and writers, as one expat owner after the other took their turn at the helm.

Many of the rooms now boast hand-painted placards with the name of a famous past guest. Visitors can sleep in the Mick Jagger room, Jackie O room, Graham Greene room and more. Like their erstwhile guests, the hotel corridors are anything but straight and narrow: some suites are situated above the swimming pool, connected by hidden corridors. Others you reach by a winding narrow staircase off the main lobby. The staircase to the second floor is an ancient wooden construction that sinks underfoot in places, and leads further up into lofty galleries, then through a wooden passageway. Still more wooden passages take visitors into the wing that once held the American military hospital. The most sought-after rooms are in the main mansion, just above the lobby.

"Sunsan Sarandon" handpainted placard with flowers — Susan Sarandon placard, Hotel Oloffson
Photo: Jean Oscar Augustin

Live Music

Every Saturday night at the Oloffson, the band RAM – an absolute national treasure – delivers an unforgettable performance of vodou-infused rock. If you’re not a guest at the hotel or paying for a sit-down dinner, you’ll need to pay an entry fee of 500 HTG (about 5 U.S. dollars). The show starts around 10:30. Expect sing-a-longs with an enthusiastic crowd and dancing all night long. (Note that until recently, RAM played every Thursday, but changed to Saturdays in 2020.)

Weekly performances by RAM have become a ceremonial-grade ritual loved by all levels of society. Remarkably, in a country where consistency is hard to find, the band has consistently gigged at the Oloffson since 1990, when the band’s frontman took over running the hotel.

A “vodou rock and roots” band, RAM incorporates traditional vodou lyrics and instruments, such as rara horns and Petwo drums, into rock, and their lyrics are sung in a macaronic medley of Haitian creole, French and English.

Hotel Oloffson, Port-au-Prince
Photo: Jean Oscar Augustin

The 2010 earthquake

After the 2010 earthquake, the Oloffson was one of the few hotels left standing in Port-au-Prince. Some joked that the ancient structure was held together by termites in the wood and magic in the rafters, but research has since shown that Haiti’s traditional gingerbread houses are surprisingly earthquake resistant.

The Oloffson became a major hub for the influx of humanitarian workers and global media outlets that descended on the capital. The expansive porches and grounds were an informal HQ for foreigners and emissaries of the estimated hundred thousand charities who became active in the “NGO Republic” of Port-au-Prince. Anyone seeking a meeting or rendezvous point defaulted to the Oloffson.

Era after era, the space has served its guests loyally. The Oloffson has been a family home, hotel, hospital, jam-hall, meeting place, humanitarian headquarters, art gallery, and celebrity escape.

The Hotel Oloffson stands guard over downtown Port-au-Prince, undeterred by rebellion, earthquake, or the famous faces that wander its corridors. The beauty of the fairytale is still unraveling, and seated comfortably in my chair with this view, I feel grateful for yet another chance to weave my own story into the stories of those who have come before. Sipping my rum punch, I wonder what will become of this space in another fifty years. Who will drive up the garden passage, and what incarnation of the Oloffson will they find?

interior of hotel guest room with wodden desk and sunlight — Balcony room at Hotel Oloffson
Photo: Jean Oscar Augustin

Stay at the Oloffson

Almost a century after Captain Oloffson took over the sprawling gingerbread mansion, the Oloffson is still running as a boutique hotel.

Guests can stay in one of 22 rooms, dine at the in-house restaurant and lounge at the outdoor pool. All suites include a free continental breakfast, free WiFi, and free parking. One of the Oloffson’s attractions is its seclusion, and to save you having to travel into the city for essentials, there’s even a convenience store on site.

RAM plays on Saturday nights. The show is free for hotel guests and dinner customers.

The Oloffson is hidden from view on 60 Ave Christophe, Port-au-Prince, in the neighbourhood of Saint Gérard, just near trendy Pacot.

Within a short walk you’ll find the Museum of Haitian Art, Champs de Mars Square and the National Pantheon Museum. Haiti’s main airport is a 10 minute drive away.

Book your stay now!

facade of gothic style gingerbread hotel with palm trees and dog — Hotel Oloffson, Port-au-Prince
Photo: Jean Oscar Augustin

Written by Emily Bauman.

Published October 2020.

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Explore Haiti’s History & Heritage

Experience Haiti Virtually from Your Home

August 5, 2021 by Anton Lau

dramatic haitian coastline with jungle forest and speed boat — Anse Baguette beach near Jacmel
Photo: Franck Fontain

Experience Haiti Virtually from Your Home

We wish you were here. We know you do, too.

If you’re anything like us, the need for you to connect or even be in Haiti at this moment in time has been stronger than ever before. The last sixteen months have proven to be challenging in ways both familiar and new, and have pushed us to adapt in ways we never would’ve thought possible. As Haiti weathers the storms of the ongoing pandemic, sociopolitical unrest, and the assassination of former president Jovenel Moïse, the feeling of longing for Haiti—and in a way, for those on the island who make us feel like we’re home—is hard to fight off.

Since July 7, Haiti has felt like a liminal space where no one is quite sure where to stand or how to behave. The news of Jovenel Moïse’s assassination shook the capital as hard as it did the surrounding cities and far-away provinces. In the days following the killing, the streets of Port-au-Prince were quieter than they usually are on Sundays; worry and anticipation tainted the air, and people hesitated to venture outside for fear of what would happen next. Even though in the days since, things seem to have regained some kind of normalcy, it is very clear to everyone in Haiti that there is no going “back to normal” at the moment.

city street with traffic and old colonial buildings — Old gingerbread house in Cap-Haïtien
Photo: Franck Fontain

This leaves people like us—and people like you, too, who are enamored with Haiti, and who want nothing but to run and embrace the island—lost and confused. If the pandemic wasn’t a good time to travel to Haiti for just any reason, the recent events are even more reason to rethink purchasing a plane ticket. Just like you may be anxious to fly in for your summer vacation, we are anxious to recommend that you do so.

What we feel comfortable and eager doing, though, is recommending that you visit Haiti from home.

Right here, on Visit Haiti.

plate with grilled fish, fried plantains, fries and salat — Grilled Fish at Le Coin des Artiste – Vivano, Petion-Ville
Photo: Alain David Lescouflair

Cook Your Way Through the Island

One of our favorite things about Haiti is how accessible the country’s history and culture is through its cuisine. A lot of Haitian fruit is accessible in foreign markets, like the unmistakable Haitian mango; consider shopping at your local Caribbean shop for some of our favorite summer flavors. This is also the perfect opportunity to order some of the best rum Haiti has to offer and consider a home tasting. We love how these rums shine next to Haiti’s hall-of-fame dishes, too.

Sunset through the forest of Forêt des Pins, Haiti — Sunset, Forêt des Pins
Photo: Anton Lau

Bring the Outside Inside

If you’re a lover of nature, you might enjoy trying to spot some of Haiti’s wildlife in your neighborhood on the weekend. You’ll be pleased to know that Haiti is home to some really awesome forests, such as Forêt des Pins, too— which you’ll definitely want to put down on your list of places to see on your next trip. We have good news for avid birdwatchers, too: you can probably spot some of Haiti’s winged wildlife where you live.

A woman wearing a bikini relaxes in a window holding a book — Book reading in Haiti
Photo: Amanacer / Emily Bauman

Learn the Colors of Haiti’s Culture

Now is also a good time to read up on the richness of Haitian heritage and culture, which is sure to taint every step you take around the island as soon as you’re able to travel to Haiti again. We highly recommend checking out what to do at a vodou ceremony, or where to meet and buy from Haiti’s finest metal-workers. And until you can safely make it to the island, our How Haitian Are You quiz and Best books about Haiti Reading List are a good way to make sure you stay on your toes by the time your next trip comes around.

aerial view of coastal village with market area and boats — Sun rising over the port of Marigot
Photo: Franck Fontain

Visit Haiti, Right From Your Screen

One of the ways we are excited to help you visit Haiti from the comfort of your home is through our photo journals. Tag along on a visual and virtual tour of the island. Our photo journals come courtesy of Haitian photographers, and feature different regions all over the country. Right now, you can take a mini-trip to Saint-Marc, Grand’Anse, or even Marigot.

portrait photo of young stylish haitian girl with long dreadlocks and red head scarf — Ann-Sophie in Port-au-Prince
Photo: Ted Olivier Mompérousse

Meet Haiti, Meet the Locals

In another effort to bring you closer to Haiti and its resilient, inspiring, and bright people, we are also pumped to introduce you to our Meet the Locals series. It’s no secret that Haiti and Haitians carry a bold streak; it shows in the food, and it shows in the music. What we want to share is how each individual Haitian contributes to painting the colorful picture that is Haiti today. You can start here, by reading our interview with Ann-Sophie Hamilton, a sustainable tourism advocate.

And watch our video where we speak to Isaac, a painter from Dame-Marie.

Written by Kelly Paulemon.

Published August 2021

Explore Haiti’s Art & Culture

Haitian Vodou Revealed

June 28, 2021 by Anton Lau

vodou priestess kneeling on floor in a huge and colorful dress — Vodou priestess Manbo Nini, Jacmel
Photo: Verdy Verna

Haitian Vodou Revealed

When it comes to Haitian Vodou, what is fact, and what is fiction? Test your knowledge of the world’s most maligned spiritual tradition.

Vodou originated in the African kingdoms of Fon and Kongo as many as 6,000 years ago. In modern Haiti, this spiritual practice is a creolized version that incorporates Amerindian Taíno and Arawak deities, Medieval Catholic influences, and even Masonic rituals!

By and large, people associate Vodou* with evil, devil worship, and violent animal sacrifice. But many of its rituals (even those that include the sacrifice of live animals) focus on restoring peace and balance – in families, communities, and between the human realm and the realms of the lwa – the spirits.

Vodou religious leaders are respected figures in their communities, providing guidance, settling disputes, and providing medical care in the form of herbal healing. Priests – oungan – and priestesses – manbo – dedicate their lives to helping others and assisting them in serving their lwa. People who practice Vodou are known as vodouwizan, vodouisants (French), or in Haitian Kreyòl, sèvitè – “servants of the spirits”.

As Haitian nationals and the Haitian diaspora in Canada, the United States, and France become more open about their practice of Vodou, the truth about this enigmatic spiritual practice is slowly being revealed to the world. This is a story of how a spiritual tradition designed to heal and maintain balance was caught up in a case of mistaken identity, from which it is still recovering today.

haitian vodou practitioners in dimly lit cave with candles — Vodouwizans with candles
Photo: Pierre Michel Jean

Devil-worship or disinformation?

A 2011-12 exhibit at the Canadian Museum of Civilization suggests that Vodou was the target of a cultural disinformation campaign. Between 1915 and 1934, the United States Marine Corps occupied Haiti. During the occupation, Haiti became the backdrop for books and movies depicting Vodou as cruel, sinister, and bloody. Tracing media depictions of Haitian Vodou over time, the museum showed how anti-Vodou propaganda was deliberately spread to discredit anti-occupation forces. Movies like White Zombie, released in 1932, portrayed Vodou priests and others who resisted foreign occupation as bloodthirsty, deceptive, and downright evil.

Test your knowledge of Vodou

Now that we’ve set the record straight, it’s time to test your knowledge of this mysterious religion.

hanpainted exterior wall of vodou temple — Vodou peristyle
Photo: Emily Bauman / Amanacer

1. True or false: there are separate branches of Vodou

Answer: True!

Vodou lwa are divided into several branches or “nations”: the most prominent are Petwo and Rada.

Since there are more than two branches of lwa, it’s difficult to define Petwo and Rada purely in opposition to each other, but they are certainly starkly different.

Some anthropologists have described the Rada as benevolent and the Petwo as malevolent, or the Rada as representing ‘insider’ forces while the Petwo represent ‘outsider’ forces.

Rada lwa, according to anthropologist Karen McCarthy Brown, are generally gentle, kind and mostly concerned with supporting the wellbeing of their adherents. Petwo lwa, on the other hand, are hot-tempered, even explosive – the rituals that call Petwo lwa involve intense drumming, whip-cracks, gasoline and even ignited gunpowder. Some anthropologists believe the Petwo lwa are indigenous to Haiti, not imported from Africa – generated either as creolizations of native Taíno or Arawak deities, or born out of the need to survive the harsh conditions and trauma that the enslaved vodouwizan had to endure.

We can illustrate this dichotomy with the two rival lwa, Erzulie Freda and Erzulie Dantò. Two aspects of the same female deity, Erzulie Freda is a Rada lwa, and Erzulie Dantò is a Petwo lwa. In the same way that a diamond has hundreds of facets, a Vodou spirit or lwa has seemingly unlimited sides. Practitioners understand that if the entire lwa – in its full power – were to manifest itself, it would be overpowering, so they choose to invoke only one facet at a time.

Erzulie Freda and Erzulie Dantò are each part of a whole, but are depicted in traditional Haitian folklore as starkly different. Erzulie Freda is depicted as a fair-skinned bourgeois city woman who enjoys wealth, luxury, and the finer things in life like perfumes, jewelry, and flowers. Her counterpart, Dantò, a fierce defender of children, women, and society’s rejects, is dark-skinned and proudly wears two distinct scars on her face. Whereas Freda might respond to a crisis by crying, Dantò responds by becoming enraged.

The vèvè Vodou symbol for each version of Erzulie contains a heart, but each is distinct. Erzulie Dantò’s cosmogram features a sword through a heart, indicating her power to enact vengeance, protect children, and fulfill the fiery side of love on behalf of the lwa.

Whether you attend a ceremony held for Erzulie Freda or Erzulie Dantò is as different as going to a gentle Quaker gathering for collective consciousness unity, or a Pentecostal prayer meeting calling on the Holy Spirit for vigorous and fiery healing.

man lighting candles in a lavishly pink decorated room for vodou ceremony — Ceremony for Erzulie Freda
Photo: Pierre Michel Jean

2. True or false: Vodou is all sinister sorcery and black magic

Answer: False!

There are two satellites of Vodou one might call secret societies. The dark practices of these secret societies were mistakenly called Voodoo by American officials in the early 1900s, causing confusion that persists to this day.

These two secret societies are Makaya and Bizango. They are what one may more accurately consider dark magic or sorcery; their practitioners use curses and incantations designed to cause harm. As opposed to Petwo and Rada Vodou, whose goals are to support and guide life, Makaya and Bizango employ practices harnessed against life.

How did these secret societies arrive in Haiti? It is said that Bizango started as a blend of West-African Bo and European necromancy brought to Hispaniola by colonizers. The story goes that African slaves brought to work sugar plantations were witness to their masters’ dark rituals on the plantations. This is when European knowledge would have been acquired, then combined with rituals from Africa to form a new syncretic practice.

Makaya, on the other hand, is believed to be a merging of Amerindian shapeshifting and other ritual secrets with the imported West-African Bo. The native inhabitants of the island were reputed to know the art of shapeshifting and of poisons, with rituals and practices designed to harm or protect individuals and communities.

Makaya places a stronger emphasis on shifting one’s corporeal form, and its lore includes stories of teleporting from one side of the island to another through secret portals revealed to the marooned slaves by the native Taíno. Some say that this is how revolutionaries were able to travel swiftly across the island and confound colonial armies.

When the US military occupation began in 1915, Western filmmakers exploited rumours about the darkest practices of Bizango and Makaya “voodoo” and through these caricatures, whether deliberately or not, vilified the country’s spiritual tradition.

In reality, love spells, curses, and rituals of revenge fall outside the realm of Vodou altogether. Curses, spells – and zombies – are instead the specialty of Bo in West-Africa and Bizango or Makaya in Haiti. In U.S. Vodou practice, they are categorized as “hoodoo” and should not be conflated with Vodou.

So if it’s not black magic, what is maji in Vodou?

When life gets chaotic and out of our control, westerners turn to psychologists, and Haitian vodouwizan turn to oungan and manbo. Everywhere on earth, for people of every faith, race and class, life can suddenly be thrown out of balance by sickness, professional failure, financial loss, family crisis or community conflict. At such times, vodouwizan ask the lwa to intervene and help the person in distress. This intervention is maji.

Practitioners of maji perform treatments to heal or protect those who consult them. In a dedicated room called a badji, the practitioner uses ritual to call in a lwa whose intervention is most appropriate for the given situation. The lwa may speak to the practitioner, or through the practitioner, possessing the practitioner’s body to investigate the situation for itself. The lwa decides on the appropriate course of action required to restore balance and shares this valuable information through the manbo or oungan.

woman making a cross with two knives on a straw hat — Ritual being performed at a Vodou ceremony
Photo: Pierre Michel Jean

3. True or false: voodoo dolls are real

Answer: True AND False

During the American occupation, books and films aimed at the general public propagated many of the fictions that continue to degrade Vodou by associating it with evil sorcery. One of the strongest fictions is the image of a voodoo doll pricked with pins to cause injury or suffering to an enemy.

Pricked with pins and full of evil powers, the primitive cloth doll has become the image most often associated with Vodou in the world’s collective imagination. This has nothing, however, to do with the real spiritual practice in Haiti.

In reality, dolls are occasionally used in the practice of Haitian Vodou, but not to cast spells! Placed near graves or hung from the branches of Kapok trees, these dolls convey messages sent by vodouwizan to the dead or to ancestors.

4. True or false: zombies are real

Answer: True!

Forget what you think you know about zombies. While Haitian zombies may not match their typical portrayal in popular media, they hold a very real place in the country’s cultural beliefs. There’s so much to explore about zombie fact and fiction that we’ve dedicated a separate article to it.

Learn all about Haitian zombies here.

haitian vodou practitioners with head scarfs during ceremony — Women at a Vodou ceremony
Photo: Pierre Michel Jean

5. True or false: vodou and Christianity first merged in the new world

Answer: False!

Many of the slaves brought to Hispaniola from northern and central Africa between the 16th and 18th centuries practiced the African form of Vodou. Since the colony’s slave code required all slaves to convert to Christianity, Vodou dances were strictly forbidden, and slaves could not observe their religion openly. They found themselves borrowing many elements from Catholicism to disguise and thus maintain their spiritual practice.

Lwa were assigned the faces of corresponding Saints. For example, Saint Peter holds the keys to the kingdom of heaven and corresponds to Papa Legba, who in Vodou is the gatekeeper to the spirit world. This process, known as syncretization, is why visitors to Haiti can see paintings for sale of a figure who appears to be Mary Mother of Jesus with black skin, and not know that they are really looking at a portrayal of Erzulie Dantò.

What is even less known is that this syncretization began hundreds of years earlier, before the first captured slave was ever sold on Haiti’s shores.

Long before Christopher Columbus docked on the island of Hispaniola, Portuguese monks visited the kingdom of Kongo, from where much of Haitian Vodou originates. These early Christian missionaries arrived in the capital after a long journey, appearing before the Kongo chief and his queen. They wore the plain beige robes of the medieval Jesuit priesthood.

The priests brought with them ornate golden crosses and, with permission, set up shop as missionaries do. They began to learn the local language, communicated as best they could, and shared stories about the Christian Holy Trinity, the resurrection story of Jesus, and the work of the Holy Spirit. In historical letters written to Portugal’s king and queen, the missionaries recount how the Kongo high court was fascinated with the Jesuit’s religion and adopted certain stories into their own belief systems.

The cross and the story of Jesus’s death and resurrection was integrated into the system of traditional Vodou lwa spirits and ancestor worship in the Kongo, which was then taken to Haiti by 16th-century African slaves. The Christian cross became a symbol for the crossroads, which represents life-altering choices and steps along the spiritual path for followers of Vodou in both its African and Haitian expressions to this day.

man carrying decorated cross during vodou ceremony — Vodou ceremony
Photo: Pierre Michel Jean

6. True or false: it’s dangerous to attend a Vodou ceremony because you’ll get possessed

Answer: False!

One of non-initiates’ greatest fears when it comes to Vodou is being possessed by spirits against their will. While possession does take place at Vodou ceremonies, there is little danger that a spectator will be spontaneously “ridden” by the lwa.

For a vodouwizan, being possessed is like momentarily disappearing in order to become the physical vessel for a lwa. The actions and words of the possessed are believed to be the loa expressing itself, addressing others, advising or consoling, encouraging or scolding, punishing or healing through the Vodouwizan.

For practitioners of Vodou, there is nothing strange or special about possession. It can happen at any moment, and can last anywhere from a few minutes to hours or even days.

If this sounds scary, it’s helpful to remember that an immense amount of training, initiation, not to mention financial resources and sacred planning go into holding a Vodou ceremony. People are looking for answers to real problems around financial ruin, broken relationships, and discord. Each ceremony is held with a specific purpose or intention, and it would not be accomplished if the possessed chwal (or “horse”) wasn’t up to the task of the full participation required of their role.

For the same reason, it is exceedingly unlikely that a spectator at a Vodou dans (ceremony) would spontaneously be possessed. In fact, it is extremely rare for a non-initiate to be invited to participate in a major way in an important Vodou ceremony.

Experience Vodou on your visit to Haiti

Join the party on the Haitian Day of the Dead
Get front-row tickets to Vodou rock and roots band RAM
Visit a museum dedicated to Vodou
Marvel at unreal art at Galerie Monin
Follow the pilgrimage to Saut D’eau
Attend a Vodou ceremony

Explore Haiti’s Art & Culture

How Haitian Are You? Try This Cultural Quiz!

April 13, 2021 by Anton Lau

bright colorful haitian truck loaded with cabbage — Truck loaded with cabbage
Photo: Kolektif 2 Dimansyon (K2D)

How Haitian Are You? Prove Yourself with This Cultural Quiz!

Whether you were born and live in Haiti, are part of the diaspora, or are not Haitian at all, this quiz is the perfect way to find out just how much you know about Haiti!

Haiti has a lot of history, so much to show and so much to tell. Do you know some not so common Haitian facts or want to prove to your Haitian grandmother that you know some Kreyòl? Maybe you’ve visited Haiti so many times you feel Haitian in your heart and want to test what you know. That’s why we’re here! Take this quiz to find out just how Haitian you are!

Let’s test how Haitian you are!

<section><h2><span style="font-size:36px;"></span><h1 style="text-align:center;">How Haitian Are You? Prove Yourself with This Cultural Quiz!</h1></h2><p></p></section><section><h2><h2>What does Louisiane Saint Fleurant & Prosper Pierre Louis have in common?</h2></h2></section><section><h3><h2><strong>What is Krik Krak?</strong></h2></h3></section><section><h3><h2>The Haitian artist Georges Liautaud is famous for his artworks made from what material?</h2></h3></section><section><h3><h2><strong>What is placed on top of the palm tree in the Haitian coat of arms?</strong></h2></h3></section><section><h3><h2><strong>Which famous pirate once lived on the Haitian Island </strong>Île-à-Vache?</h2></h3></section><section><h3><h2>What is the nickname of former Haitian president Jean-Bertrand Aristide?</h2></h3></section><section><h3><h2>Which period did Élie Lescot serve as President of Haiti?</h2></h3></section><section><h3><h2>Konparèt is a local speciality from?</h2></h3></section><section><h3><h2><strong>What is Clairin(Kleren)?</strong></h2></h3></section><section><h3><h2><strong>Akasan is a Haitian dish made from…</strong></h2></h3></section><section><h3><h2><strong>What is the name of the biggest lake in Haiti?</strong></h2></h3></section><section><h3><h2>Why is the endangered Haitian Solenodon considered one of the most unique and rare mammals in the world?</h2></h3></section><section><h3><h2>What is Saut-Mathurine?</h2></h3></section><section><h3><h2>Why is Jacmel nicknamed ‘The City of Lights’?</h2></h3></section><section><h3><h2>What is a person from Cap-Haïtien called?</h2></h3></section><section><h3><h2>What is ‘rada’ and ‘petwo’?</h2></h3></section><section><h2><h2><strong>Are you sure you’re not Dominican?</strong></h2></h2><p></p></section><section><h3><h2></h2><h2><strong>Don’t feel bad!</strong></h2></h3><p>You’re Haitian by association</p></section><section><h3><h2><h3><em>Piti piti zwazo fè nich li</em></h3></h2></h3><p><h3>Little by little, you can progress in life.</h3></p></section><section><h3><h2></h2><h3><em>Haiti is in your blood</em></h3></h3><p>Shhh you’re haitian don’t let them tell you otherwise</p></section><section><h3><h2></h2><h3><em>Pa mal</em></h3></h3><p>You must be of Haitian descent!</p></section><section><h3><h3>Yon vyewo li ye wi</h3></h3><p>You’re pretty Haitian!</p></section><section><h3><h2>Ekselan!!</h2></h3><p>A true Zoe is in our presence!</p></section>

If these questions were a bit too challenging and you still need to brush up on some more simple facts, stick around and check out our “Test Your knowledge – How many facts about Haiti do you know?” Quiz! If you want to access your inner Captain Morgan try our “Can You Place 12 Haitian Cities on the Map?” Quiz!

Created by Zachary Warr.

Published April 2021.

Our recommendations

Visit the Katherine Dunham Cultural Center

October 9, 2020 by Editor

building with futuristic designed roof in public park — Katherine Dunham Cultural Center, Port-au-Prince
Photo: FOKAL

Visit the Katherine Dunham Cultural Center

Located in the crescent coast of the bay of Port-au-Prince, the neighborhood of Martissant was once home to boulevards and villas where Haitian high society lived and thrived. These days, Martissant is high-density and not exactly a tourist destination. But there are a few things in Martissant that are worth the trip, and the Katherine Dunham Cultural Center is one of them.

Nested away in Martissant Park, the Katherine Dunham Cultural Center is a haven of peace, calm and community. It is named after African-American dancer and choreographer Katherine Dunham, who moved to Haiti in the 1930s to learn about the African heritage of Caribbean dance forms. Now known as the ‘matriarch of black dance’, Dunham is credited with bringing African and Caribbean rhythm and technique into the professional dance repertoire.

Katherine Dunham’s private home and studio

During her stay, Dunham befriended a few Haitian officials, and became an important cultural ambassador for Haiti. In the centre of Martissant, Dunham purchased a leafy seven-acre property, which she used for herself and for her US-based dance company. A hotel was built there, and for a number of years Dunham received and entertained the elite of Haiti and other lucky invitees.

The lavishness inside the walls, and luxury of being able to focus on art, was an extremely sharp contrast to the poverty-afflicted neighborhood of Martissant. Now, it is giving something back.

Now open to the public

After Dunham passed away in 2006, her property was transformed into a cultural center, and now features an iconic library, whose five buildings – built to emulate movements of dance – were designed by Mexican architects Raúl Galvan Yañez and Winifred Jean Galvan.

This is why from a distance, it is possible to see and identify the geometric, free-flowing silhouette of the center. On the right hand side of the actual center is the relic of an imposing peristil which belonged to Katherine, and which she used during her time in Haiti as a space for Vodou ceremonies inspired by Dunham’s research into African and Caribbean culture.

Most days of the year, the cultural center is open to the public. It houses a very well composed library for young children, teenagers and adults. It is possible to check books out of the library, with a minimal subscription fee. An attractive, bright, intuitively built interior attracts you to a table, or to a shelf. Everything is exceptionally well designed to encourage community and communication.

Events

Because Martissant Park is under the sponsorship of Fondasyon Konesans Ak Libète (the Foundation for Knowledge and Liberty), the Centre also hosts many roundtable discussions, forums, and panels. There are rotating activities all week long for children, as well – ranging from storytelling workshops to readings conducted by popular Haitian authors. The Center also hosts book signings and conferences by young up and coming authors.

There is always plenty of activity at the Katherine Dunham Cultural Center. It is an exceptional venue made possible by an exceptional woman, and pays homage to her life as passionate activist who lived immersed in Haitian culture.

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History & Heritage

The Cordasco House (Villa Miramar)

The Cordasco House is one of Haiti’s most iconic gothic gingerbread mansions. The House has been closed to the public since the 90s, but Visit Haiti was able to take a sneak peek inside. Take a look at our exclusive virtual tour of this national treasure.

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Discover Sacred Vodou Symbols!

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Haitian Vodou Revealed

When it comes to Haitian Vodou, what is fact, and what is fiction? Test your knowledge of the world’s most maligned spiritual tradition.

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Devil-worship or disinformation?

Test your knowledge of Vodou

1. True or false: there are separate branches of Vodou

2. True or false: Vodou is all sinister sorcery and black magic

a touch of haitian wisdom

3. True or false: voodoo dolls are real

4. True or false: zombies are real

5. True or false: vodou and Christianity first merged in the new world

Discover Sacred Vodou Symbols!

6. True or false: it’s dangerous to attend a Vodou ceremony because you’ll get possessed

Experience Vodou on your visit to Haiti

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How Haitian Are You? Prove Yourself with This Cultural Quiz!

Whether you were born and live in Haiti, are part of the diaspora, or are not Haitian at all, this quiz is the perfect way to find out just how much you know about Haiti!

Let’s test how Haitian you are!

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Paradise for your inbox

Visit the Katherine Dunham Cultural Center

start your day the Haitian way

Katherine Dunham’s private home and studio

Now open to the public

From Our Land to Your Home

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