their African ancestral land. During the days of
slavery, the nameGinen/Guinéebecame a generic
term used to refer to West Africa as a whole.
Within the Vodu worldview, however, Ginen is
representative of a most sacred location because
it sustains the holistic worldview in which precise
relationships and interactions take place within the
supernatural realm and between the natural and
the supernatural. This entry looks at the linkage
between Africa and Haiti from this perspective.
African HeritageThe primary and official religion of Haiti, Vodu,
has its roots firmly grounded in the former
African Kingdom of Dahomey, known today as
the Republic of Benin. However, Vodu in Haiti
also benefited, although to a lesser degree, from
religious contributions made by Africans from
other various Central and West African ethnic
groups, particularly those situated in the Republic
of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the
Congo (formerly Zaire), and present-day Nigeria.
As the European slave trade dispersed Africans to
various parts of the Americas, the initiators and
original devotees to Vodu were those who ended
up in the French colony of Saint-Domingue (as
Haiti was then known).
The wordVoduis etymologically traceable to
the term Vodun, which, in the Fon language
spoken in the Republic of Benin, as well as parts of
Togo in West Africa, and refers to the hundreds
of immortal spirits and deities that the Fon
people believe in, communicate with, and build
personal relationships with. The religious simi-
larities between Benin and Haiti are thus strik-
ing and undeniable. In Haiti, Vodu spirits are
commonly called Lwaand are further catego-
rized into three primary groups or pantheons:
Rada, Petro, and Congo. Rada is the designation
for spirits of Africans abducted from Arada, on
the coast of Benin, whereas Congo Lwa origi-
nated, as their name indicates, in the Congo
region. Petro alludes to those Vodu who were
added later in Haiti, largely of deceased leaders
in the Americas. Vodu, or Lwa, were created by
God, the Supreme Being, and are placed under
its ultimate authority. Their primary role is to
assist the living, as the Vodu God, like almost
everywhere else in Africa, has withdrawn from
the world of the living, and abstains from direct
involvement in human affairs. Human beings
call on the Lwa whenever there is a need for it.
They maintain close and dynamic relationships
with them through numerous and frequent ritu-
als and prayers. Ginen and, more specifically,
Vilokan, a mythological city located in Ginen, is
the place of residence of the Lwa. When called
on, the Lwa temporarily leave Vilokan in Ginen
to enter the world of the living and communi-
cate directly with them.The Afterlife
Also, like Africans in Benin and elsewhere,
Africans in Haiti believe that the soul contains
two parts—thegwobonanj(also sometimes writ-
tengros bon ange) and thetibonanj(also some-
times writtenti bon ange). The gwobonanj is the
life force associated with God and is therefore
eternal. At the time of death, the gwobonanj
leaves the body and travels to Ginen, which is the
general residence of the ancestral spirits. There,
the gwobonanj of the newly deceased person has
the capacity to unite with other ancestral spirits
and Lwa. This will occur, although only if appro-
priate death rituals are conducted. In that respect,
the Desounen ritual is of the utmost importance
because it allows the gwobonanj to join Ginen.
If the death ritual is not fully accomplished, the
gwobonanj could become trapped on Earth, seek-
ing revenge, and thus bringing misfortune to sur-
viving family members. Assuming that all death
rituals have been performed satisfactorily, the
gwobonanj will complete a deification process
and may become a family Lwa.
Although there is no consensus as to the
exact location of Ginen, whether it is located
deep into the Earth, under the sea, or in a river,
what is clear, however, is that it is presided over
by the powerful Lwa Gede, the Lwa of Death.
Beyond a locale, therefore, Ginen is also closely
associated with one of the beloved Lwa in
Vodu, referring to the spirit force that emanates
from Ginen. Like the several Lwa who exist in
Vodu, Gede, through Ginen, has a special role,
which is to eternally connect the Vodu worship-
per to his or her ancestral and religious roots
and to ensure rest, immortality, and deification
in the afterlife.Ginen 283