Interview with Adlore Casseus "Empress Addi," and Patrick Dorcé of Rara Rock, a Haitian roots world beat band based in North Miami. Casseus, the singer for Rara Rock, is a doctoral student in education and performs as "Empress Addi." Dorcé is the guitar player for Rara Rock. The interview explores Haitian culture and music, with an emphasis on the rara style, as well as the Haitian community in Miami, especially North Miami. Casseus and Dorcé also talk about the history of their band, Rara Rock, and they perform three songs. Casseus also discusses her childhood and musical influences. Interviewer: Kevin Mason Length of interview (in minutes): 56:39 North Miami, FL
Mrs. Mondestin holds a Bachelor's Degree in Nursing and a Health Care Risk Management Degree. During her thirty five years as a Registered Nurse, sixteen years as a Social Services Administrator, four years as a Division Director and currently as an Acting Chief of Miami Dade County Elderly, Disability and Veterans Services Bureau for one year, Edeline Beauvais Mondestin has gained a reputation as a strong advocate for women and people with disabilities. She volunteers with Mercy's Hospital Mobile Unit and the Borinquen Clinic that provide health care to underserved senior citizens in Little Haiti and Little Havana. Edeline has played a vital role in the Alzheimer's Association. Since 1994, she has been a support group leader for the Greater Miami Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association. Mrs. Mondestin has created the Florida Association on HIV Over Fifty (FLAHOF), an advocacy organization that provides services to this special group. In 2002, Mrs. Mondestin successfully lobbied Miami-Dade County Mayor Alex Penelas to establish a Haitian Senior Center in Little Haiti and was successful in obtaining a $350,000 grant to start and maintain the program through Miami Dade County Department of Human Services. Edeline's energy has also been directed at fighting for the right of immigrants and her efforts have been aimed at working on the Haitian Refugee Fairness Act, a law that gave residency to thousand of Haitians. Aside from her advocacy work, she hosted a radio program entitled "Travayè an Navan" meaning "Workers on the Move." This program advocated for better working conditions and insurace for workers. Edeline also hosts two cable television programs, "New Issue for a Healthy Community" with two physicians and "Living Beyond Limits." She has also appeared on a "Haitian Forum," a cable television program focusing on Haitian issues. She wrote several articles about: women's issues, nutrition, Alzheimer's, drugs, alcohol abuse, AIDS, and the elderly. Over the past years, she has been a recipient of numerous county, national, and humanitarian awards. Interviewer: Lucrèce Louisdhon-Louinis Miami, FL
Interview with Edouard Duval-Carrié, a Haitian-born painter and sculptor based in Miami. After leaving Port-au-Price due to political instability under the Duvalier regime, Duval-Carrié's family settled in Puerto Rico. He then studied urban planning in Canada before focusing on art. A world-renowned artist, Duval Carrié uses his position in the global art world to reframe Haitian art that has been misrepresented by stereotypes based on limited interactions between artists and art buyers. Through various cultural organizations and personal initiatives, Duval-Carrié uses his painting and sculpture to show a Haiti that is modern and cosmopolitan. In this interview, Duval-Carrié discusses his career and the path that took him from Haiti to Miami. He also talks about the influence of Vodou in his work, his efforts to reframe perceptions of Haitian art, and projects to support the art community and museums in Haiti. Interviewer: Kevin Mason Length of interview (in minutes): 38:08 Miami, FL
Edwidge Danticat was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti in 1969 and moved to Brooklyn when she was twelve years of age to join her parents. Two years after her arrival in the USA, she published her first writing in English, "A Haitian-American Christmas: Crémace and Creole Theatre," in New Youth Connections, a citywide magazine written by teenagers. She attended Barnard College where she received her BA in French literature. In 1993, she went on to complete her Master of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing at Brown University. In 1994, her first novel, Breath, Eyes, Memory (Soho Press), was published. At the age of twenty-six, in 1995, she published Krik? Krak!, which was a finalist for the National Book Award and became an Oprah Book Club selection. Drawing on her experiences as a Haitian-American she writes of one of the most under-represented cultures in American literature using a style which is both poetic and passionate. Having also received the 1995 Pushcart Short Story Prize and fiction awards from the Caribbean Writer, Seventeen, and Essence magazines, she is now widely considered to be one of the most talented young authors in the United States. Danticat is the author of several other books and athologies, including Dew Breaker (2004), Behind the Mountains (2002), After the Dance: A walk through Carnival in Jacmel (2002), The Butterfly's Way: Voices from the Haitian Dyaspora (edited by Danticat, 2001), The Beacon Best of 2000: Great Writing by Women and Men of All Colors and Cultures (edited by Danticat 2000) and Farming of Bones (1998). Her latest work of fiction, Claire of the Sea Light, will be released in Hardcover on Tuesday, August 27, 2013. She has been the recipient of many prestigious awards, such as: the Fiction Award: The Caribbean Writer, the Woman of Achievement Award, the Barnard College American Book Award for the Farming of Bones, the Story Prize for Dew Breaker, a National Book Award nomination for Brother, I'm Dying, and the National Book Critics Circle Award for Brother, I'm Dying. Interviewer: Lucrèce Louisdhon-Louinis Miami, FL
Interview with Erol Josué, a healer, houngan (Vodou priest), and performer who has been called the “Prince of Haitian roots music.” This interview took place before Josué returned to Haiti for the first time since 1996, in order to initiate his brother and sister to “take up the asson,” the term for taking on the vows of a houngan or mambo (priestess). Josué explains the reasons for returning to Haiti for the ceremony, which carries importance throughout the Diaspora. As a travelling musician, he observes how different cultures view Vodou culture. In Guadeloupe, for instance, promoters choose to not to market him as a “Vodou priest,” but rather as a “big priest.” In some Caribbean cultures, like Martinique, fans express curiosity about his religion and beliefs. Interviewer: Kevin Mason Miami, FL
This interview with Erol Josué took place on the phone about his work at Duke University, his international tours, and general aesethetics of his electro-Vodou music. The audio file includes his commentary on the music of album "Regleman" (Mi5 Recordings) and coveres talking points about being a Haitian artist in a global music market. Interviewer: Kevin Mason Length of interview (in minutes): 20:04 Miami, FL
This interview is one of a series with houngan and world-beat performer Erol Josué. This meeting took place at his home in the Design District area of Miami, the bustling artistic community and southern entrance into Little Haiti. This afternoon meeting took place on June 17th, 2011 and addressed several questions of Josué's role as a voudou priest and a spiritual healer and the importance of the song "Twa Fey" in the context to the Haitian Diaspora and healing. Erol Josué is a performer who has presented the music of Haiti worldwide, often seeking to educate his audiences about his culture and dispelling myths about voudou spirituality. One question he seeks to address is why Haitian performers actively take on educational roles in their music and if this impedes on creative innovation in such music in world markets. Interviewer: Kevin Mason Miami, FL
Born into vodou tradition in Port-au-Prince in 1970, Erol Josué took on the calling of houngon (vodou priest) at the remarkably young age of seventeen. Despite that this element of his life does not seem to dominate his reative work on a world market, this piece of his biography becomes a key component of how Josué is presented to international music markets. In this interview, Josué touches on his role as a healer, houngan, and a performer worldwide. These roles all impact his status as a musician, though it is often exagggerated when describing the artist's output. He considers himself a "worldbeat" artist who performs electro-vodou music, a difficult style to market on the international scene. While popular Caribbean music like zouk and soca are enjoyed worldwide, popular Haitian music is isolated to smaller markets in the Diasporic community. Artists who do not strictly fall into specific categories like konpa or razin pose a challenge to record labels in how to present the artists to their desired demographics. This creates a void of accurate description that often includes terms that do not convey the artist's overall aesthetic. This void creates new ways to present the artist based on marekt decisions, though the use of vodou in marketing is disproportionate to its discernable influence of his music.
Interview with Frantz "Kiki" Wainwright, a Haitian playwright, singer, actor, and dancer involved with Sosyete KouKouy in Miami. Born in Haiti, Wainwright began his acting career in Port-au-Peince before moving to New York, and eventually Miami. In 1985, he and Jan Mapou founded the Miami chapter of Sosyete KouKouy, a group dedicated to preserving Haitian culture in the United States. He has acted in many plays with the Sosyete Koukouy, including the first adaptation of William Shakespeare's Antigone into Kreyol. He helped form the band Ayabonmbe and has recorded with Les Shleu Shleu, but his primary musical focus is engagé, engaged political music. In this interview, Waitnwright discusses his career as an actor, musician, and writer. He explains the political nature of his music, and his work with Sosyete Koukouy, including a performance of Jacques Roumain's "Masters of the Dew." Interviewer: Kevin Mason Length of interview (in minutes): 32:04 Miami, FL
Dr. Gérard Campfort was born in Haiti where he attended primary school, secondary school, and university. After graduating at l'École Normale Supérieure in Port-Au-Prince, he began his teaching career at several prestigious universities such as Faculté D'Ethnologie, Collége Canado-Haitien, Lycée de Pétion-Ville, etc. He then went to France to obtain a doctorate at the famous Sorbonne University in Paris. There, he taught at the university and became the President of the Groupment des Étudiants Haitiens á Paris. He is also a great soccer player and even became the soccer coach for that team while in France. His work with the soccer team was exceptional because in 1981, he was awarded Trophée du Meilleur Entraineur en France (Best Coach Award). Dr. Campfort then moved to the USA where he worked with the Broward County Department of Health, the Broward County Public Library as Outreach Coordinator for the Haitian Community. He is an exceptional musician and radio personality. Dr. Campfort is also a poet and has written a few books on the subject. Interviewer: Lucrèce Louisdhon-Louinis Pembroke Pines, FL
The Haitian Diaspora Oral History collection includes videos and selected transcripts of oral history interviews conducted with individuals of Haitian ancestry that are well-renowned in the world of the arts, community activism, civic leadership, and many professional organizations. The interviews were conducted by Kevin Mason, Lucrèce Louisdhon-Louinis and Béatrice Colastin Skokan.
Jean-Marie Denis a.k.a Jan Mapou was born in the city of Les Cayes in the southern part of Haiti. He studied at the University of Ethnology and became a school teacher in several schools in Haiti (1965-1969). Later, he earned a BA degree in Accounting. In the cultural arena, Jan Mapou is one of the founders of the Haitian Creole Movement, which began in Haiti in 1965. That same year, he created Sosyete Koukouy or Society of Fireflies, a multi-disciplinary arts company dedicated to preserving Haitian cultural traditions and rituals. In 1969, Mapou was jailed by the Duvalier (Papa Doc) governement for his intense activities in promoting Haitian Kreyòl throughout the country. He was forced to immigrate to New York in 1972. Then in 1984, he moved to Miami where has put down roots and founded the Miami chapter of Sosyete Koukouy in 1985. Jan Mapou is the artistic director of Sosyete Koukouy of New York and Miami. Its immediate mission is to build bridges and increase dialogue and understanding between Haitians and other ethnic groups. The company has performed throughout the USA, Canada, and Haiti. Jan Mapou and the artists of Sosyete Koukouy were key players in working with Miami-Dade County to make "Discover Miami Program" a successful community event for four years. Mapous is well-known as a poety, playwright, columnist, and author of several books. Jan Mapou is the owner of Librer Mapou (Mapou Bookstore) next to the Caribbean Marketplace in the heart of Little Haiti. It is the only Haitian owned bookstore in the nation with an impressive inventory of books in Creole, French, English, and Spanish exclusively about Haiti. He received the MAXIE Award; the highest award an artist/promoter may receive in Miami and recently the governor of Florida, Charlie Chris, honored him in Tallahaseee. He was the recipient of the 2007-Folk Life Award from the State of Florida. In June 2011, he was a special guest of the Library of Congress in Washington D.C. where he recorded his many accomplishments for history and humanity. Interviewer: Lucrèce Louisdhon-Louinis Miami, FL
This interview was conducted with Jean-Michel Daudier in Aventura, Florida, in Spetember 2010. Mr. Daudier is most well known for his anthem "Lem Pa We Soley La" (When I Can't See The Sun) and its historical place in the popular overthrow of Haitian dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier on February 7th, 1986. The song became an anthem for the movement and mobilized many demands for Duvalier's removal. Daudier partnered the song with the rising influence of the Catholic Church as the main voice of opposition by using popular themes of liberation theology that took hold in the country at that time. This interview focuses on the issues surrounding the writing of the song, his life following the democratic moment, and his career in the United States. Mr. Daudier left Haiti in 1989 after he felt very little had changed in the country. Because he was a visible symbol of resistance to the Duvalier regime, he often felt threatened and was subjected to frequent stops during the military-mandated curfew. Such factors caused him to leave his home country and live abroad in the "Tenth Department." He now performs his important song and many others weekly at Casa Champet in Pembroke Pines, FL. Interviewer: Kevin Mason Aventura, FL
Interview with Jean-Philippe Guillaume, who is the creator and engineer of Mizikpam.com, a Haitian music aggregator similar to Pandora, Last.Fm, and Spotify. He moved to South Florida from Port-au-Prince. His grandfather was a saxophonist and his great uncle was the bandleader Raoul Guillaume. Guillaume talks about the progression of Haitian music, the widespread style of genres on the website, and his general knowledge about the "ancestry" and story elements of the country's popular music. He also traces the history of the organization, the listenership, and the presence of Haitian music in South Florida. Interviewer: Kevin Mason Length of interview (in minutes): 39:30 Miami, FL
Dr. Joanne Hyppolite is multi-talented. On weekdays, she is the Chief curator at the History of Miami Museum where she oversees the museum's exhibitions and collections department. On nights, weekends, and on stolen work days, she transforms into a writer, published author, and a lover of literature. Joanne has published two popular middle-grade novels for children: Seth and Samona, which won the 1994 Marguerite DeAngeli Prize for New Children's Fiction and Ola Shakes it Up. Her short stories have also been published in The Caribbean Writer and in The Butterfly's Way: Voice from the Haitian Dyaspora. She holds a Ph. D. in literature from t he University of Miami and an M.A. in Afro-American Studies from the University of California, Los Angeles. An experienced public speaker, she lectures widely at schools, libraries, and conferences on African-American and Caribbean culture and Chidlren's literature. In her interview, Dr. Hyppolite shares her childhood growing up in Boston in a diverse neighborhood. She is passionate about her writing and continues to inspire young readers with her stories. Interviewer: Lucrèce Louisdhon-Louinis Miami, FL
Interview with Jonas Jean "Maestro Joujou" of DJA-Rara music group located in Brooklyn, New York that aims to keep Haitian culture alive in the Diaspora. Maestro Joujou is the band leader for DJA-Rara. This audio-only interview was conducted and edited by Kevin Mason for broadcast on the University of Miami radio station, WVUM. In the interview, Maestro Joujou discusses Rara music, carnival, the vaksin musical instrument, and traveling with DJA-Rara. The interview features two songs, "Fig Nan Men" and "Zwazo Vole." Interviewer: Kevin Mason Length of interview (in minutes): 34:22 Coral Gables, FL
Laurette Jean is a professional Budget Analyst, a talented dancer, a choreographer, and a dedicated community contributor. Since 2009, she has been working as a Principal Management and Budget Analyst at the office of Management and Budget in Broward County. However, her most significant work has been in the field of Haitian cultural traditions. She joined the Louinès Louinis Haitian Dance Theatre in 2002. She is the treasurer and the principal dancer with the company. She began dancing at the age of 12 years old at Horace Mann Middle School and received formal dance training in ballet, hip-hop, and West African dance at Florida International University. Mrs. Jean uses her talents and professional skills within the Haitian community. She has been instrumental at securing grants for the Pierre Toussaint Leadership & Learning Center. She teaches and choreographs Haitian dance at several elementary schools with large populations of Haitian students. She is also the co-founder of Harmony Dance Troupe, a liturgical dance group which focuses on improving self-esteem among teenagers. Interviewer: Lucrèce Louisdhon-Louinis Pembroke Pines, FL
Liliane Nérette Louis grew up in a large family in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, as the daughter of a doctor. When she was a child, her mother used to sit down with the children in the evenings and tell stories in Haitian Creole. As she grew older, Louis herself began to tell the stories to her seven younger siblings and then later to her own three children. She begins all her engaging stories with a traditional formula: "Kric krak. We used to start the all the Haitian kont with krik, and the people listening to the kont will say krak." Louis fled the Duvalier regime by moving to New York in 1964. Looking for a better climate, she settled in Miami in 1977. Louis earned a B.A. in Professional Studies and an M.A. in Human Resource Development and Administration from Barry University. Before retiring from Jackson Memorial Hospital in 1999, she worked for many years as a Health Information Manager. Since the 1980s, she regularly performs the tales at festivals, schools, and other events. Louis has served twice as a Master Artist in the Florida Folklife Apprenticeship Program, and sje has won the Florida Individual Artist Fellowship in Folk Arts twice. She also wrote When Night Falls, Kric! Krak! Haitian Folktales (1999). Louis is also an extremely accomplished cook, frequently offering Haitian cooking courses through Miami-Dade College and other institutions, and is very knowledgeable about the use of plants in Haitian culture. Interviewer: Lucrèce Louisdhon-Louinis Pembroke Pines, FL
