Undated: (Drumming in Vodou, the Rhythmic Foundation of Every Ceremony, Where the Tempo Sets the Conditions for Lwa Possession and Different Drum Configurati…
Undated: (Drumming in Vodou, the Rhythmic Foundation of Every Ceremony, Where the Tempo Sets the Conditions for Lwa Possession and Different Drum Configurations Distinguish Rada From Petro Rites): Drumming is not accompaniment in Vodou; it is the engine of the ceremony. The drums set the rhythm for dance, and it is the abrupt shifts in tempo that open the space for a lwa to possess a member of the congregation. In Rada rites, which tend toward the benevolent and measured, three drums are used: the maman, the seconde, and the boular. Petro rites, which carry a more aggressive and urgent energy, use only the seconde and boular, and the drumming is faster and more syncopated. That distinction in rhythm between Rada and Petro is not decorative. It reflects fundamentally different spiritual registers, different relationships between the human and the divine, and the drums are the technology that navigates between them.