Sosyete Radha

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In Sosyet Radha, Myrlande Constant celebrates the Radha (sometimes spelled Rada) family of spirits and the sosyete (societies) of Vodou practitioners who honor them. In the Vodou religion, groups of lwa are classified either by characteristics that they share in common or by their “nation.” The nations into which lwa are grouped are called nanchon, and there are seventeen of them, with the Radha and Petwo being arguably the most important, in terms of both size and the role played by Radha and Petwo lwa in Vodou. These nations are usually associated with a particular culture of origin in Africa. The Radha are a nanchon of spirits who are believed to originate from the Fon peoples of West Africa. In particular, Radha spirits are believed to be the descendants of Fon slaves abducted from the Kingdom of Dahomey (located within present day Benin) and brought to Hispaniola. The name Radha likely comes from Arada, a city located in the Dahomey kingdom. The Radha are believed to reside in a mythic land called Ginen, a cosmic Africa. They are benevolent spirits who represent emotional stability and warmth, and who are invoked for healing and spiritual protection. At the top of Constant’s monumental drapo a male figure dressed in white—the color associated with Radha spirts—extends his arms in a protective gesture. The emanating rays around the figure’s head represent the Radha association with light and humanity. Serpentine figures coiled around the male figure’s arms and torso represent the spirits of Danbala and Ayida Wèdo—the primordial creators of the cosmos and life on earth in Vodou mythology, and members of the Radha nation. In Constant’s composition, the male figure’s body appears to morph into the trunk of a tree. He therefore functions as a poto mitan—a decorated wooden post located in the ceremonial enclosure of a Haitian Vodou temple, which symbolically connects the celestial and terrestrial realms. The poto mitan is usually decorated with the painted motif of the two intertwined serpents of Danbala and Ayida Wèdo. The figure in white, serving as this connection between realms and invoking protection, stands over a scene of Haitian pastoral life. As in many of Constant’s works, the symbolic imagery that forms the border of her drapo echoes the primary composition within. The geometric designs that surround the central scene are known as vèvè—Voudou cosmograms used to symbolize each lwa. Constant also incorporates objects into the perimeter motif such as a drum played during Radha religious rites, and fish and boats that represent various water lwa and that allude to Haiti’s status as an island nation. With her maximalist representation, Constant traces the influences of the African Diaspora and natural world that have shaped culture, religious traditions, and daily life in Haiti. As her career has progressed, the scale, detail, and ambition of Constant’s work have only increased. At 96 by 109.5 inches—eight feet tall by just over nine feet wide—Sosyet Radha is not the artist’s largest flag, but it is among her largest works to date. The timing of the work’s creation in 2024 is also significant within the broader political history of Haiti, as the country is currently experiencing a period of intense instability that began with the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July of 2021 and was exacerbated by a massive earthquake in August of the same year. Economic conditions have been dire, violent crime has been common, and street gangs have risen to a position of significant control. Ariel Henry was installed as Interim Prime Minister following Moïse’s assassination, but in March of 2024 he visited Kenya in hopes of securing police aid, and the gangs prevented his return to Haiti, leading to Henry’s resignation. The country is now led by a Transitional Presidential Council and Interim Prime Minister Michel Patrick Boisvert, but the gangs threaten the power and legitimacy of this government. Amid these conditions, Constant’s work and the lives of the members of her atelier have been severely disrupted. Her production of flags has slowed, and very few have been transported outside of Haiti. Indeed, Fort Gansevoort Gallery has shared that Sosyet Radha only reached them because Constant’s nephew was able to find a bus taking a secret route across the closed border with the Dominican Republic in order to get the flag out of Haiti. The Gallery further reports that when Sosyet Radha left the Dominican Republic, customs officials opened portions of the tapestry to ensure that no drugs or other illicit substances were being smuggled in the flag (these alterations were repaired once Sosyet Radha reached New York). This background adds an additional and compelling element to the history of Sosyet Radha as a precious object, and it also likely informed Constant’s choice of subject matter. It would be best to confirm this interpretation with the artist, but it seems quite likely that the flag’s central figure in white and his invocation of protection represent Constant’s inner desire for the safety and security of her family and her home country.