Explore every episode of the podcast Diaspora Podcast

Ouvri baryè pou mwen. Open the gate for me.

Before the drums rise, before the dancing begins, and before another lwa can be called, Haitian Vodou turns first to Papa Legba—keeper of the crossroads, master of communication, and gatekeeper between the human and spirit worlds.

In Diaspora: The Soul of a People — Haitian Soul, host Marie explores who Papa Legba actually is, where he comes from, and how his identity transformed as Vodou crossed the Atlantic from West Africa to Haiti.

The episode traces Legba’s roots to the Fon traditions of the Kingdom of Dahomey and the closely related Yoruba figure of Eshu or Elegba. In West Africa, Legba appears young, energetic, and virile. In Haiti, he becomes the familiar elderly figure with a cane, straw hat, pipe, and dogs at his side.

Why did that transformation happen?

Marie explores two interpretations found in scholarship and practitioner traditions: that Legba aged beneath the historical weight carried by enslaved Africans, or that the image of a frail old man became a form of camouflage for an immensely important spirit of communication, movement, and roads.

The episode also examines how enslaved Haitians preserved Papa Legba under forced Catholic practice by associating him with Saint Peter, Saint Lazarus, and Saint Anthony—figures whose symbols and functions allowed an African spiritual tradition to survive in plain sight.

Listeners are taken inside the opening of a Vodou ceremony, from the drawing of Papa Legba’s cornmeal vèvè and the sacred poto mitan to the prayer “Papa Legba, ouvri baryè pou mwen. Ago é.” and the slow rhythm of Yanvalou drums.

Marie also follows Legba across the African diaspora, examining related—but distinct—figures such as Eleggua in Cuban Santería and Exu in Brazilian Candomblé and Umbanda.

And finally, the episode confronts one of the most persistent distortions of Papa Legba in American popular culture:

Papa Legba is not the devil.

The demonic figure portrayed in productions such as American Horror Story: Coven bears little resemblance to the spirit recognized in Haitian Vodou tradition. Papa Legba is associated with communication, thresholds, honesty, roads, and the ability to make contact between worlds possible.

He opens the gate.

And when the ceremony ends, he is called once more to close it.

In this episode:

• Who Papa Legba is in Haitian Vodou
• The meaning of Ouvri Baryè
• Papa Legba’s origins in Dahomey and West African Vodun
• Why Haitian Papa Legba appears as an old man
• Saint Peter, Saint Lazarus, and Saint Anthony
• Catholic syncretism during slavery
• Vèvè, the poto mitan, and Yanvalou drums
• How a Vodou ceremony begins
• Papa Legba as keeper of the crossroads
• Eleggua, Exu, and related diaspora traditions
• Papa Legba in New Orleans
• Why Papa Legba is not the devil
• Correcting portrayals of Vodou in American popular culture

Follow Diaspora: The Soul of a People — Haitian Soul at @DiasporaHaitianSoul.

Share this episode with someone who has heard the name Papa Legba in a movie, television show, costume, or joke—but has never heard the real story.

Who is the gatekeeper in your life? Who makes it possible for others to be heard?

In this episode of Diaspora: The Soul of a People, host Marie welcomes her close friend Yvey “Eevee” Valsa, a Seattle-based hair stylist, fashionista, and owner of YV Salon, for a heartfelt conversation about Haitian culture, family expectations, and the courage to pursue an unconventional calling.

Marie and Yvey explore the traditional boundaries that shape many Haitian childhoods: lekòl, legliz, and lakay—school, church, and home. Education is often treated as the path to security, with children encouraged to pursue respected professions such as medicine, law, or engineering. For creative young people, however, following a different path can feel like disappointing the very family members whose sacrifices made opportunity possible.

Yvey shares how his passion for styling began around age five while watching his older sister, Norita, do hair in their Haitian community. Because hair styling was considered an unusual interest for a young boy, Norita quietly became his first mentor, teaching him away from their parents’ attention.

Determined to honor his family, Yvey attended college and earned a degree in environmental technologies and sustainable practices. Although he completed his education, he eventually realized that professional stability could not replace personal fulfillment. With encouragement from a friend who recognized how naturally focused and joyful Yvey became while cutting hair, he made the bold decision to attend beauty school and embrace the gift he had carried since childhood.

Yvey also explains why he considers the stylist’s chair a sacred space. His salon is not merely a workplace—it is a judgment-free environment where clients can feel seen, heard, and valued. Through hair, style, and conversation, Yvey connects with people from different cultures, identities, and life experiences.

The conversation also addresses assumptions about sexuality and gender within the beauty industry. As a straight man working in Seattle’s gender-fluid Capitol Hill neighborhood, Yvey approaches labels with confidence and grace. Rather than feeling threatened by comparisons to stylish members of the gay community, he accepts them as compliments and refuses to allow stereotypes to define his identity or his work.

For aspiring creatives, Yvey offers a powerful message: do not allow fear to keep you from your passion. Your gift should be nurtured, protected, and developed. As Yvey explains, a genuine creative calling can become an “ultimate visa to the world.”

Follow @YveyTheStylist on Instagram and TikTok.

Visit YV Salon in Capitol Hill, Seattle, and watch for its upcoming Bellevue location.

In this deeply personal episode of Diaspora, Marie sits down with her producer and “little brother,” Juming Delmas, founder of Juming Delmas Studios, for a powerful conversation about identity, tragedy, Haitian heritage, and reclaiming your own story.

Marie and Juming first connected through LinkedIn, but what stood out to Marie was his last name: Delmas, a name tied to a well-known area in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. That connection opened the door to a much deeper conversation about Juming’s family history, his complicated relationship with his Haitian roots, and the journey that led him to embrace the name he once felt disconnected from.

Juming shares the painful story of losing his father on March 12, 1993, the same day as the historic “Storm of the Century.” He opens up about the violence that shaped his early life, including his father’s dangerous life between Haiti and America and the tragic home invasion that took the lives of his father, his father’s pregnant girlfriend, and a young sibling.

Raised by a loving and supportive American stepfather, Juming grew up separated from much of his father’s side of the family and from Haitian culture. He speaks honestly about once feeling embarrassed by the negative stereotypes surrounding Haiti and how media portrayals shaped his understanding of where he came from.

Marie and Juming also discuss the broader Haitian diaspora experience, including how mainstream media often reduces Haiti to crisis while ignoring its power, history, beauty, and importance as the first Black republic. Together, they reflect on Haiti’s legacy of defeating Napoleon’s army, winning independence in 1804, and carrying a history of resistance that deserves to be remembered with pride.

The conversation also explores how Juming chose to build a new legacy through Juming Delmas Studios. By putting his full name on the business, he made a conscious decision to bring prestige, excellence, and pride to the Delmas name — proving that his story, his heritage, and his identity belong to him.

This episode is about survival, identity, family, legacy, and the courage it takes to reclaim your narrative.

Content note: This episode includes discussion of family tragedy, violence, and loss.

Learn more about Juming Delmas Studios at jdelmasstudios.com.

Listen to The Un-Traditional Entrepreneur Podcast on all major platforms.

In this episode of Diaspora: The Soul of a People | Haitian Soul, host Marie offers a historical and cultural correction that has been owed for a long time: the word is not “voodoo.” The word is Vodou.

For generations, Haitian Vodou has been distorted by movies, colonial narratives, early anthropology, and popular culture. It has been portrayed as evil, frightening, primitive, or superstitious — but those images were never the truth of the tradition. In this episode, Marie traces Vodou from its roots in the Kingdom of Dahomey, present-day Benin, through the Middle Passage, into Saint-Domingue, and across the wider African diaspora.

This episode explores Vodou as a complete worldview: a religion, a system of medicine, a philosophy, and a framework for justice built on the relationship between the visible and invisible worlds. Listeners are introduced to Bondyé, the remote supreme creator; the lwa, spirits who bridge the human and divine; the oungan and manbo; the peristil; and the meaning of possession not as horror, but as sacred liturgy.

Marie also examines how enslaved Africans from multiple nations — including Fon, Yoruba, Kongo, Ewe, and others — created a shared ritual structure in Haiti under the unimaginable violence of slavery. Through the règléman, they preserved different spiritual traditions and gave them order, meaning, and survival.

The episode then turns to the Code Noir, the 1685 French colonial law that required Catholic baptism and outlawed African religious practice. In response, enslaved people used camouflage and spiritual brilliance, hiding the lwa behind Catholic saints and keeping their traditions alive inside the very churches meant to erase them.

From there, Marie discusses the Bois Caiman ceremony, the Haitian Revolution, and the role Vodou played in helping enslaved people recognize one another, organize, and imagine freedom. The episode also addresses the demonization of Vodou after Haiti’s victory, including the role of Western scholarship, Hollywood horror, zombie mythology, and the false association between Haitian Vodou and “voodoo dolls.”

At its heart, this episode is about survival. Vodou survived slavery, colonial law, occupation, religious campaigns, academic misrepresentation, and a century of horror films. It survived because the people carried it — across water, across language, across violence, and across generations.

This is not a story about superstition. It is a story about memory, resistance, spirit, and the religion that helped make Haiti free.

Find us at @DiasporaPodcast25.