Local voodoo priest spellbinds audience

George Ware dispelled myths about his religion at Caribbean American Students Association forum. For many, the word "voodoo" -- a Haitian religion commonly associated with spellbinding and possession -- conveys a sense of eerie mystery. But in an effort to combat such perceptions, local voodoo priest George Ware explained his religion Thursday night at a forum sponsored by the Caribbean American Students Association. "It's not about biting the heads off chickens -- that is hearsay," said Ware, who also denied that the religion was based on casting spells. "People who come to our church looking for that get bored, even though we offer something quite spectacular -- a chance to speak to a force that you can trust," he added. Ware described voodoo -- and its more Latin-influenced counterpart, santeria -- as a monotheistic religion based on "helping poor oppressed people survive and get on with their lives." "The idea that we believe in many gods is a heinous misconception," he said. "It is a religion that believes in one god as creator of the universe -- there is no ambiguity there." Ware invited all in attendance to witness a Saturday "possession" -- a spiritual ceremony he claimed is "not as alien as you think it would be" -- at his church, the LePerstyle Haitian Church in Philadelphia. Possessions -- which include drums, singing and dancing -- are also broadcast on the radio station WPEB (88.1 FM) every Saturday at 7 a.m. Only about 15 people, however, attended Ware's presentation -- sponsored by CASA as part of its annual week-long Carifest for Caribbean Awareness -- in the High Rise East roof-top lounge. CASA President Anne Lalsingh, a Wharton junior, attributed the low attendance to people's "negative stereotypes" of voodoo. "People's general perceptions of voodoo [are such that] they'd just rather not know," Lalsingh said. "They'd rather remain ignorant." Lalsingh, herself a Christian, set up the forum to increase awareness, but admitted that she herself did not plan to investigate voodoo further. "While [Ware] was talking about the theoretical aspect of voodoo, he didn't talk about how it is practiced," Lalsingh said. "I think he made it sound a lot more like Christianity than it is." Lalsingh noted, however, that the forum's low turnout was in significant contrast with the attendance at the week's other events, which included an appearance by comedian Oliver Samuel in the Annenberg Center Wednesday -- which drew more than 250 people -- as well as an Easter Sunday Caribbean food lunch and a performance by the local four-piece band Steel Kings. CASA held a closing party Friday night. Samuel's "Oliver and Trini" performance, as well as one by a Trinidadian comedian known as Trini, highlighted what Lalsingh called "the best Carifest in years." The show -- which included a series of eight skits -- focused on the experience of migration from the Caribbean to the United States.