Vodou, the Arts, and (Re)Presenting the Divine: A Conversation with Edwidge Danticat

Few conversations with the renowned Haitian novelist Edwidge Danticat have delved into the subject of religion in Haiti and the representations of Vodou in her fiction and nonfiction writing. This interview with Danticat explores her religious upbringing, Vodou and interfaith dialogue, and representations of Haitian religion in the media and in the world. Other topics discussed include Haitian sacred space and the environment, Vodou as a matriarchal religion, and divine archetypes present in her body of writings. Drawing from an Africana religion framework, the questions posed here consider the religious import of Danticat’s literary works as “sacred texts” of Haiti and the Haitian dyaspora.