Forging Lakou in the Gran Rue

• In Event: Transnational Feminisms: Gender, Sexuality, and Social Practice in Haiti and the Diaspora

Abstract

This co-authored piece extends a collaborative performance created by two Haitian choreographer-activists and two U.S. scholar-dancers during the 4th Ghetto Biennale in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, in December 2015. The performance summoned the Petwo spirit Ezili Dantò—a fierce lesbian divinity whose power was instrumental in Haiti’s Revolutionary fight for freedom—to enliven her feminine force toward contemporary struggles for justice. This presentation will offer reflections on both the performance and the essay, offering thoughts on co-creation, queer collaboration, and coalitional mobilization as central tenants of a queer Haiti project.

Presenter

• Dasha Ariel Chapman, Duke University