Ayibobo™ III: Little Dollhouse on the Prairie

This work will be the third and most ambitious chapter of the Ayibobo project. The two previous chapters were presented by Montreal’s Lux Magna Festival (2019 and 2020). Haitian Voodoo spirituality was forged by the descendants of enslaved Africans from a plethora of ethnic origins, who were “Christianized” by colonial force. Focusing on a global message that moves towards the decolonization of thought, Ayibobo™ III: Little Dollhouse on the Prairie exposes the fact that diversity in sexuality and gender once held a central place in our ancestral cultures. Ayibobo (a word related to Voodoo spirituality which is similar in usage to the Christian “Amen”) presents a group of emerging queer gay trans Afro-descendant artists who work in dance, performance, theatre and music. Each performer is invited to select one of a panoply of spirits from Voodoo culture and create a solo performance embodying said spirit. Elle Barbara works with each of the performers, on both an intellectual and structural level, inviting them to pair their choreography with improvised moments or movements. The performances are interspersed with audio segments, excerpts from popular culture and television that relate to black queer intersectionality. These issues lead the artists to react, in a critical context.