In conjunction with the exhibition Bondye: Between and Beyond, a panel discussion led by the cultural-exchange association HaitiaNOLA will examine the spiritual connections between West Africa, Haiti, and New Orleans. Vodou has grown into a complex, beautiful, often-misunderstood collection of rituals, ceremony, dances and beliefs. Haitianola will moderate a panel of Haitians and New Orleanians asking what their personal practice looks like today. In what ways are the practices alike, how are they different and what’s in between?

Panelists will include Josh Jelly-Schapiro, Kodi Roberts, Barbara Trevigne, Fan Fan Damas Louis, Kalinda Laveaux, and Mimerose Beabrun. The event will begin with drumming by a group of Haitian musicians and conclude with a New Orleanian.

ABOUT HAITIANOLA

HaitiaNOLA was founded by Lori Martineau, a Haitian-American artist and educator, and her partner, Linda Reno, an American photographer. The pair share an affinity for artists and cultural bearers in general, but with a special love for Haitians and New Orleanians. The desire to contribute to the progress and success of artists and cultural bearers, while sharing knowledge of the deep historical, spiritual and cultural connections between both locations serves as the foundational ideology of Haitianola.

ABOUT KREWE DU KANAVAL

Although the historical relationship between Haiti and New Orleans dates back for more than two hundred years, Krewe du Kanaval’s conception can be traced back to 2015, when Win Butler and Régine Chassagne, a daughter of Haitian immigrants, brought members of Preservation Hall to Haiti. Their experiences planted the seeds of a Mardi Gras krewe to celebrate the shared connections between the two cultures. “Wherever I go in New Orleans I feel Haiti,” says Chassagne. “The music I hear, the food I taste, the colors, the movement, the spirit of the city. Our krewe aims to celebrate and strengthen this deep bond.”