“Ayibobo III” reclaims the queerness of suppressed spirituality

by V. S. Wells on June 13th, 2024 at 11:26 AM

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What does an apple make you think of?

It’s a simple question, but the answer is a window into a sprawling pastiche of cultural references. It might remind you of Biblical sin or Twilight book covers or Gwyneth Paltrow’s oldest child; of sleek tech monopolies or Helen of Troy or the theft of Indigenous land that came from planting fruit trees on North American soil.

Not that apples are involved in Ayibobo III: Little Dollhouse on the Prairie. But the interest in references, from sacred and spiritual to pop-cultural and profane, is at the heart of this performance work.

“I’m so immersed in pop culture,” multidisciplinary artist and creator Elle Barbara says over video, “and I thought it would be interesting to weave a parallel between our current contemporary identities, and the fact that they’ve existed all along, since before modern culture.”

Produced in collaboration with Barbara’s ballroom family, the Idiosyncratic House of Barbara, Ayibobo III sees performers take on the roles of different loa—spirits in Haitian Vodou—in ways that speak to contemporary Black queer and trans experiences.

In one section, Christen M. Barbara portrays Erzulie, a love deity, in a commentary on Black queer performativity. In another vignette, Kim Ninkuru embodies Marinette, a powerful priestess who helped kick off the Haitian Revolution—set to the Mortal Kombat soundtrack.

“It’s a story of revolutionary inspiration and emancipation,” Barbara comments, “but it could also be read as a Black trans woman contending with the violent reality she lives in, and revolting. It’s not just ancestral; it’s also our experiences today.”

The very title of the piece explores the juxtaposition of classic and contemporary. “Ayibobo” is a Vodou liturgical word similar to “amen” or “hallelujah,” while “Little Dollhouse on the Prairie” encompasses both the classic Laura Ingalls Wilder stories, as well as “doll” being an affectionate slang term for trans women.

Barbara, a trans woman of Haitian descent who was not raised practicing Vodou, says she was drawn to create something based on the religion after learning more about it.

“It’s through my own research and accidental exposure to Vodou culture, by way of documentaries in early adulthood, that I discovered that gender variance very much had a place in Vodou logic,” she explains. “That part of my ancestral culture may have been hidden from me. And it’s through realizing that I may have had an easier time coming to terms with that [queer] identity had I been exposed to Vodou logic, that I thought the show would be a really good idea.”

Ayibobo III, which has its Vancouver premiere as part of the Queer Arts Festival this weekend, initially produced its first two chapters at Montreal’s Lux Magna festival in 2019 and 2020. It was originally “very punk, very DIY,” Barbara reflects, and has grown more polished over time. After a pandemic-induced break, the most recent iteration premiered at Theatre La Chapelle last fall, selling out its week-long run.

“It’s mostly been an evolution, specifically from the second to the third iteration,” she says. “We’ve definitely used parts of the past installments and recuperated them in ways that felt smarter, more coherent.”

The result is a layered vortex of references. Punchy movement is accompanied by a track taking in everything from Prince songs to clips from America’s Next Top Model. It’s sharp and slick, with performers drawing on experiences of Black queerness that are both specific and shared. It invites endless interpretations, with audience members encouraged to consider what personally resonates with them.

“It’s so complex. I feel that there are so many ways to read the show,” Barbara adds. Then, with a smile: “I think that’s why people should come and see it more than once.”