Working On The Sacradness Of The Mother And Her Child Give Me Joy !

Terno dos Reis, Henry John Drewal, January 5 1998. Madison Libraries Terno dos Reis (Day of the Kings) festivals are celebrated annually during the christmas season. The January 6th feast commemorates the arrival of the Magi in Bethlehem bearing gifts for the Christ child. Brazilian celebrations include processions in which community members dress in costumes, dance, play music, and carry banners. This Terno festival took place on January 5, 1998 in Liberdade, Salvador.

Barbados Heritage District, honoring memory, land and spirit. Designed by world-renowned architect Sir David Adjaye. It will be built next to Newton Slave Burial Ground, the oldest and largest slave cemetery ever found in Barbados. The site will include a memorial, a museum, a global research center, and spaces for performances and reflection.It’s part of a national project called ROAD (Reclaiming Our Atlantic Destiny), which aims to reshape Barbados’identity and economy by making it a central place for learning about Atlantic slavery, from the Caribbean, not just from the West. Barbados actually holds the second largest collection of slave records after the UK. One key part of the project is to digitize these archives and give access to researchers, families, and future generations. But not everything has gone smoothly. Some activists, spiritual leaders, and museum workers protested the construction, saying it disrespected the sacred nature of the burial ground.Now, discussions are ongoing to create cultural and spiritual guidelines.There’s also talk of founding a spiritual university, in collaboration with Codrington College, to show how different faiths and traditions can live together. The Newton Burial Ground itself is powerful: about 1,000 enslaved people were buried there, between 1660 and 1820.They were laid to rest by their families and communities, often with rituals inspired by African traditions.It’s the only untouched slave cemetery ever excavated in the Caribbean.The artefacts and human remains found here tell us stories we couldn’t get from written documents alone. This project has the potential to transform how we understand slavery, heritage and identity. It also reminds us that healing history must include respect, spirit and the voices of the people.

Art for Sale at Local Art Fair, Joshua Forrest, 1984. Madison Libraries

Tomorrow I'm going to become a teacher, I'm going to do my first class. I can't wait! I have prepared everything. 

It's a big step for me. Once my thesis is finished, I want to become an anthropologist and historian of Caribbean societies. My dream is to do research, write on many subjects, transmit knowledge, make cultural films and many other projects!! 

I have so much gratitude to all those who have accompanied me and who are still with me.  Future.

Comparing perceptions of race in Latin America and the United States, the fundamental question posed is "why did Latin America not have black movements... [or] racial 'pride' that could spur such movements?" The common explanation is that state ideologies around racial mixing have served as a mechanism through which to deny the existence of racism.

Tatiana Flores, "Latinidad Is Cancelled: Confronting an Anti-Black Construct" (2021)

Terno dos Reis, Henry John Drewal, January 5 1998. Madison Libraries Terno dos Reis (Day of the Kings) festivals are celebrated annually during the christmas season. The January 6th feast commemorates the arrival of the Magi in Bethlehem bearing gifts for the Christ child. Brazilian celebrations include processions in which community members dress in costumes, dance, play music, and carry banners. This Terno festival took place on January 5, 1998 in Liberdade, Salvador.

Susan Matthews

Unidentified Edo artist, carved tusk, Benin kingdom, late-nineteenth century, ivory, 93 cm x 7 cm at baseRoyal Ontario Museum

The Gingerbread Houses of Haïti : Between Heritage and Community After the Haitian Revolution, a new architectural style emerged : the Gingerbread Houses. Designed to break away from French colonial architecture, these homes still drew inspiration from European styles, adapting and reinterpreting them to fit the Haitian climate and aesthetic. Initially, they were built for the elite, who resided in these grand homes, while the general population incorporated certain architectural elements into their own houses. However, beyond their elite origins, these homes have also become spaces of exchange, culture, and resistance. The iconic dancer and choreographer Viviane Gauthier transformed her Gingerbread house into a meeting place for artists, musicians, and dancers ; a space of sharing and transmission deeply rooted in Haiti’s popular and African heritage. This communal way of life, based on solidarity and collective support, has been present in Haiti since the forced arrival of enslaved Africans, particularly the Bossales, who maintained strong community structures. This same philosophy of home-as-community can be found in Edna Brodber’s novel Nothing’s Mat, which explores the idea of the house as a place of gathering, knowledge, and cultural continuity. It deeply resonates with me. When I return to Haiti, I dream of having a large house with a communal space ; a place for family, neighbors, and the village to come together for intellectual and creative activities. A home that is not just a shelter, but a living, breathing hub of culture and exchange. Would you live in a house like this ? How architecture shapes community life in your culture/place ?

Presentation: the name of my blog comes from the term Tibonanj( Ti-Bon-Ange) which refers in the culture of Haitian vodoun to one of the two parts of the soul. Tibonanj, Ti bon ange = Good Little Angel is the part of the soul that guides us to the most just and personal way of life. It is a personalization of the higher self as an awakened part of the soul. It can also travel outside the body during sleep or trances. the Gwobonanj (Gros-Bon-Ange) = Big Good Angel, is the part of the soul that represents the vital force. It is embodied from birth. It is similar to the Àṣẹ, the divine breath, in the Yoruba civilization. It leaves the body only at the moment of death when it returns to the Gran Met, place where resides the vital force, which is perceived as a basin. Of Haitian origin, I travel and explore the world. My favorite region is the Caribbean and I dream of visiting all these islands. I am a PhD student in Cultural History and an artist/designer. My vision is that of a future Caribbean where African knowledge ( whether languages, stories, tangible and intangible production, ancient or recent )are disseminated, easily accessible and used by all. For me, All these resources allow an opening to social, human, scientific and economic inventiveness through the central point that is culture. I look forward to sharing more, all in passion and love. My aesthetic is that of Caribbean luxury, Academics vibe, Artefacts, Painting, Sculpture, Old comics and Island jazz, Funk, Reggae philosophy, Ancestral spirituality, and Green nature.