EMU welcomed esteemed guest speaker Her Royal Majesty Queen Mother Sêmévo 1st Dr. Dòwòti Désir of the African Diaspora, Bénin Republic, on the last Wednesday in March to share some words of wisdom regarding her studies. Her Majesty is an inter-faith leader, human rights activist, author, and photographer, with her advocacy work focusing especially on the modern African Diaspora. The Queen Mother’s work explores the intersectionality of racial justice, photography, as well as traditional Haïtian Vodou practices, all of which she has spent her life dedicated to. Among her numerous accomplishments, Her Majesty is a Haïtian Vodou high priest, has been on many United Nations committees, is an educator in higher education, and in 2023 was awarded “The President’s Lifetime Achievement Award on Chieftaincy” by the International Clergy Association for her lifelong commitment to volunteer service. The Queen Mother started off her time visiting campus by giving a lecture at convocation about compassion and its utmost pertinence considering all of the negative happenings going on in the world today.
“Compassion and social justice can and do operate independently of each other, and there are systemic harms that take place that justice is intended to address, but [justice] doesn’t necessarily mean you have to feel for that person,” describes Her Majesty. This idea that compassion is a key aspect of working in racial reparations post-transatlantic slave trade comes directly from the traditional Vodou beliefs that every individual is sacred in their own way, an extremely foundational belief of the Haïtian Constitution from 1804. When Haïti was liberated from France and created their new constitution, one of the most heavily emphasized sections of the declaration says that anyone who reaches the island, regardless of background, ethnicity, sex, religious or political beliefs, would be accepted as an equal. This commitment was designed to be an anti-slavery protest, to help begin the process of reparations for those who managed to escape the cruelty of the system.
The Queen Mother’s lecture regarding photography demonstrated her extensive documentation of countless locations that were a part of the transatlantic slave trade, and how each location has a much deeper story to tell.
“I wanted to begin accumulating a body of knowledge that would serve as evidence for an experience that a large number of African descendents have had,” Her Majesty remarked. “In a way, accumulating… this information, my intention was to use it for purposes of reparatory justice, because in the same way that you have Holocaust deniers, …there are people saying slavery doesn’t matter because it was so long ago. I’m sorry, it does [matter].” The Queen Mother’s large collection of photographs from officially recognized historical sites relating to the global slave trade really speaks to her deep passion for reparatory justice within the context of the African Diaspora. The Swahili word “maafa” encompasses this work well, looking at slavery from the perspective of the victims who suffered through this tragedy. Her Majesty’s work in traditional Haïtian Vodou is also heavily coupled with this idea, emphasizing the importance of interconnectedness between individuals and throughout communities and how it can lead to collective healing.
In the evening, students were invited to join The Queen Mother for dinner to have an interfaith dialogue with a Haïtian Vodou High Priest. According to her, this was a very special event due to the fact that traditional African faiths have historically been disregarded during such dialogues. In Her Majesty’s words, the time together was spent “breaking ground by breaking bread,” a reference to an important practice of sharing meals together in Vodou tradition. The conversation was very insightful as to the eco-theological traditions of Haïtian Vodou, and how many people who consider themselves to be religious Vodou also hold other religious beliefs as well. The way the Queen Mother puts it, Haïtian Vodou is more of a lifestyle and means by which to spiritually connect with others, while encompassing many other beliefs within its practices. Her religious outlook in life is what gives her hope for the future of the world, despite everything that has and is currently happening globally.
“I have to remain hopeful,” Her Majesty shared. “What gives me hope is the morphic reservoir… of knowledge that each of us has. Individually, but collectively, our people, our ‘moun,’ have this knowledge and we’ve got to dip into that, and I know… that if my ancestors did not believe in a better place for me in my liberation and in my freedom, I wouldn’t be here. …I am a mother, I have a child, and every child I see is a ray of hope, a possibility of change.”
