Charging that hotel and tour operators sometimes "insult the intelligence" of foreign visitors with romantic tales of Jamaica's past, Professor [Verene Shepherd] insisted that while we enjoy the ambience of surviving great houses, we must acknowledge that, "they used to be the site of exploitation and sexploitation of our ancestors".
"Lakou Trankil" is the work of an artist quietly reflecting on the personal, the political, the light and heavy sides of Haitian life. The album's lead song, "Lakou", blends a soulfully acoustic reggae with thoughtful metaphors that borrow from the wisdom of Haiti's country folk. Belo's strong baritone seems fashioned after Bob Marley's own and this distinct quality is definitely heard when he wails "dread natty dread..." in that song's plaintive chorus. The R&B-styled "Tenza", a song about love gone bad, displays the artist's consistent ability to lend complex melodic verses into simple chord progressions. The playful "Luv to luv" features the kind of vocal precision and acrobatics that have made a star of Jamaican artist Buju Banton and is backed by a masterful blend of acoustic guitars and percussion.
Although the program has a long, academic-sounding formal tide, "Sugar, Slavery and Imperialism: How Sugar Drove the Forced Migration of Africans to the Caribbean and the Impact of the Haitian Revolution," it is an informal presentation aimed at general audiences. This is a rare opportunity to learn more about Haiti's former status, as the richest, rather than the poorest, country in the hemisphere; about Haitian participation in the American Revolutionary War and aid to other independence struggles; about the brilliant diplomatic and military leadership of Toussaint L'Ouverture, Dessalines, Petion and others, who defeated the forces of Napoleon, Britain and Spain together; about how the Haitian victory caused Napoleon to sell the vast Louisiana territory to the United States, and about the great heroism of ordinary Haitians that was required for victory to be won. (The Louisiana Purchase, which will be commemorated on specially minted nickel coins in 2004, also opened the way for an expanded domestic "slave trade" within the United States, which was even larger than the former Atlantic trade).
Flags flailed - both by the breeze and by the hands of proud people - to the live onstage musical performances. The stage was set large enough to support a full band and back-up singers, and to support the energy of every performer. The program included several international, big time and small time, artists. Some on the bill were reggae star Tony Rebel, (reggae, Jamaica); Bunji Garlin (Soca, Trinidad); Ken Boothe (Vintage Reggae, Jamaica); Slice International (Soca/Calypso band); Everton Blender (Cultural Reggae, Jamaica); Dadou Pasquet (Kompas, Haiti); Omar Reid (Jamaica's 2006 Festival Song winner) and Dias and the Charms (R&B).
More than two hundred Haitian artists came together at "Russo's On the Bay" in Queens, New York on June 5th, 2005. They came from Haiti, Canada and throughout the USA. Namely painters, dancers, musicians, gospel singers, writers and poets, they came to celebrate the birth of the United Haitian Artists' Foundation. It was a glamorous endeavor with excited people of Haitian culture, united in their noble and national mission to bring about awareness, growth and excellence to Haitian artists as a whole, and to the world at large.
For [Heidi Rondon], the opportunity to express her African roots through music and dance was a calling. "In our veins we carry the African feeling," she explained. "We are direct descendants of slaves that cultivated cocoa and coffee in the central coast of Barlovento many years ago." "These Africans were Latin America's first liberators," says historian and activist Jorge Guerrero Valez accompanying the group. A dignified Venezuelan enormously conscious of his African heritage and history, Jorge spoke eloquently about the solidarity Afro-Venezuelans, as they call themselves, feel with their African American brothers and sisters in the United States and the need to enhance the relationship.
Storyteller, poet, and culinary anthropologist Vertamae Grosvenor displays the pleasures of African-Atlantic cooking in "Vertamae Cooks in The Americas' Family Kitchen," and in her new series debuting on PBS in October, In both the book and the series, Vertamae shows how African tastes and traditions have influenced the various cuisines of America, acquiring new flavors and ingredients along the way in Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. With humor, insight, and gusto, Vertamae shares anecdotes and history as she prepares more than a hundred mouth-watering, down-home recipes. The recipes range from the deliciously unique to the comfortingly familiar, from the spiciness of Bahian Shrimp Creole to the pleasure of sweet potato pie.
"Once again, WLIB's commitment to New York's African American and Caribbean communities has been confirmed. We have devoted significant air time to voter registration drives, Public Service Announcements and other programs specifically organized to motivate our listeners to vote," said Janie Washington, station manager.
Vinette K. Pryce discusses bringing a new minority voice to the region through his new column and notes that the radio station WWRL has reshuffled its lineup.
These new citizens know they made the right choice. This day also offers the time to meditate about those less fortunate than themselves, like families and friends left behind in their country of origin, where the plague of daily insecurity has decimated whatever lifestyle remained of their easy going beautiful paradise, and where participation in the electoral process is not so easily accomplished. Reflections abound -- then reality sets in. Indeed, Haitian-Americans are delighted and proud to have adopted America as their fatherland. At the same time they are sad that their country of origin is in such turmoil.
