Haitian Immigrant Artists Creating Their Identities

In addition to Jolivert, other Caribbean artists use art to unite Caribbean populations and to establish their identities. Vladmir Cybil and Rejin Leys are both Haitian artists who are members of the diaspora. Rejin Leys is a first-generation Haitian immigrant who has lived most of her life in New York and is heavily influenced by imagery of migration. She employs imagery of the Middle Passage and illustrates how slavery translated into modern times through oppression, political injustice, labor exploitation, and economic poverty experienced by cultures of African descent. In Boat People: Three Passages, she uses imagery of boats and feet to show the migration, as well as a clipping from a New York Times article about the Haitian Refugee Crisis in the 90s. Vladmir Cybil is a Haitian artist born in New York who spent most of her life in Haiti. Cybil’s art focuses more on the culture of Haiti, specifically Haitian folklore and myths. She attempts to keep the Haitian cultural memory alive, while also integrating modern imagery into the traditional stories. In her pieces Ogou X (1996) and Lady Zulie (1997), she compares images of Malcom X and Billie Holiday with traditional Haitian gods Ogoun and Erzulie respectively. Both of these artists’ work is vital in their activism and in forming their identity. They combine traditional and modern imagery to establish their new identity as both Haitians and New Yorkers and to bring attention to issues the community faces.

The Tafari Café

Using African imagery to unite Caribbean populations is popular in the Caribbean and has extended to diasporic communities in the United States. Stores like the Tafari Café heavily employ African and Indian imagery to unite Afro- and Indo-Caribbean people in Flatbush. The Tafari Café sells African and Caribbean art, clothing, and beauty products. The theme of the store is Rastafarian, which emphasizes Caribbean roots back to Africa. Many of the art seen around the store is African themed, but there is also imagery of Hindu gods on T-shirts and dresses. The store is necessary in establishing a space specifically for Caribbean culture. By touching upon both African and Indian culture in the art in the store, the owners attempt to unify Caribbean people in Flatbush. The diverse background of Caribbean people is an integral part of Caribbean identity.

Both Shelley Worrell of Caribbeing and the owners of the Tafari Café spoke of the need to maintain Caribbean spaces in the face of increasing gentrification. The owners of Tafari Café had to move locations because of increasing rent prices, and said to “support small businesses because the big guys are pushing us out.” Worrell speaks about how the importance of promoting Caribbean culture because of the changing demographics in Flatbush. Designating Flatbush as “Little Caribbean” is an important step in maintaining the area’s Caribbean identity. These two examples demonstrate the role art plays in creating an environment that reflects the identity of its residents, and that connects Caribbean immigrants to their neighborhoods.

 

References

Philogene, Jerry. “Visual Narratives of Cultural Memory and Diasporic Identities: Two Contemporary Haitian American Artists.” Small Axe: A Caribbean Journal of Criticism, vol. 8, no. 2, Sept. 2004, pp. 84-99.