00.32.49-00.32.53
and he is there for a specific purpose of working…
00.32.53-00.32.55
bringing clientele to you.


Driver:
00.32.56-00.32.59
Maybe he knows where it is?
00.33.00-00.33.33
Do you know where we can find the house of Loulou…
00.33.33-00.33.05
the voodoopriest?
Man:
00.33.05-00.33.10
Straight ahead and at the first crossing you go to the left…
00.33.10-00.33.13
and then the first path at your right, there is the house.
Vladimir Berbadel:
00.33.13-00.33.15
Okay, thank you.
Driver:
00.33.15-00.33.17
He is well known.
Vladimir Bernadel:
00.33.17-00.33.19
Yeah.

Vladimir Bernadel:
00.33.22-00.33.24
Okay, stop.
00.33.25-00.33.27
Is this the house?


VO:
00.33.29-00.33.41
Vladimir has already been looking for two years for a replacement for the spirit he bought, One Hundred-thousand Men. Maybe he’s going to be lucky this time. A friend has told him that the priest Loulou has a spirit for sale.


Voodoopriest Loulou:
00.33.42-00.33.45
God, creator of men and difficulties, tell me the truth.
00.33.45-00.33.49
I can see you went through a lot of problems…
00.33.49-00.33.51
and had a lot of difficulties.

00.33.51-00.33.55
You struggled to get on top.
00.33.55-00.33.57
You can become an powerful priest…
00.33.57-00.34.00
reach a higher postion then you have right now…
00.34.00
but you are tied down.

Vladimir Bernadel:
00.34.04-00.34.06
What is the cause of that?
Loulou:
00.34.07-00.34.09
be aware of you path, keep your eyes open…
00.34.09-00.34.11
and it will become clear to you.

Vladimir Bernadel:
00.34.22-00.34.25
He found out that I’m a priest.
00.34.25-00.34.31
He also found out that my business is down and slow…
00.34.33-00.34.36
but what I’m coming for he says he doesn’t have it…
00.34.36-00.34.39
but he is going to put me in contact with…
00.34.39-00.34.42
another priest who has it.
00.34.42-00.34.44
But not today.

Loulou:
00.34.47-00.34.53
In need to inform you, if you want a demonspirit…
00.34.53-00.34.57
you need to be aware of all the repurcussions.

VO:
00.34.58-00.35.39
Vladimir receives a warning from Loulou. If you’re going to buy a demon then he’s going to lay down conditions and things can get out of hand.
There are even some spirits who demand a sacrifice in the shape of a child or a family member.
You can force a bought spirit to do all sorts of things for you.
Including serious business which could be quite sinister. Whatever the customer wants.
Those are precisely the kinds of jobs that bring in a lot of money.
Jobs that Vladimir’s family spirits would rather not do.
Are the family spirits really that lazy or are they just not willing to go along with Vladimir’s plan to secure his future this way?


VO:
00.35.54-00.36.17
There are many voodoo societies like Ayan Pata in Haiti, the society to which Yves and Odette belong. Membership gives them protection and respect.
The societies are closely-knit groups where everyone has their status and purpose. There is an emperor, the spiritual leader, but also a president, a queen, a colonel, and a lieutenant.

Yves Theophile:
00.36.23-00.36.26
Voodoo is like a mother and father…
00.36.26-00.36.29
without voodoo I can’t live.
00.36.29-00.36.33
I lose myself in voodoo. It is always in my thoughts.
00.36.33-00.36.37
Voodoo will help me when I need it.
00.36.37-00.36.40
Even when I have great difficulties I always believe…
00.36.40-00.36.42
that I will get out of these difficulties.
00.36.42-00.36.44
It gives me strength.
00.36.44-00.36.46
I have an important position within the society…
00.36.48-00.36.51
My rank is colonel. I am responsible for the security…
00.36.51-00.36.55
of the emperor. Wherever the emporor goes…
00.36.55-00.36.59
I’m with him so that I can protect him.


VO:
00.37.05-00.37.16
Another society has invited Ayan Pata for ceremony of song and dance.
Yves is always cautious on these evenings because other societies are not always to be trusted.

Yves Theophile
00.37.18-00.37.21
Whenever you meet another society and you are not…
00.37.21-00.37.25
experienced enough then with a handshake they can kill you.
00.37.25-00.37.27
A simple handshake is enough.
00.37.27-00.37.30
When a society changes a person into an animal…
00.37.30-00.37.33
then that is a bad society.
00.37.39-00.37.41
They can change you into a donkey or a horse…
00.37.41-00.37.43
and they will ride to their home. It has happened.
00.37.43-00.37.46
When someone has the power to turn you into a dog…
00.37.46-00.37.49
then you have to know how to invoke a protective power.
00.37.49-00.37.51
He uses his, I use mine.

VO:
00.37.52-00.38.22
You never know what might happen. Each society has its own magical powers and expertise. These are protected by means of secret rituals and codes.
There is a great deal of competition between the various societies. Who is the strongest?
Another society might not have any bad intentions, but they may attempt to try and steal some of your powers.
Ayan Pata goes to the other society because they want to demonstrate their power and excellence in the form of singing and dancing.

Yves Theophile sings:
00.38.32-00.38.35
You have called on me, here I am to talk to you…
00.38.35-00.38.38
are you coming to talk to me?
00.38.38-00.38.41
I say good evening, good evening my queen…
00.38.41-00.38.46
good evening my emperor, good evening my president.
00.38.46-00.38.49
I say good evening. I am at your house.

VO:
00.38.56-00.39.02
While the President brings everyone inside, Colonel Yves keeps a close watch on what is happening around Emperor Ti Frere.

Emperor Pradel:
00.39.03-00.39.06
Here is emperor Ti Frere…
00.39.06-00.39.09
they are here to greet us, lets welcome them.


Members of Ayan Pata singing:
00.39.09-00.39.13
We will greet you, we will greet the magic…
00.39.13-00.39.16
as yet you haven’t revealed anything to me.

VO:
00.39.19-00.39.22
Emperor Pradel from the other society looks on.

Emperor Pradel:
00.39.25-00.39.27
Look…
00.39.27-00.39.29
emperor Ti Frere is here.

Yves Theophile:
00.40.00-00.40.03
Voodoo is like a heartbeat.
00.40.03-00.40.06
Singing is everything to me. When I sing I feel good…
00.40.06-00.40.09
I forget all my troubles.
00.40.09-00.40.11
When I sing I get in a trance. It is a joy…
00.40.11-00.40.15
I forget all my problems. While I’m singin…
00.40.15-00.40.17
I can even, for a while…
00.40.17-00.40.20
forget the people I lost through death.

VO:
00.40.42-00.40.47
Vladimir still hasn’t succeeded in shaking off Lovna’s ex-boyfriend. The threats continue.

Vladimir Bernadel:
00.40.48-00.40.51
He is bugging me, he is causing trouble…
00.40.51-00.40.54
we want him to get out of the way, leave town…
00.40.54-00.40.57
go someplace else, don’t look back.
00.40.57-00.41.02
He uses threats all the time to get his way.
00.41.02-00.41.46
So I went to all my spirits…
00.41.46-00.41.10
and told them: “ I don’t take the guy’s threats too lightly.”

00.41.10-00.41.13
If they want me as their servant…
00.41.13-00.41.17
they have to make a choice between me and the fellow.
00.41.17-00.41.23
Well, they are not quick in passing sentences.
00.41.23-00.41.25
Sometimes they wait.
00.41.25-00.41.28
It could be one month, it could be two months, it could…
00.41.28-00.41.30
be three months, it could even be four months before…
00.41.30-00.41.33
all of them get together and decide what they are…
00.41.33-00.41.37
going to do with that particular request.

VO:
00.41.39-00.42.05
The family spirits are taking their time reaching a decision. But Vladimir is so afraid that he wants immediate results.
For this reason he has decided to get help from more powerful sources.
First he called on Lucifer, but the session hasn’t delivered any results until now.
He tries again to speed things up and intensify the process by calling on Baron, the lord of the cemetery.

Vladimir Bernadel:
00.42.12-00.42.16
Europeans call that black magic.

Vladimir Bernadel:
00.42.37-00.42.40
As we leave do not turn back to film.
00.42.42-00.42.44
As we leave don’t look behind.
00.42.46-00.42.48
That’s it, that’s it.
00.42.50-00.42.52
Lets go.
00.42.53-00.42.55
Don’t look behind.

Vladimir Bernadel:
00.43.03-00.43.10
What will be the end of that man only the spirits know.
00.43.10-00.43.12
What they are going to do exactly and when they…

00.43.12-00.43.15
are going to do it is beyond my control.

VO:
00.43.39-00.43.53
Every Friday morning there is a big cattle market at Croix de Bouquets, not far from Port au Prince. Yves and Odette are standing there with their patties and ropes. Very soon a customer comes along for the ropes and the haggling begins.

Yves Theophile:
00.43.53-00.43.56
I can’t sell them for that price.
00.43.56-00.44.00
These ropes are made of three sacks.
Buyer:
00.44.00-00.44.02
I know how to make ropes.
Yves Theophile:
00.44.02-00.44.05
You know the amount of work and yet you want to pay nothing.
Buyer:
00.44.05-00.44.08
I think you only used 1 sack to make this rope.
Yves Theophile:
00.44.10-00.44.14
Thanks, brother, you go and look somewhere else.
00.44.14-00.44.16
These ropes are first class.

Yves Theophile:
00.44.28-00.44.30
Today we started again on the market.
00.44.30-00.44.33
We haven’t been here for a long time.
00.44.33-00.44.36
Our old customers don’t know that we are here again.
00.44.36-00.44.39
I am convinced that they’ll come again once they see…
00.44.39-00.44.42
we are here and then…
00.44.42-00.44.44
we can start thinking about other things to sell…
00.44.44-00.44.47
and make plans.

Yves Theophile:
00.45.00-00.45.03
What do you offer?

Buyer:
00.45.07-00.45.09
Its too expensive.
Yves Theophile:
00.45.09-00.45.12
Prices for the sacks are rising.
00.45.14-00.45.18
Do you know what I have to pay for a dozen sacks?
00.45.19-00.45.22
You wont find the ropes cheaper elsewhere.
00.45.25-00.45.27
Watch out, behind you.
00.45.32-00.45.34
Will you buy the rope?
Buyer:
00.45.34-00.45.37
Can I use it for cows?
Yves Theophile:
00.45.37-00.45.39
Certainly.

VO:
46.11-46.18
Loulou has found a priest who might have a spirit for sale. So he is going with Vladimir to introduce him to the priest.

Vladimir Bernadel:
00.46.24-00.46.26
This man is an excellent reader.
00.46.26-00.46.28
He identified that I am looking for a…
00.48.28-00.48.30
very powerful spirit…
00.48.30-00.46.32
he also mentioned the various spirits I have…
00.46.32-00.46.35
and the problems they are causing.
00.46.35-00.46.39
I told him:”at my age I don’t want a spirit…
00.46.39-00.46.43
that becomes wild and uncontrolled…
00.46.43-00.46.47
a spirit that causes problems I can’t control.”

Priest:
00.46.50-00.46.52
You are getting older.
00.46.52-00.46.54
You have some money but you can’t be happy

Singing at session:
00.46.56-00.47.00
We need money, we need money.
00.47.00-00.47.04
Zaka, we need money, we want to borrow money.

Priest:
00.47.16-00.47.19
Money opens all the doors. With it, you go everywhere.
00.47.19-00.47.21
East, south, north and west.
00.47.21-00.47.23
Rub yourself with the money.

Vladimir Bernadel:
00.47.24-00.47.27
Let the money come to me, let the money come to me.

VO:
00.47.52-00.47.56
The spirit isn’t cheap. Vladimir pays more than 1000 US dollars.

Priest:
00.47.59-00.48.01
Go to the other room and put the money there.
00.48.01-00.48.04
Take your demonspirit, take it with you.
00.48.06-00.48.09
Relax, you can be content with it.
00.48.10-00.48.12
Put the money there.

Vladimir Bernadel:
00.48.32-00.48.34
It’s the symbol…
00.48.34-00.48.36
the birthcertificate…
00.48.36-00.48.38
or legal…
00.48.38-00.48.40
tender…
00.48.40-00.48.43
to show that…
00.48.45-00.48.47
he gave me the spirit.

Yves Theophile:
00.48.54-00.48.56
We sold well at the market.

00.48.56-00.48.59
With the profit we can buy food for the children.
00.48.59-00.49.02
We can buy soap for the laundry.
00.49.02-00.49.05
We can buy water, that’s very expensive.
00.49.05-00.49.10
But we can’t spent all the money on domestic things.
00.49.10-00.49.13
I’m happy, very happy.
00.49.13-00.49.16
It’s a joy.

VO:
00.49.19-00.49.26
The patties and ropes have been sold, and the money is immediately invested in tomatoes and onions.

Yves Theophile:
00.49.27-00.49.30
We need to invest to make the business a success.
00.49.30-00.49.32
We can only sell patties on friday.
00.49.32-00.49.34
The other days there is no cattlemarket.
00.49.34-00.49.37
When we don’t invest we don’t earn on other days.
00.49.37-00.49.39
The money will run out fast, then we can’t eat.
00.49.39-00.49.42
So we bought onions and tomatoes to sell…
00.49.42-00.49.44
on other days at another market.

Vladimir Bernadel:
00.49.56-00.49.57
Dig there.
00.50.10-00.50.14
I’m digging a hole so that I can plant the spirit…
00.50.14-00.50.18
that I bought. It will be his house.
00.50.18-00.50.22
A whole lot of things are going into the hole.
00.50.22-00.50.27
Food, a combination of various elements.
00.50.27-00.50.31
When it decays it will release energy.
00.50.31-00.50.34
We are going to charge a battery…

00.50.34-00.50.36
that will release energy…
00.50.36-00.50.39
and that energy will push…
00.50.40-00.50.43
the spirit to go…
00.50.43-00.50.46
wherever…
00.50.46-00.50.49
I send him to go.
00.50.49-00.50.51
The spirit will be like…
00.50.52-00.50.54
a missile.

VO:
00.51.07-00.51.11
Vladimir hopes that his business will go up, but he isn’t sure.

Vladimir Bernadel:
00.51.12-00.51.16
It’s a bit of a gamble…
00.51.16-00.51.19
it’s like a lottery…
00.51.19-00.51.22
you have a good chance you come out with a good spirit…
00.51.24-00.51.27
and it will work for you…
00.51.27-00.51.30
but maybe it wont work for me…
00.51.30-00.51.33
it may not be powerful enough to move my own spirits.
00.51.33-00.51.38
Let me be positive otherwise I will be selfdestructive.


00.51.52-00.52.40
End title of film:

Buying the Spirit

A film by
Saskia Rietmeijer & Bart Drolenga

Voice
David Llewellyn Child

Special thanks to
Vladimir Bernadel
Yves Theophile
Odette Theophile
Ti Frere
Ayan Pata
Lynda Bartlett
Laura Croyance-Brouns
Alex Ivanov
Henk Stam
Peter Tetteroo
Mieke Tiggeler
Gael & Pascale Monnin
Lunise & Richard Morse
Bernard Nonez
Maxime Pardo

A Seeview production
Copyright 2003
© 2024 Journeyman Pictures
Journeyman Pictures Ltd. 4-6 High Street, Thames Ditton, Surrey, KT7 0RY, United Kingdom
Email: info@journeyman.tv

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