A North Carolina man is searching for answers after his mother tragically died during a Vodou retreat in Haiti. Dana Jackson, 51, had traveled to Haiti in July 2024 with hopes of becoming a Manbo priestess, a respected role within the Haitian Vodou tradition. Manbo priestesses, like their male counterparts known as oungan, perform vital ceremonies, initiations, healings, and divinations within the Vodou faith.
Dana’s son, Timothy Jackson, explained that his mother had been deeply interested in African traditional spiritual belief systems for several years. Her journey into Vodou was a natural progression of her studies and spiritual exploration.
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“About four years ago, my mom began researching African spiritual practices, and Vodou was part of that journey,” Timothy said. “She had been practicing and doing her due diligence in understanding the tradition before committing to this retreat.”
Dana left for Haiti on July 1 and was scheduled to return to the United States on July 26. She traveled with a group known as Sosyete, a community she had bonded with over time. Timothy emphasized that these were not strangers but people his mother had built strong relationships with. The group had even traveled together to Boston just a month before their trip to Haiti.
The tragic loss of Dana Jackson has left her family heartbroken and searching for answers about what went wrong during the retreat. For Timothy, his mother’s spiritual quest was something she had pursued with passion and care, making her untimely death even more difficult to comprehend.
A Go Fund Me has been set up for her burial.
