Who is Gede from Mama Lola: A Vodou Priestess in Brooklyn and what is their importance?

Papa Gede lives in the cemetery. He is the master of balance, which in Vodou terms means not being caught in an unresolved dilemma, but to use forces that contradict each other to raise life energy. Gede's humor is of the macabre sort, because looking into the face of death raises this life energy. He is also a randy character who, conversely, dotes upon children. Gede is a part of every human life because death is a part of every human life. Gede's domination of the realm of death is reflective of a time when males held the power in Haitian families, and this is not the case any longer. In consequence, and in showing how flexible and ever-evolving the culture of Vodou is, a strong female version of Gede is slowly emerging, whose name is Gedelia.