This virtual panel discussion and musical performance will elevate Dominican Haitian voices through music, poetry and literary works of Dominicans of Haitian descent impacted by statelessness. Our Critically Black Dialogue Series is dedicated to exploring issues and topics that examine the deeply rooted Pan-African vision that has allowed us to survive, despite our struggles, and has kept us interconnected to this day.
This installment uses art and dialogue to draw from the spirit of global Black solidarity as a means to build and strengthen bridges that combat the systemic divisions created among inhabitants of Ayti/Kiskeya.
Speakers:
Ana Belique
Epifania St Chals
Rocio Silverio (Moderator)
Performance by:
Sanctuario
Meet The Speakers:
Ana Belique
Ana María Belique (she, her) is a founding member and leader of Reconoci.do, a movement that mobilizes and empowers Dominicans of Haitian descent and campaigns for equality and their citizenship rights. She studied Sociology and has a specialization in Afro-Latin American and Caribbean studies from CLACSO. Ana’s activism focuses on the fight for the restitution of the right to nationality of Dominicans of Haitian descent affected by ruling 168-13 of the Dominican Constitutional Court, as well as promoting the empowerment of the Dominican population of Haitian descent living in Dominican bateyes. Through training spaces, accompaniment and incidence to change the policy of denationalization in the Dominican Republic.
She has coordinated the publication of two books, Nos Cambió La Vida (Our Transformed Lives) and “Somos Quien Somos,” which document the stories of members of the Reconoci.do movement who have been denied Dominican citizenship. She recently coordinated the Critical Training Space for Dominicans of Haitian descent.
Ana María Belique has visited various international academic spaces where she talks about the reality of Dominicans of Haitian descent in the DR, human rights, Afro-descendants, and the experience of working with batey women.
She is currently visiting Columbia University in the Human Rights Advocacy Program 2022-2023 cohort.
Epifania St Chals
Epifanía was born in the community of La Higuera in the municipality of Santa Lucía in the province of Santa Cruz de El Seibo, Dominican Republic. She is the daughter of Haitian migrants, both of whom worked in the sugarcane fields. Epy is a founding member and a leader of Reconoci.do, a movement that mobilizes and empowers Dominicans of Haitian descent, campaigns for equality and their citizenship rights. She also accompanies and supports those who need legal aid to access their documents, specifically in the province of El Seibó.
Rocio Silverio - Moderator
Rocio Silverio is an Afro-Caribbean activist based in NYC. She is a founding member of the collective “We Are All Dominican” which builds towards a more just Dominican society that legally recognizes the citizenship rights of Dominicans of Haitian descent. Rocio has collaborated in principled solidarity with Black racial justice movements based in the Dominican Republic for more than a decade.
Meet The Artists:
Mónica Ortiz Rossi - Vocals
Mónica Ortiz Rossi brings delight, dance and health to spaces in New York City and across the world. As an artist she leads Sanctuario, an Afro-Latin music and dance ensemble formed in 2021 in Brooklyn, New York.
Mónica was one of the invited performers in the nightly outdoor musical shows at the beginning of the pandemic in Prospect Park spearheaded by Alegba and Friends. Alegba’s consistency created a magical space of hope and music during uncertain times and Sanctuario was birthed out of community and the desire to continue to create spaces for Black joy and liberation.
During one of the first outdoor Sanctuario performances her grandmother mentioned that it reminded her of dancing Palo (and Afro-Dominican rhythm and dance form) in the hills of the Dominican Republic. The African-derived rhythms are a unifying recognition that the people of Quisqueya, or Ayiti (as the indigenous Taino Arawak refer to the island), present day Dominican Republic and Haitii, encompass multitudes and share a rich African history. Sanctuario, rooted in Afro-Latin rhythms, creates songs and movements that inspire freedom, invite release and build diaspora and earthly connection.
Mónica has worked with a number of musical projects for over a decade, sharing her vocals on Kemo The Blaxican‘s (Deliquent Habits) Latin hip-hop album La Receta as well as Giovanny Blanco and JasWho‘s live Spigga performances in Los Angeles. Upon her return to her native Brooklyn, New York she worked with San Juan Hill, Frank Diggz Afro-Latin group, Badinba, an Afro-Caribbean band and La Madrugada, Mike Frazier’s salsa ensemble; all formative experiences for creating Sanctuario the Afro-Latin musical and dance ensemble.
Okai Musik - The percussionist
Okai is a vocalist/percussionist who embodies all the music of the African Diaspora. Brooklyn born with Haitian descent young Okai was beating on anything that he could get his hands on to help his imagination grow. His ears became infected with the hard boom bap drum loops of Hip Hop, and roots music from the Caribbean. Those sounds led him on a musical path to find rock, Jazz, samba, salsa, rumba and pretty much anything that involves percussion. Okai began his path of percussion on the trap set playing for various churches. He then played Congas for his High School band for several years. Once he was introduced to the West African Djembe he concentrated on that for more than 10yrs.
Aside from being an accomplished percussionist and producer, Okai is also an achieved Emcee that has worked with various Artists and has a couple of solo albums "Deconstruction of the Mind" produced by Ayatollah and "Okai's Odyssey".
Okai's cultural background shaped him into being the full round artist he is today. He is Currently the lead singer and percussionist of Brown Rice Family who won “The Battle of the Boroughs” in NYC in 2012. Okai is also co-founder of Strings N Skins who are currently finishing an album to be released in the fall. He is an active percussionist in New York always sharing his voice and energetic rhythms.
Locally Okai has performed at the Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Academy of Music(BAM), the legendary African art auction exhibition at Sotheby's, Madison Square Garden, Carnegie Hall and venues throughout the States. Internationally Haiti, Canada, Tanzania, Ivory Coast, Colombia, Brazil, Australia, and Japan, have been showered with his sounds and soon the rest of the world will.
Deglel Tecle - Guitarist
Deglel "Deg" Tecle is a guitarist with World music influences spawning from his experience as a global citizen. An Addis Ababa-born Eritrean, who grew up in Italy, and came to the US via NY for college, Deglel combines various musical tastes - Reggae / Jazz / Hip Hop / Latin - into a blend of sounds that emphasizes the commonality of human experience, and challenges the listener to open their minds through their ears.
Rhythm, Bass and Place: Connections and Reflections on Music of the African Diaspora:
This event is part of CCCADI's Rhythm, Bass and Place series, a 5-month celebration of Black music that traces its migratory nature and constructs a living archive through engaging stories from neighborhoods, stages, studios and dance floors that shaped the sonic landscape in select U.S., U.K. and Caribbean cities over the last three decades.