To mark the traditional feast of Guédés [1 and 2 November], Jean Mario Dupuy, Minister of Culture, visited several lakous (places of pilgrimage voodoo) both in Port-au-Prince and in provincial cities.

The Minister visited the lakou Beka [Delmas 75] which celebrated its first anniversary. As required the ritual, Jean Mario Dupuy, saluted the memory of the dead, before to take the floor in the middle of the dancers.

Reiterating the commitment of the administration Martelly-Lamothe to make of the culture a pillar of the national economy, the Minister reiterated the importance of the role of voodoo in Haitian society. "In a poor country where health and education are lacking, these are the voodoo servants, who often play the role of teachers, doctors and ensure the transfer of knowledge between generations [...] For a long time voodoo practitioners ere not recognized as citizens, today the Haitian State has decided to restore their identity," nnouncing that the inhabitants of lakous, will receive identity documents and peristyle (or place where are held the ceremonies) will be electrified by beginning by that of "Souvenance" in the Artibonite.

Faithful to his plan to make culture an economically viable sector, the Minister announced the construction of toilet blocks in lakous, booths to display and sell crafts, including decorative flags and bottles, in order to meke profitable the peristyles the houmforts [room where the altar is erected] and the lakous.

In addition, the Minister took part in the 5th edition of the festival Guédé to Jacmel, where vodouisantes associations of the city, had organized among other activities : procession, street theater, show of Guédé, conferences and parade featuring the main characters of the ritual voodoo : Baron Samedi, Guédé Nibo and Baron Lacroix.

See also:

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-7071-haiti-religion-exhibition-vodou-at-the-canadian-museum-of-civilization.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-7034-haiti-culture-71st-anniversary-of-the-national-bureau-of-ethnology.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-6200-haiti-religion-the-government-wants-to-reassure-the-voodoo-sector.html

HL/ HaitiLibre