Gitana at the Bembe: Romani Spirits & Ancestors in the ATR diaspora

This is a 90-minute intermediate through experienced level lecture, located in Sophia's (main level)

Across Afro-Diasporic religious traditions in the Americas Romani spirits emerge as powerful, complex figures—carrying themes of resilience, magic, shared survival and ancestral memory within Lucumi, Espiritismo, Candomble and more. We will explore the Romani origins of spirits such as La Gitana, Pomba Gira, Maria Padhilha and Cigana Spirits and how they came to be present in African diasporic religious communities through the historical intersections of colonial displacement, forced enslavement and spiritual exchange. Shining a light on the ancestral Romani contributions of music, dance, divination, dress and symbolism in these traditions and how spirits adapt across cultures while retaining distinct identities.

About the Presenter:

Lynn is a Folk-Futurist Herbalist, generational Bajalica (bajanje healer) in Serbian-Romani/Vlach lineage and an Olorisha initiated to Yemoja. She is known for her compassionate, liberation based and trauma-informed tea leaf readings and spiritual…