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Ritual

Why Does This Soup Symbolize Freedom for Haitians?

Season 1 Episode 2 | 12m 48s

Every year on Haitian Independence Day, Haitians celebrate their ancestors’ hard won freedom from slavery and French colonial rule by making soup joumou. Tank Ball explores what it means to use food to preserve the memory of home, and how the ritual highlights the complexities of living in a country whose government has so frequently antagonized Haiti in its historical quest for freedom.

Aired: 03/13/23
Funding for RITUAL is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Extras
Watch • 14:29
Ritual
Inside One of the South’s Oldest Rituals
Tank Ball meets duck hunters and reexamines one of humanity’s oldest rituals - the hunt.
Episode: S1 E8 | 14:29
Watch • 11:01
Ritual
Inside the Revival of an Ancient Indigenous Ritual
Tank Ball learns about the sacred Green Corn Ceremony practiced by Indigenous communities.
Episode: S1 E7 | 11:01
Watch • 12:55
Ritual
Border Ballads: The Revolutionary History of Tejano Corridos
Tank Ball explores the musical tradition of corridos at the U.S. - Mexico Border.
Episode: S1 E6 | 12:55
Watch • 14:27
Ritual
How River Baptisms Shaped Black Musical Tradition
Tank Ball discovers the significance of river baptisms for the Black community.
Episode: S1 E5 | 14:27
Watch • 12:07
Ritual
Uncovering the Power of Hoodoo: An Ancestral Journey
Tank Ball explores the spiritual practice of Hoodoo and the ritual of ancestral worship.
Episode: S1 E4 | 12:07
Watch • 13:31
Ritual
Inside Black New Orleans' Most Sacred Ritual
Tank Ball explores the Super Sunday ritual of Mardi Gras Indians in New Orleans.
Episode: S1 E3 | 13:31
Watch • 11:56
Ritual
How Did Black Graveyards Become Battlegrounds of Resistance?
Host Tank Ball explores the history of Louisiana’s forbidden Black burials.
Episode: S1 E1 | 11:56
Latest Episodes
Watch • 14:29
Ritual
Inside One of the South’s Oldest Rituals
Tank Ball meets duck hunters and reexamines one of humanity’s oldest rituals - the hunt.
Episode: S1 E8 | 14:29
Watch • 11:01
Ritual
Inside the Revival of an Ancient Indigenous Ritual
Tank Ball learns about the sacred Green Corn Ceremony practiced by Indigenous communities.
Episode: S1 E7 | 11:01
Watch • 12:55
Ritual
Border Ballads: The Revolutionary History of Tejano Corridos
Tank Ball explores the musical tradition of corridos at the U.S. - Mexico Border.
Episode: S1 E6 | 12:55
Watch • 14:27
Ritual
How River Baptisms Shaped Black Musical Tradition
Tank Ball discovers the significance of river baptisms for the Black community.
Episode: S1 E5 | 14:27
Watch • 12:07
Ritual
Uncovering the Power of Hoodoo: An Ancestral Journey
Tank Ball explores the spiritual practice of Hoodoo and the ritual of ancestral worship.
Episode: S1 E4 | 12:07
Watch • 13:31
Ritual
Inside Black New Orleans' Most Sacred Ritual
Tank Ball explores the Super Sunday ritual of Mardi Gras Indians in New Orleans.
Episode: S1 E3 | 13:31
Watch • 11:56
Ritual
How Did Black Graveyards Become Battlegrounds of Resistance?
Host Tank Ball explores the history of Louisiana’s forbidden Black burials.
Episode: S1 E1 | 11:56