Currently Craving!

Ruven Afandor is Beyond Amazing!

I first encountered Ruven's work on the streets of Sevilla when he had his Mil Besos project on display like giant, dark, avante garde advertisements. That wouldn't be a stretch for Ruven, the Columbian photographer who's provocative photography has graced the pages of Vogue and other high fashion magazines around the world. However, Mil Besos is what captivated me to his work and it truly showcases his photographic versatility and overall genuis. He reinterprets and valorizes flamenco culture through the female flamenco dancers, and what he is able to capture would engage anyone with no prior knowledge of flamenco. What is most impressive is that the melancholy gloom and darkness of flamenco remains blatantly present even with the women garbed in charcoal haute couture that exudes sexuality, pain and passion. A friend of mine was recently gifted with his photography book and the images literally seemed to jumped out the page in true 3-D fashion, garnering numerous "ooooosss" and "ahhhhss" from everyone at the restaurant. The power of art and photography is truly evident in his work and I can't wait to see what he has in store next.

Thinking about HAITI!!! RARA

“Rara is about play, religion, and politics and also about remembering a bloody history and preserving its face. But at its bare most philosophical level, Rara is a ritual element of life itself and an affirmation of life’s difficulties.”

Elizabeth McAlister was the first to write about Rara in Haiti, a part of the Caribbean that is continuously stigmatized as a fragmented, poor and dangerous culture. The origin of these stigmas is rooted in Haiti’s controversial and tumultuous history and its present day social, political and economic dilemmas. McAlister’s anthropological and ethnographic work in Haiti reveals how Rara gives profound agency to the poor masses and celebrates the tremendous presence of Afro-Creole culture in the nation. McAlister theorizes the concept of work and play under the umbrella of Rara performance portrayed by the peasant masses and the urban poor and rooted in strong Afro- Creole religion, Vodou. She describes Vodou as “a religion of survival, which produces meaning and protective strategies for the poor who cope, on a daily basis, with the traumas of poverty, and insecurity.” However, although she describes in great detail what the festival itself entails, her objective and the focus of my interest is how Rara represents the history of Haiti, the Caribbean and its popular culture.

Rara in many aspects has been clouded with mystery throughout the Caribbean, particularly because its religious element is held secret. McAllister describes it as “…Creole performance par excellence, imbued with historical memories so terrible and profound that they are transmitted not in everyday speech, but through the dancing body and the cryptic texts of song and rituals.” Haiti has been in perpetual crisis for centuries due to their numerous political and social unrests (most notably the coup during 1990 to 1995, the period where McAllister did her field work) and their past international isolation and sanctions that is traced back since the Haitian Revolution in 1804. Overtime, the poor majority has remained disenfranchised and exploited by the elite of the country and global hegemony making it the poorest country in the Caribbean, an interesting notion considering it is also the most racialized being the “blackest” country on the Western Hemisphere as it has an overwhelming majority of people of African descent.

It is no wonder then that Rara takes on multiple dimensions in remembering their history while simultaneously protesting against current social and political positions that perpetuates the disenfranchisement of the majority. This oral tradition becomes their ultimate forum of discussion, of expression through their own cultural lens which sees poverty and constant upheaval. The presence of Vodou adds another layer of meaning to the celebrations as it reveals the enormity or, the importance of identifying their Afro Creole heritage and reclaiming their past. This heritage marks Haiti and the Caribbean as rooted slavery and the African cultures that are preserved from that time. Without Rara, the overwhelming amount of tradition and history that is represented through these groups of poor, black, illiterate, marginalized and disenfranchised majority of people would have no place in a country that is often cast aside and ignored. Rara serves as a reminder of the turmoil and crisis that exists but the tremendous power that is given to them through this form of expression.

The Apocalypse is here!!! Health Care Reform!

Why are people running around screaming like the end is near with the introduction of health care reform?? Are people that afraid of change or do they expect it overnight? How do we assess and condemn something that we have yet to try especially when the old system has FAILED so many Americans? It is so irresponsible to become completely unhinged and critical of something when its benefits outweighs its shortages and its essence aims at helping those who so desperately need it. Is affordable healthcare that extends to millions more Americans, provides quality care for those who are ailing, gives young people a better sense of security...really that bad? Is the world as we know it going to end? It sure seems like it when I hear the garbage that comes out of people's mouths. The conservative PUNDITS are instilling fear in the minds of those who unfortunately cannot think for themselves and who find any excuse to make empty noise.....Oh How I wish They would shut it....or....how about discussing an alternative, what are your ideas for change in the health care system that would satisfy everyone while helping many? While u think about that one, how about accepting CHANGE is here.

Black is beautiful!! Thierry Le Goues and the Black female Body.

I am obsessed with renowned French photographer Thierry Le goues' SOUL collection. He redefines and revolutionizes black art and exposes the black female body with unabashed boldness and graceful beauty. INSANE how talented this man is!