Vodou or “Vodoun,” is a syncretic religion that is a mixture of many religions and ideologies brought by our West African ancestors to places like Haiti, Jamaica, Cuba, Brazil, and more (though it goes by other names like Obeah, Candomblé, Santería, etc.).
It “…is an integrated system of concepts concerning human behavior, the relation of mankind to those who have lived before, and to the natural and supernatural forces of the universe… [attempting] to tie the unknown to the known and thus create order where chaos existed before.” (Courlander, Harold. The Drum and the Hoe. Berkeley : University of California Press, 1960.)
I am not an expert on Vodou, but I would argue that no one is—and that’s the point. If you ask two practitioners what Vodou is, you’ll get two beautiful, contradictory, and mysterious answers. Vodou is a mystery, and it’s as mysterious as the fact that I can use these symbols we call “letters” and “words” to transmit my thoughts into your mind right now.
A veve (also spelled vèvè or vevè) is a religious symbol commonly used in different branches of Vodun throughout the African diaspora, such as Haitian Vodou and Louisiana Voodoo. The veve acts as a "beacon" for the lwa, and will serve as a lwa's representation during rituals.