Introduction

What kind of leader would say of his own people that they are “meant to suffer”? Well, maybe a savage despot who claimed to be the master of the dead – a powerful sorcerer who could use vodou to raise murderous zombies at will, read minds, and even assassinate a US president…

Francois Duvalier, known as ‘Papa Doc’, is one of the most ruthless dictators of the 20th Century, responsible for the deaths of an estimated 60,000 people, and a reign of terror that tragically reverberates through Haiti to this day.

This week Hannah and Suruthi find out how the first nation to be founded by slaves gave way to brutal Black nationalism, black magic, and decades of public savagery.

Note for Wondery+ or Amazon Music subscribers downloading our early-release episode: our ShortHand on Haitian Vodou is out on 16 May!