Get ready to dive into Hoodoo with the remarkable Mawiyah Kai EL-Jamah Bomani! Mawiyah is a native of New Orleans, is a distinguished writer and spirit woman. She received the Southern Black Theatre Festival’s 2012-2013 Playwright of the Year award for her play, Spring Chickens. In 2008, Mawiyah earned her MFA in Creative Writing from the University of New Orleans. Beyond her writing, she is a respected educator, an 8th Generation Witch, and a Priestess of OYA in the Yoruba spiritual system. Mawiyah is also the host of the podcast: FishHeadsinRedGravy, which celebrates marginalized people in the esoteric and occult world. She is a recipient of the Critical Mass 8 Literary Award and the KAT Artist Residency. Mawiyah is the author of two books published by Llewellyn Worldwide, 2023’s: Conjuring the Calabash: Empowering Women with Hoodoo Spells and Magick and Hoodoo Saints and Root Warriors: Stories and Magick for Liberation releasing in November 2025.
We begin by talking about Mawiyah’s early years growing up in New Orleans; the gumbo stew of African, Indigenous, Creole, French and Hispanic cultures. Mawiyah began seeing spirits at a young age. Her mother and grandmother understood Mawiya's magical gift. Her grandfather was a Santeria Priest and another grandfather on her mother’s side was a Geechee man which are descendants from West Africa that were enslaved and brought to the American Southeast. Mawiyah grew up being embraced with various family spiritual practices and folkways from her family later it was termed as: Hoodoo. Mawiyah said she kept a journal and wrote down these family Hoodoo practices that she was told at a very young age in a journal. Mawiyah was taught growing up that Hoodoo is Liberation Magick and she wanted to understand more and to also help others with using Hoodoo.
One of the earliest saints she connected with was Marie Laveau. For Mawiyah this opened the idea of Sheroes/Heroes; people that inspired her within her culture. Mawiyah says that we can still call on these elevated spiritual people even after they die, especially in the socio-political climate that we live in today. This was the impetus of Mawiyah’s newest book: Hoodoo Saints and Root Warriors: Stories and Magick for Liberation.
We chat about how enslavement of African peoples to the Americas and the Caribbean gave birth to Hoodoo which was used for healing, safety and spiritual protection from violence and oppression. Hoodoo, is a fusion of beliefs and cultural practices, blending elements from West African religions, Native First Nations traditions, and European herbal knowledge. Hoodoo also provides a connection to their lineage and Sheroes/Heroes, and it weaves magic, empowerment, protection for the people who had been subjugated in a relatable way.
We discover one of Mawiyah’s favorite Hoodoo Saints that she works with called La Madama.By working with the 12 Hoodoo Saints in Mawiyah’s spiritual guidebook; we can communicate with and channel with powerful and beloved Sheroes/Heroes. Her book shares inspiring stories, shows how to incorporate Hoodoo saints into daily spell work, and expands any practitioner's repertoire through rituals, dice divination, altar work, and more.
Mawiyah shares with us a Hoodoo spell for Scream Water to effect change in your life at the end of the episode. Tune in and be enlightened!
Mawiyah ‘s website: www.mawiyahkaieljamahbomani.com

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