Mug Tiban "Fanm Dous"

In the Marché en Fer, amid the beautifully organized but overflowing stalls of household ne- cessities, art, and Vodun ceremonial items, some of the most common words are easy to miss. Scrawled on the side of small, squat-level wooden stools that support weary merchants, you might see an identifying number or name scrawled in marker, but many display the words, Fanm Dous. Fanm dous means ‘sweet woman,’ but according to Sanon Jodania, who has been selling mystic products in the market for 13 years, the words spell good luck for the women merchants who sit on them. “When you’re a fanm dous,” Jodania says, “all the men will come and won’t be able to leave... Because you’re dous, he’ll give you money, he’ll give you everything.” She says the words themselves can have the effect of luring people in and getting them to buy. 

(text by Amy Bracken)