Courtesy of the Dance Collection, the New York Public Library at Lincoln Center, Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations

Zimbio’s “Clashes Break Out at Voodoo Ceremony for Quake Victims” is a post I have most recently been drawn to. The bucolic text wavering below the disturbing and somewhat explosive photograph screams ‘explain me!’. As a collective body–art and words–the post deserves to be ignored. To some degree, however, I digress [... ] The interactive magazine illustrates a situation that erupted during a Voodoo ceremony in a tent city in Haiti following the recent devastation of the 7.7 January 12th earthquake. A photo of a Haitian man while engaging in a Voodoo ceremony is featured above the text in the post. The man’s eyes bulging out, mouth open, and face glistening with sweat is both an historical and terrifying image of the Black people whom found their way to this island during the days of slavery. As stated:

A Christian man screams, “Those people are responsible for the aftershocks and we shouldn’t let them do this devilish thing,” after a mob attacked a Haitian Voodoo ceremony for earthquake victims in the Ti Ayiti neighborhood February 23, 2010 in Cité Soleil, Haiti. The Voodooists were run out of the central pavilion under a hail of rocks and all the ceremonial items they left behind were destroyed and burned by the mob. Although a multi-million dollar police station was built across the street from the notorious slum, no police appeared to disperse the crowd or protect the worshipers.

Although the writer includes “no police appeared to disperse the crowd or protect the worshipers”, an attempt to offer balance to the report, the photo taken by Chip Somodevilla of Getty Images-South America was kindly positioned atop the verbiage. I refuse to post the pic on my site. I would like to give you a detailed response, but the photo is in fact alarming. I would only be perpetuating what I am writing against.

As a journalist and/or photographer, I am sure Somodevilla felt that he had captured a moment. Memorable. Intense. Fascinating. This image however, is reminiscent of other images throughout decades where Haitians who engaged in Voodoo worship represented all of Haiti and are depicted as plagued. Afflicted. Monstrous. Granted, through the voodoo practice the experience brings the practitioner to a level of engagement where he/she is unaware of body movement and expression. Where the music–rhythm of the drums and chanting of voices brings their movement to a level of spirited dimensions. The bodily expression and gesture can be misunderstood if not understood. The cameras nevertheless (lens zoom, angle) only carry out a photographic gaze which is self-explanatory. Let me give you an example.

One of the most famous distortions of Haitian Voodoo worship and spiritual/religious expression is that of the cinematography of Maya Daren in Divine Horseman-The Living Gods of Haiti. In this film, the speed of the film, gaze of the camera and zoom of the lens reads exactly as it was intended–Haitians as witch crafters and evil and lost Voodoo practitioners. Crazies whom worship evil. In many cases, depicted as worshiping the devil. These stereotypes like many others regarding African people throughout the diaspora, particularly American African peoples–lazy, dumb, buffoonish, the mammy, Jezebel, Sapphire, and so on–are none the different. Over 200 years ago, soon after Haiti overthrew the French, American Whites who owned enslaved Africans and African-Americans were terrified at the thought of an overthrowing of themselves. A ‘slave rebellion’. A major shift in the power structure.

The key at this time was to paint Haiti as the darkest island of all. Darker than the continent of Africa and its people had been painted. This way, all would fear Haiti and its people. And the Haitians have been paying for their FREEDOM ever since…

Far from romanticism, this culture was illustrated as horrid, destructive, obscure, and grotesque. Haiti, since this time has fought in many ways to redefine themselves–politically, artistically, socially, educationally, geographically and so on. Reconstruct an identity, many would say tainted by the hands and ideas of others. To much avail, Haitians and Haitian Americans have greatly succeeded. A dear friend, Ferentz Lafargue author of a recent article on Haiti, “The Meaning of Progress: Thoughts on Haiti’s Disaster”, discusses this in more depth detail.

At the height of the most recent devastation however, the quake that rocked the nation, this island, its culture, way of life and identity has been again scrutinized. Instead of taking this time to portray customs and cultural components in a positive way as Haiti right now has the spot light, unfortunately it’s not going down like that. Remember, it is wise to keep in mind the mistakes of the past; rather than execute them.

Katherine Dunham, a pioneer in what is referred to as Black  dance was a choreographer, dancer, and anthropologist. Dunham was successful in linking African religion and culture (Yoruba from West African cultures) to dance and customs of the Caribbean. Through lecture demonstrations, performances, choreography, and publications this sister was bad on so many levels. Ultimately bringing truth about Black culture of the African diaspora to various audiences by way of dance and music was slick. Slick because dance and music is influential. Slick because dance and music is the embodiment of culture and in African cultures the preserver of customs. Identity. Aesthetic.

More specifically, dance of music of Martinique, Cuba, Jamaica and Haiti was thoroughly researched by Dunham. Of Haiti, the Dunham Technique  was based on movements, movement sequences, and rhythms of Voodoo later brought to theaters in the US and in dance studios, like I studied at the Alvin Ailey American Dance School in their professional division. Dunham’s Master thesis, Dances of Haiti, 1947 contains her philosophical theory on Form & Function, often discussed by VeVe Clarke. Dunham’s work by all means, especially during her time was groundbreaking. It is through my experience as a dancer and cultural scholar, not to mention the wife of a Haitian American and mama to two 2nd generation (by way of dad, because my people have been here for a minute) Haitian American young girls, that when I came across this image I was reminded. Reminded of how much we have fought as artists, educators, activists, and members of the experience to redefine Black people individually and as a whole. What we have done to chisel away at the demeaning chicanery. We have been rebuilding for a minute so there is no need to drift from the path.

This pic is not cool. Through the gawking, male gazing, colonial gazing and angle and zoom of the camera , the innocent journalist deems a destructive pantomime of a spiritual engagement repeating the old and ugly rather than contributing to creating the new. I mean, did he really need to take the photo that close? Could he have captured the movement, the exquisite angles and gestures of the body through worship? Praise? Reverence? The velocity of the body as it moves through the space (*stops typing, realizes the journalist is not a dance ethnographer. walks away and comes back*).

Maybe the journalist doesn’t have to go that far, but one shouldn’t go in the other direction, especially when they have the tools and platform to make a difference. Celebrating humanity through art and words can easily be achieved. Dialog regarding a nation in dire times should be uplifting. Empowering. Grand. Not demoralizing. Shameful, disgraceful or humiliating. Think. Put yourself on the other side. As this will affect positive change.

In a beautiful arching back bend, Latham Thomas (above) is doing some phenomenal work. Not just in this photograph (featured on her website) but also in busy women’s lives.

I am now a mother of two. Noemie is 2, and will be 3 in November and Leila-Camil is 1 who had her first birthday on Sept. 4th…B-Day (Beyonce’s birthday). I haven’t written about my experiences yet (surprisingly) but my pregnancies and birth/labor journeys with my girls were both profound and amazing. Life changing/transitioning/mind altering/delivering/exuberant/elevating…you get the picture…With the support of my husband, I had a midwife (the same one) with both pregnancies, gave birth outside of a hospital (Noemie was birthed at the Brooklyn Birthing Center and Leila-Camil in a “made in water” birthing pool at home in our Brooklyn apartment) [...] and breast fed exclusively for at least one year (recently wrapped things up with Miss Leila-Camil as she was no longer interested in mommy’s milk). It was wonderful to experience pregnancy and birth in that way. However as a busy mom (doctoral student, entrepreneur performing artist, and wife to say the least), my eating habits have not been what I want or wanted them to be. As a dancer, I have always had a high metabolism. I eat frequently. A lot of whole foods, drink a lot of water, eat wheat or whole bread and not so much red meat (mostly chicken, fish, and turkey…a flexitarian?) but that is… when I eat. I am so busy that I find I don’t eat anything until almost 11a or noon after waking up around 8a! The girls are fed, dressed, we are out for walks, I make a conference call or two, a little cleaning, maybe a few edits here and there, a few errands run, emails written, etc. It’s not that I don’t’ find myself hungry…I am on the go go go. Not to mention, I am eating well into the night while doing work. Talk about SEVERAL midnight snacks! I saw all of this to say, what about me? I have to be healthy in order to be well enough to care for my children, right? I have to set good examples through good habits, right? Through an unrelated internet search, I came across a Latham Thomas who through Tender Shoots Wellness is doing some phenomenal work. On her website she says:

“The transition into motherhood is a profound time for positive change in ones life that will not only benefit mommy-to-be, but your growing baby too.Tender Shoots Wellness offers holistic living services that meet the needs of female clients living busy city lives. We offer an array of comprehensive services addressing the particular needs of women before, during, and after pregnancy. We are inspired by tender shoots because they represent new life. Our belief is that pregnancy is a normal, healthy, and transformative event, and that women be supported and feel empowered through their pregnancy and birth experience. Our work is to nurture the tender shoots and budding life within.”

Awesome…these are the type of services and information that go hand in hand with the type of pregnancy/labor choices I made. We made for myself and our family. And even if you couldn’t have or wouldn’t have made the same birth/labor choices I made, living a natural and/or holistic and health conscious lifestyle can be approached from different ways. Positive eating habits and exercise is what’s up and it is never too late to create new habits and drop old-and-not-so-healthy poor ones. At least I don’t think so.

As a busy mommy, health conscious and holistic mommy, dancing and performing artist mommy, and a natural child birth and breast feeding advocate mommy, for some time I have wanted to fuse all of this together (and of course as a culturalist mommy) becoming a certified nutritionist, a lactation consultant, and a certified child birth educator have been the fancy for me.  Having the girls has greatly shaped and impacted this interest  as well as attachment parenting (we can get into that later!) and my desire to expose others to some of these choices and–self empowerment. To see work like this being done is phenomenal. Most poignant is Thomas’ advocacy throughout communities…she says:

“Tender Shoots Wellness is committed to bringing education and programing to those in need in the community. We develop workshops and classes for special populations to better serve these communities and to bring awareness to the issues these populations are facing. We are also deeply aware of environmental issues and work to develop consciousness around sustainability and green living. Current and past programing includes :

Young Women’s Empowerment Yoga classes for teens
Prenatal Yoga for Teen Mothers in the South Bronx
Wellness In the Schools: Cooking/Lecture workshop
Go Green East Harlem Nutrition workshops in Partnership with IIN
Harlem Green Foods Festival”

Now that’s what I am talking about! So, I encourage you to visit her site and be concious of what you eat because it is your mind, body, and soul! As for myself…I am going to practice what I preach and get serious about what I eat! I am going to check out Thomas’ services…this website features her home made ginger-ale recipe.

I have missed you! I have not blogged in what feels like a VERY VERY LONG LONG TIME, as I have been swamped with finishing up projects for my doctorate all spring and summer. I have so much to say about Disney’s The Princess and The Frog which hits theatres December 11th, (NY and LA November 25th I believe) but for now I am going to keep it short. When I looked at the trailer with Noemie our almost 3-year-old (November) I was almost brought to tears when she saw a picture on “The Princess and the Frog” Disney website and identified everyone in the picture as mommy, daddy, and herself as well as her bed everyone was sitting on. By the way, we love New Orleans. A moment to remember…

This is why that explanation doesn’t fly.

Question is why aren’t you cartoonist who influence many aware of others’ sensitivities to this?  The sensitivity lies in the fact that Africans and African Americans have been compared to monkey’s since before colonization. Go figure? If the cartoon is about how silly the stimulus package is that a “dumb” monkey could write it, where are the animal rights and Peta activists? There is another one. Africans and African Americans were also linked to being dumb, hence the coon caricature-slash-stereotype Sambo (which we can get into later). This reminds me of  an AT&T advertisement from back in the early 90′s where a Gorilla on the phone was representing Africa among other “people” illustrated as talking on the phone and representing other nations and continents. I remember when my mom showed it to me. I was around the age… okay I won’t give away my age. [Full disclosure: I do remember it was when she worked for Sprint.]  Here is a response to the cartoon from Al Sharpton as noted by TMZ.com:

“The cartoon in today’s New York Post is troubling at best given the historic racist attacks of African-Americans as being synonymous with monkeys. One has to question whether the cartoonist is making a less than casual reference to this when in the cartoon they have police saying after shooting a chimpanzee that “Now they will have to find someone else to write the stimulus bill.

Being that the stimulus bill has been the first legislative victory of President Barack Obama (the first African American president) and has become synonymous with him it is not a reach to wonder are they inferring that a monkey wrote the last bill?”

As reported by Associated Press writer Karen Mathews, president of the National Association of Black Journalists Barbara Ciara, questions “how could the Post let this cartoon pass as satire?” Ciara adds that “to compare the nation’s first African-American commander in chief to a dead chimpanzee is nothing short of racist drivel.” And she is not the only one outraged. And for the not so immediate response from the New York Post…  drum roll please:

“The cartoon is a clear parody of a current news event, to wit the shooting of a violent chimpanzee in Connecticut. It broadly mocks Washington’s efforts to revive the economy. Again, Al Sharpton reveals himself as nothing more than a publicity opportunist.”

Okay, respond to Al Sharpton and not the real issue. I mean Col Allan, editor-in-chief of the Post, can you make an attempt to see what some are outraged about? At least AT&T apologized for their Gorilla misstep, and that was back in ’93. How do folks get there jobs? Do they offer cultural awareness/sensitivity workshops for New York Post writers/artists on the job? Or at the universities these writers and artists attended? How about… a history class regarding slavery and racism in America? I guess the cartoonist’s response is no better. According to New York City’s metropolitan area News 7, the cartoonist says of the comments about his work, “friggin’ ridiculous, do you really think I am suggesting Obama be shot? I do not see that in the cartoon? Click here to see the cartoon at Yahoo News (which I refuse to post on my blog). Even with all of the outrage, the cartoonist still refuses to weigh other opinions regarding the matter. So many have commented on the illustration. CNN contributor Roland Martin had a little something to say as well…

According to a Perez Hilton’s blog post on February 17th, Hilton says “as far as we’re concerned, dark is lovely, but the mag doesn’t appear to see it that way!” The Financial Express dubs Pinto as Vanity Fair’s new pin up girl, but did The Financial Express even notice the change? I and many others did like founder and radio co-host of a southern radio show, Political Cesspool, James Edwards who posts on his blog, The Rise of Ethnopolitics, “[Vanity Fair] lightened her up. I mean they’ve really lightened her up.” I am not sure how they lightened her skin, PhotoShop or simply make-up, but while some girls, teens, and women are getting spray tans to look browner or darker, Pinto is getting something else. Was she in on this decision? You can probably ask Pinto on her blog. Perez Hilton who also adds, “why did they have to give Freida the whitewash treatment like Beyoncé got compliments of L’Oreal …we think a natural, un-whitewashed Freida is fine as is!” features a side by side shot of the Vanity Fair photograph and another photograph of Pinto. You be the judge…and did you notice that about Beyoncé? I think I am going to need to take a look at some Cover Girl adds. Oh and Miss Pinto is featured in the March 2009 issue of Compelx Magazine where they do not alter her COMPLEXION.

In the case of Africans throughout the Diaspora, how many of these stereotypes were created and images associated with them manifest in the human psyche, particularly in the United States is a discussion for all ears. Many suggest Minstrelsy, “Black-face”, and Vaudeville have much to do with the creation of negative stereotypes or characters of African Americans. My research for the article unearths this phenomenon. Such as the infamous and controversial 2008 New Yorker cover many of us, some reluctantly, are familiar with, where President Obama and First Lady Michelle are depicted through “satire”. How many negative stereotypes can you identify?