LIFESTYLE

Lifestyle & Culture From Across The African Diaspora

Fashion, Issue No. 4 Jeanine Hays Fashion, Issue No. 4 Jeanine Hays

Prajjé Oscar: A Spirit Of Duality

It is a tale of two sisters. One, the Rada Loa, Erzulie Fréda Dahomey, is the goddess of love, beauty, jewelry, dancing, and flowers. The other is Erzulie Dantor, most senior of the Petro Loa and goddess of motherhood, credited as the spiritual inspiration to Haiti’s famed revolution. Opposites in nature and rivals for the love of Ogun, the two are traditionally depicted as enemies. But for his SS20 collection, Haitian-born designer Prajjé Oscar Jean-Baptiste, painted a different story. 

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Sounds, Issue No. 3 Jeanine Hays Sounds, Issue No. 3 Jeanine Hays

Nathalie Joachim Gives Voice

Her voice is full of life — vibrant and soulful with an unflinching clarity. Its sound is a declaration of identity, a definitive statement of existence, and an unapologetic claiming of place in both history and the present day. In her Grammy-nominated solo debut, Fanm d’Ayiti, Nathalie Joachim’s crisp vocals pair beautifully with her stunning arrangements of flutes, strings, and electronics to seamlessly blend the weight of history with a rising sense of wonder and joy. In every song we hear not only Joachim herself, but the voices of the brave women of Haiti — the ancestors for whom she sings. Recasting songs with centuries of history in modern arrangements, the album recalls the struggles and resilience of the past as a means of gathering the strength to meet the challenges of the present. We spoke with Joachim about what drove her to create this seminal work.

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Artists & Artisans, Issue No. 2, Podcast Jeanine Hays Artists & Artisans, Issue No. 2, Podcast Jeanine Hays

Fabiola Jean-Louis: History Rewritten And Remembered

A rustle of fabric, a pop of color and the unflinching gaze of dark eyes. With these, fine art photographer Fabiola Jean-Louis weaves a narrative that blends past and future, fact and fantasy, afro-futurism and Black girl magic. In the process, blending photography and sculpture, she warps time and space, giving us a glimpse of what might have been while casting light on a history that many have forgotten or ignored.

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