Urban Vodou Politics And Popular Street Art In Haiti

Great, interesting book of photographs of Haiti street murals - with explanations of what they are about and how they take from history, culture, world and everyday events. 

Haiti's popular murals mix a vital sense of the contemporary with more timeless themes and motifs. Drawing on a distinguished tradition of 'naive' art and produced by artists from many different backgrounds, they are rich in allusions to Haiti's revolutionary history, record of anti-colonial struggle and attachment to Vodou. Inspirational leaders such as Toussaint Louverture, Dessalines and Charlemagne Péralte appear in these images, as do the Vodou deities Ogou, the iron warrior, and Ezili, the goddess of love. 

Alongside Christian messages of martyrdom and redemption, the paintings invoke the Vodou rituals of sacrifice and spirit possession. With extensive symbolism and visual immediacy, they also mix elements of local and foreign culture - the country's emblematic fighting cock and Goofy, for instance - in a way that typifies Haiti's vibrant Creole culture. Captured in 146 full colour photographs by Pablo Butcher, these murals - many of which have now disappeared in the earthquake of January 2010 - tell in vivid terms how Haitians saw their unfolding political drama, and literally imposed this view on their urban surroundings.