Vodou flag

The Vodou flag has global connections. Based on European military flags used in West Africa during the 18th century, it was brought during the slave trade to Haiti, where designs incorporated Catholic imagery and African spirits. In this version, the artist began with a print of Our Lady of Sorrows and covered it with sequins and beads to evoke an image of Ezili Freda, a spirit of love, whose name is derived from the Benin river spirit, Aziri. Such flags are brought out during Vodou rituals to honor a spirit that has taken possession of someone during the ceremony.