Category Archives: Africana Religions

Black Gods of the Cosmopolis!

Posted on February 15, 2017 by

This is the third in a series of posts on Africana religions and the comics. Some remarkable images made their way around the astral digital space this week. Aficionados of black religion will immediately recognize these extraordinary renderings of the popular divinities … Continue reading →

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More than Skin Deep? Haitian Vodou, Corporate Social Activism and the Commodification of Healing

Posted on December 2, 2016 by

“In partnership with Direct Relief, The Vaseline® Healing Project is an aid effort to provide dermatological care, Vaseline® Jelly & medical supplies needed to help heal the skin of people affected by poverty or emergencies around the world.” As I … Continue reading →

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Voodoo Brothers: Africana Religions in the Comics, pt. 2

Posted on November 23, 2016 by

As some of you know, my current project is a book-length study of Africana religions and comics, where I consider how graphic formats are utilized for representing the spiritual traditions of black people. I keep getting sidetracked, though, because the sources are … Continue reading →

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Halloween Special! Black Horror Movie That’s Not Voodoo

Posted on November 1, 2016 by

This post is a little late, considering that Halloween was last night, but I wanted to be sure to make note of the continuing relevance of Voodoo as a trope in entertainment culture by highlighting the historical significance of Voodoo horror … Continue reading →

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She-roes and She-gods? Africana Religions and the Comics, pt. 1

Posted on October 8, 2014 by

Are you a comics fan? My latest project deals with religion in comic books and graphic novels from the Golden Age to the present, where I look for comics characters who possess what might be seen as god-like powers, supernatural abilities, and fantastic technologies. … Continue reading →

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Circus Freaks, White Voodoo Women, and the Amazing Afro

Posted on July 28, 2014 by

In between working on serious stuff that takes up my time, I look at images. Some of these images may seem as though they are not related – but they actually are – like these African circus “freak” posters from the early … Continue reading →

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Apotheosis of Marie Laveau, Hoodoo-Voodoo-Vodou Icon

Posted on April 7, 2014 by

I knew that it was time to write this post after everyone in my classroom had seen the third season of the FX series American Horror Story, starring Angela Bassett as Marie Laveau, except me. Most of my students had never heard … Continue reading →

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Beautiful women with Cigars

Posted on October 13, 2013 by

As you might guess, this post is about pictures. But it might not be what you expect. I wasn’t exactly sure what I could say about this remarkable collection by the photographers at Flickr that would speak any more eloquently … Continue reading →

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Household God

Posted on September 15, 2013 by

Have you heard of the orisha Elegba? Chances are you know someone who has, for he is one of the most popular avatars in the African diaspora today. Perhaps you have glimpsed him while walking through a doorway, by the threshold, … Continue reading →

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Voodoo Tropes: Bizarre Hollywood Religion

Posted on September 12, 2013 by

Call me hopelessly naive, but wouldn’t you jump to see a blockbuster film starring Bela Legosi and John Carradine called VOODOO MAN? I mean, how bad could it be? Maybe we might learn something about Africana religions. Or maybe we can … Continue reading →

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