Ghetto Tarot - a tarot deck from Haiti

[Diana]

A very unusual tarot deck from Haiti. I think it's wonderful. Here is how it is described on the website : http://www.ghettotarot.de/

And on this page a selection of the cards : http://www.ghettotarot.de/

"The Ghetto Tarot is a photographic interpretation of the well-known traditional Rider-Waite-Smith deck. Set in the Haitian ghetto, these fresh scenes were inspired by those originally created in 1909 by the artist Pamela Colman-Smith. The scenes were replicated by Alice Smeets with the assistance of a group of Haitian artists called Atis Rezistans using only material they were able to find or create locally.

While Tarot originated many years ago when the circumstances within the world seemed very different, they still resonate today with timeless symbols that can be applied to our busy modern world. And not just our modern, Western world, but also to any other continent, country or culture, including the Haitian Ghetto. So here comes a contemporary, provocative and vivid tarot deck!

The photo project aims to reach beyond cultural boundaries of prejudice and ignorance to achieve a much-needed transformation of the collective conscious perception of the ghetto whilst discovering the power of our own thoughts. Therefore the Haitian slum is presented in another light and the pictures highlight the creativity and strength of its citizens."

I think I may order it.

Edited to add: So I just saw that there are 12 pages on this deck in a thread on Aeclectic. I didn't realise that it was already well known. The 12 pages seem to be more of a huge controversy over the name "ghetto" that many if not most took offense to. Odd. I mean this deck was also created WITH a Haitian resistance art collective. The very name resistance means they're politicised and are not just mere actors. They would also have had a say in the name. Pffff.. some people take offense to everything. Ghetto is a ghetto. And for a Haitian a ghetto, as the photographer explains well, has a different meaning to a ghetto in the States or, as one member on the thread mentioned, reminded him of the Jewish ghettos. For god's sake... I bet most of those people couldn't even place Haiti on a map.


The Guardian even had an article about it : https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesig ... n-pictures

[BlueStar]

Very unusual I agree. Whilst it doesn't appeal to me directly as I deck I would use, I do love the way people have been used to portray the card meanings. I think it's very different and very well done. Thanks for the info:)

[Diana]

It must have been a wonderful artistic experience for the people who took part. I can imagine them discussing together how they would dress up and depict all the people. And the discovery of the Tarot itself must have been very rewarding too. A friend of mine spends a few months every year in Haiti and she tells me always of the courage and the smiles in spite of the hardships.