Help Lilith Dorsey Document Vodou's Rich Heritage

Alafia my friends,

I am so excited to share that I have been blessed with an absolutely incredible opportunity. In just a few weeks I am headed to Mother Africa! I will be speaking at the first ever Colloque International Des Arts et Cultures Vodou in Porto-Novo, Benin. At this Vodou Colloquium I will be presenting my paper “Voodoo/Vodou/Vodun Performance and Possibility: Magickal Modalities and Ritual in CyberSpace.” To be invited to speak as a guest among the 60 other academic participants is an incredible honor. As soon as I booked my tickets I realized that this was a momentous occasion that I would love to be able to document and share with my community and the wider world.

This unique opportunity presented itself through my work with the New Orleans National Vodou Day committee which celebrated its inaugural event in January of 2024. The event is modeled after the Vodou Day Festival in Benin, serving as a day of collective remembrance and spiritual reparation that included a procession to sites that are relevant to the transatlantic slave trade in New Orleans and ending at Congo Square with a Ritual. The event was hugely successful and attended by hundreds. I’m honored to say it will continue next year and I will be in charge of leading the first ever academic symposium connected to the event in New Orleans. It is our hope to partner with Porto-Novo, Benin and the Vodou community there forming a spiritual sisterhood that extends across the waters. This trip will allow us to take the first steps on that journey.

Prior to my life as a Best-selling author, Voodoo Priestess, founder of the House of Maman Brigitte, and member of the Voodoo Spiritual Temple of New Orleans for over 3 decades, I spent many years as an academic and filmmaker. I studied experimental film and video at New York University as an undergraduate,and eventually went on to get a degree in anthropology. I returned to graduate school to complete my masters in Cinema with a focus on Voodoo on film, and also received my Culture and Media Certificate focusing on visual anthropology. I have dedicated my whole adult life both personal and professional to providing accurate and respectful information about the ancient African religions of Vodou/Voodoo/Vodun. Being in the unique position of being not only a Voodoo Priestess but also a trained anthropologist and filmmaker makes me the perfect person to turn this spiritual journey into a short format documentary to be able to share with all who may enjoy it.

The film will not only focus on my part in the conference but this amazing spiritual experience in the birthplace of the Vodun religion. It is our intention to also travel to

*La Porte du Non-Retour (The Gate of No Return) in Ouidah, a powerful monument to the over 1 million slaves that were forcibly deported from their homeland never to return.

*The Temple of Pythons, a historical site in Ouidah dedicated to the sacred serpents of Vodun.

*Monument Amazone, a 30 meter statue dedicated to the female warriors of Dahomey whose motto was “Win or die.”

Wherever possible we will leave offerings and honor those who have come before, in addition to the ancestral spirits of place with songs and prayers. These locations hold a special significance not only for the Vodou religion, but for the history and herstory of the slave trade.

I am wildly excited about this journey. I will video document this experience with plans to share the finished project via educational symposiums, film festivals, and events in New Orleans and beyond over the coming year, including the first ever New Orleans National Vodou Day Symposium in April 2025.

It is a true honor to be given this new opportunity and this new approach to this adventure where I will be able to fully express my skill set and document this rare event. I realize I will need certain tools, equipment and staff. While I have secured funds for the air travel, I still need to raise $5,000 with the intention of-

*Hiring crew, editor, and post-production staff with a focus on BIPOC, non-binary and female humans.

*Transporting myself and my crew while we are on the ground in Benin.

*Obtaining a video camera, lighting equipment, sound equipment and additional equipment such as tripod, memory cards, back-up batteries, etc.

*Financially compensating the local African Culture bearers that are featured in return for their knowledge and assistance.

Your generous support on this project will help me share what I know, and share what I learn, with you and the world. It will allow me to truly document and celebrate this unique honor and be able to bring it back home. Thank you in advance for helping to make possible this groundbreaking magickal journey.

Many blessings,

Lilith Dorsey

There will be three tiers of support (based on our travels)

Door level- donations of $1-$25 will be listed as a donor on the website as a supporter of the project. Every donation counts, no matter the amount, and will help us open the door to success.

Serpent level- donations of $25-$500 will be listed as a donor on the website, and also in the credits for the film as a supporter of the project. In Vodou the serpent is representative of both creation and transformation, through generous donations we will be able to create a documentary from this life changing and transformative experience.

Warrior level - donations of $500+ will receive all of the above, a special gift from Benin, and early viewing access to the film online. This part of Benin was the home of the Women Warriors who defended their freedom with a fierceness and powerful resolve. They are an inspiration to us all.