Whitney Lubin is a graduate of Florida State University, and is definitely a hair expert. She and her stylist sister share duties running a hair business. At one point, Lubin was actually active as a stylist, but with time, she rounded her role down to business manager. The one-time International Affairs major prides herself on her business and mane sense.

Unlike other hair specialists, Lubin not only emphasizes the appearance of the hair, but also the well-being of the inner self. It’s not for nothing that she has a verse from the Song of Solomon 4:7 highlighted on her website. It reads: “You are altogether beautiful, my darling. And there is no blemish in you.” She understands that looking good on the outside has a direct relation with how one perceives oneself.

She recalls getting her first hair relaxer when she was nine or ten years old. “It was my dad who wanted me to get the relaxer and not my mother,” she recalls. “At the time I just saw it as a annoying grownup thing to do. Getting my hair braided was something I took to be something that all black women did. It was a bonding experience and I loved every hairstyle.”

Today, those who log on Lubin’s website DhatLook, look through her large inventory of hair pieces to enhance their hair grooming experience. But they also come for the hair care instruction videos and self-love messages that she posts. She discussed DhatLook, entrepreneurship, natural hair and its correlation with overall self-image.

What made you start DhatLook?
When I first started DhatLook, it really was just a place I wanted to be able to share all the interesting and inspiring online content I found, and share my own original content relating to my beauty and hair discoveries. In particular I wanted to showcase black beauty. I wanted to create a place where a younger version of me could visit and see black beauty be exalted. Growing up in Pembroke Pines, FL there was a very pervasive social regard to beauty as being to being about skin complexion. I can remember getting defensive whenever I encountered someone who said “You look Haitian,” or “You dress Haitian”. I started to associate these comments with my dark skin complexion because my siblings didn’t receive the same remarks. In the Haitian community I was aware of the ideal to achieve this lighter brighter complexion with the use of creams that included ingredients like mercury and hydroquinone. Substances that have been proven to have adverse affects on our health and skin after prolong use. I watched as my generation grew up in a culture that promoted this whole yellow bone, red-bone ideal. I was hearing this preference in our music, seeing it in our movies, and although the young idealistic me rebelled against this social construct, I didn’t think I could do anything about it. So the first opportunity I had to move from that area I did, and moved to Tallahassee for school.

And in moving there…
While attending Florida State University, I was introduced to a whole new atmosphere that differed from my experience in South Florida. I was able to volunteer and be amongst fellow black women of various shades and really see our diversity not as a competition, but as divine art. My confidence in my beauty evolved from youthful rebellion against the majority thought to personal confidence and pride. Going natural was a pivotal moment that also allowed me to embrace my hair, and beauty despite the stigmas. As I evolved I wanted to share the joy my confidence gave me with other young women like myself who are surrounded by these images and messages that allude to them that they’re not enough in the eyes of some people. That they’re not beautiful enough for some people. If there is one thing I’d like to share via DhatLook is that young women today we don’t need to fight to prove to everyone that we are beautiful. We don’t have to make everyone see us as valuable. We just have to know it, and feel it for ourselves. Maya Angelou said it best “We teach people how to treat us”. And if we want people to see that we are beautiful, we have to first believe it, and act like it too.

As someone who is so very knowledgeable about the hair industry, would you say that there are certain hair looks that go with certain face shapes, and some that do not?
I wouldn’t necessarily say that certain hair looks go best with one person or another. With hairstyles the objective many of times is to accentuate an oval face or give the illusion of a more oval face shape, as this is considered the most desirable look. Over the years my experience has lead to the belief that the most fashion forward women we admire don’t follow these rules. I really think the majority of beauty tips we receive are meant to guide us on learning how to be comfortable with our beauty, but we’re not obligated to stick to them once we’ve developed our confidence. So by all means if you really want to get bangs to hide your forehead, go ahead if that is what will make you happy, but understand that your forehead is not likely to change, your better option is to change how you feel about your forehead. Do that and you’ll find you’ll be able to rock any hairstyle. When you have a talented hairstylist on your team you’ll be able to tailor any look for your individual tastes. The final objective is always to pick styles that accentuate your favorite attributes not hairstyles that hide something.

There’s been some concern on the part of some that with so many people going natural, that the weave and extension industries are going to suffer. What’s your perspective on this?
I think that the industries that are more likely to suffer with this recent natural hair movement are companies that produce chemical products like relaxers, and companies whose products have ingredients that do more harm than good to hair. People these days have so much access to information we won’t just blindly consume what is marketed to us anymore. The weave and extension business I believe will thrive in this new environment. As someone who has been natural for 4+ years my protective style of choice to grow out my natural has been and continues to be weaves and wigs. What I think is happening in the industry is that women are becoming more educated in terms of hair maintenance and are going to take better care of their hair while in their weaves and wigs so that they can fully reap the benefits of these hairstyles. Weave and extensions especially will continue to be an option for women who want versatility with their hairstyles but don’t necessarily want to permanently alter their hair to achieve a desired look.

Lubin rocking a natural hairstyle.

DhatLook fans have enjoyed your YouTube videos which chronicle your natural hair journey. What made you decide to share that part of yourself with your clients and other viewers?
I think chronicling my natural hair journey was important because it allowed me to have something tangible that I could look back on, and use to compare and see progress through. A fear that plagues many newly natural women is this assumption that their hair isn’t growing or can’t grow or there isn’t any progress in the health and condition of their hair. Keeping this video journal really helped me keep myself accountable when it came to my hair goals, and kept me excited when I looked back on my achievements.

Were you named for the singer Whitney Houston?
[Laughter] Yes. My parents didn’t have a name picked out at the time, but Whitney Houston just so happened to be on the cover of a magazine in the hospital waiting room, so when it came time to naming me they choose Whitney in hopes I would be as talented and successful as the late Whitney Houston.

What hair look of this diva do you most like? I’ve seen throwback photos of her in soft-curls in her modeling days, then the natural look for her debut, then afterwards the permed look.
I like all her looks, she was always good at owning her look. But my absolute favorite was the curly hair she was rocking during her “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” video. It was young, fun, and just a little bit wild.

What do you wish all women knew about their hair?
Everything that we consider healthcare can be applied to hair care. I want all women to know that healthy hair rather than “pretty looking hair” is the most important thing you need to concentrate on, because from there you have a canvas to achieve various looks. The most basic thing our hair needs is water, but you should learn how to apply proper hair moisturizing techniques into your routine. There is no magic product or pill for your hair. Your hairstylist is only capable of doing so much in the time they have with you, the majority of your hair-care takes place at home. It’s your responsibility to make sure your using the right techniques.

For those who prefer sew-ins, how can they protect their hair, while having those?
One of the most important things you can do before you install a sew-in is give your hair an overindulgence of TLC. I would deep condition more vigorously the month before an install just so my hair can be in optimal condition. This is because depending on how long you wear your sew-in, you won’t be able to take care of your hair in the same way. And immediately after taking out your sew-in you should repeat and intensely moisturize and condition. If you have leave out finding heat free ways to achieve looks are a must, and if you really can’t avoid using heat on your leave-out than I suggest using extreme caution using heat protectant, and intensive deep treatments weekly to maintain healthy condition of hair.

Now, you’re in a better position to spot trends than most. What have you noted about the hair arena of late?
Women have taken control of educated themselves on haircare. In terms of hair trends, I think we’ve seen an increase of natural and relaxed African American women using protective styles to achieve health and length. Wigs and weaves are staples have always been staples for many women. In today’s face paced environment women want hairstyles that don’t require sitting for long periods of time to achieve. We’ve seen a reemergence of the Janet Jackson Poetic Justice Braids/twist. Young girls to older professional women are rocking this style. Another trend is the use of lace closures for sew-ins in preference of having leave out. With the proper application women are able to achieve a more flawless sew-in. The lace closures allow women to mimic the appearance of a scalp but still achieve a full install. This is a very big trend within the natural hair community for women who want to go with a straight hairstyle but don’t want to have to go through the trouble of applying heat to their hair and/or blending.

You’ve stressed that you don’t want women to think that putting on a piece of hair is the only way to look good, and that there is something much more to it than that.
You have to take care of your hair in the same manner you take care of your teeth, your skin, your body, your mind, and your spirit. Although it is your crown and glory, don’t let it define you. Especially for African American women there’s nothing you should be afraid of concerning your natural hair, and nothing to be ashamed of if you choose to continue to relax, but we should never become hostage to the consequences of bad hair care practices, or bad hair health. I recently featured on my blog DhatLook.com an article written by The Free Movement on this issue. How we feel about ourselves should not be dependent on what we see, but what we know about ourselves. Societies opinions and trends of style and beauty come and go at a rapid pace, trying to keep up can be a tiring battle. What never goes out of style is confidence, and confidence leads women to take better care of themselves. When you live an all around healthy lifestyle that encompasses mental, physical, and spiritual health , confidence is a natural by-product.

What do your parents think of your entrepreneurial ventures?
My parents are business owners and have always been supportive of whatever I’ve chosen to do. They continue to inspire me and motivate me to take risks and not set limitations to success.

You’re extremely passionate about doing philanthropy in the community. What are your latest activities in that area?
As a graduate from Florida State University I try to continue to be active in the community in whatever capacity that is available. I am a member of SISTUHS, Inc., a community service organization for women of color founded on the campus of Florida State University. I volunteer with the local Public Broadcasting Service(PBS) station WPBT Channel 2 in Aventura Florida on a monthly basis so that they can continue to provide our community quality programming that is focused on highlighting our community needs, and spotlighting our diversity. My business partner Jasmine Wheeler is also an inspiration to me because her mother is a caner survivor. Cervical cancer is a major health obstacle to have overcome as a woman, and we are currently working on a project to celebrate these women, we welcome other individuals and businesses who would like to collaborate.

As a beauty entrepreneur, what do you wish to pass to those wishing to go along the same path as yourself?
Have a plan! That doesn’t mean you have to have a 8 page business plan double spaced and typed up. What it means is that you should have an idea of where you want your business to go. It’s important to have a plan because it keeps you from delaying from taking those bold moves you inevitably will have to make to run a successful and competitive business. In the world of business timing can be everything, and having a business plan can be a world of help when it’s time for you to take a leap of faith regarding your business. Another major thing is that there are free-low cost resources everywhere. The Small Business Administration–SBA—is probably the first place I’d suggest someone go to when they have a business idea. They’ll help you flesh it out, and guide you to the proper resources or networking opportunities. This is a local state supported entity that’s sole purpose is to help create more businesses.

You don’t have to have a Master’s of Business Administration to run a successful business, you just need to be an avid learner, and passionate about your vision. Final note I’d like to make is that you’ll find doors opening up everywhere when you make it a mission to be a community member and not only a business owner.

Shop the Dhat Look store, and click HERE.

Edwidge Danticat has an obsession with the sea, from The Children of the Sea, a harrowing story from her short story collection Krik? Krak! to her latest work Claire of the Sea Light. The book centers on Claire Limyè Lanmè, a little girl who vanishes in a small fishing hamlet in Haiti on her seventh birthday. It has a thriller-like pace that’s reminiscent of The Dewbreaker. The last time Danticat had a juvenile protagonist was in Behind the Mountain and of course Anacaona: Golden Flower, but there is something extremely odd about little Claire, and she is bound to be ranked among Danticat’s most memorable protagonists.

How did the idea for Claire of the Sea Light come about?
Once, I was watching a TV program about Haitian children who are placed in foreign-run orphanages in Haiti, even though their parents are still alive. These parents, who, for economic reasons, were unable to care for their children, put them in orphanages, hoping that their children will have a better life. I have a dear friend who grew up this way and eventually reconciled with his birth family as an adult. In the program I was watching, someone said that Haitians are not as attached to their children otherwise they wouldn’t just give them away. That stayed with me because I didn’t grow up in a nuclear family. My brother and I spent the early part of our lives with my aunt and uncle in Haiti, in a house full of cousins, whose parents, like ours, were working abroad. I knew how difficult that choice was for our parents and for my friend’s parents, and many other people who find themselves in that kind of situation. I wanted to try to write about someone making that choice and show the very moment that choice is made from these three different perspectives: the parent, the child, and the potential new parent.

Do you sometimes find yourself feeling torn between painting certain realities about Haiti, and painting another picture? Censoring yourself? Like, sometimes do you think to yourself, “Some people’s only exposure to Haiti are my books. So I’d better…
I love Haiti, and I want others to love it too, but I don’t think creating an alternate reality in which all is rosy and perfect is the only way to write about it, even in fiction. I think it’s important to tell nuanced and complex stories that show many sides to our physical spaces as well as our humanity. Nothing new about that though. That’s what some of our best Haitian writers have been doing for generations now.

Who does Edwidge Danticat read in terms of authors and poets? Who are her faves exactly?
I read a lot. I have lots of faves. Currently I am reading Jessica Fievre’s memoir Inheritance in manuscript and it’s spectacular. I am also reading Amy Tan’s new book, The Valley of Enchantment. I am re-reading a lot of older Haitian writers since I am editing a follow up to Haiti Noir, a book called Haiti Noir 2: The Classics.

Speaking of languages, do you think that one day English will supplant French as the language alongside Creole that is spoken and written in Haiti?
I don’t think so. Instead, I’d love to see the role of Creole expand further, in academia, in the educational system. I have now lived in the United States for 32 years. I write in English because of the circumstances of my life, but it’s not something I would want to see imposed on others, especially in their own country.

You tend to shy away from social media and the web…
Believe it or not, I am a little shy, and there is a part of me that feels like social media is the biggest stage in the world. I like the idea of having a book out then fading away for a while to become somewhat invisible again. I kind of need that to reboot and start working on something else. But I am doing a little bit more of the web and social media these days. My publisher does most of the posting on my wonderful Facebook page, but I contribute sometimes as well. And this year, I will finally get a website.

You lived in New York for most of your early life. But when one studies your career history, it seems that since you’ve moved to Miami, it’s like you’ve been producing books practically back to back, with less and less time in between new releases. Do you think that geography has had an influence on your creativity? Like, the closer you are to Haiti, the more inspired you are?
Miami is a great city and living here has definitely made it possible for me to get to Haiti more often. However, I don’t think living in Miami can necessarily be credited for my productivity. Actually I have a lot more responsibility now than I had when I was younger and living in New York. The family. The kids. Aging parents and in laws. Maybe becoming older and having more on my plate has taught me to better manage my time and has given me more to write about.

[Photo Credit: Josephine Demme]

Be sure to connect with the author on her FACEBOOK PAGE. You can purchase the book HERE.

Edwidge Danticat’s latest novel is Claire of the Sea Light, the closest thing she’s ever written to a paranormal novel. The story takes place in Ville Rose, a little town in Haiti, where Nozias—a man of little means—is seriously considering giving his daughter Claire away to a better-off store owner. But Claire disappears and as the story develops, it becomes apparent that Claire Limyè Lanmè is no ordinary little girl.

In Part 1, Edwdige Danticat discussed everything from social media, to book title choice, and the use of the Creole language in novels. The conversation continues!

The Dew Breaker, The Farming of Bones, Breath, Eyes, Memory. Your novels have the most intriguing and poetic titles. Do you usually come up with the titles, and then write the novel? Or do you name your literary babies after their actual birth?
Some titles come before. Some come after. Some come during. Breath, Eyes, Memory, for example, was initially called Daughters of Haiti, until the editor brought a line from the book to my attention. The Farming of Bones comes from an expression some former cane workers used to tell me about, travay tè pou zo, working the land to the bone. The Dew Breaker is a literal translation of choukèt laroze, a henchman from the dictatorship era.

Your books have had some really interesting covers. Do you have a say with cover design?
The publisher usually sends me covers and thankfully, if I really hate a possible cover, they won’t go with it. They are also very much open to my suggestions. The cover photo for Claire of the Sea Light, for example, was taken by my friend Carl Juste and the cover girl is my oldest daughter Mira.

Do you tend to finish every novel you start?
I have at least four unfinished books in my drawer right now. Two of them might become one at some point in the future and two might never become anything at all.

All your heroines, from Sophie Caco to Ka and down have always inspired pity, empathy, and admiration. They’ve been good, well-meaning girls all around. Do you ever think about having a villainess as your main character?
That’s one of the novels in my drawer.

Out of all your novels and literary works, do you have a favorite?
Brother, I’m Dying because my father and uncle are alive in there.

Which one do you think would make a great Broadway musical?
Anacaona, Golden Flower, one of my children’s books.

At this point of your life, you’ve written nearly a dozen literary works. Do you sometimes revisit, say, your first book; your second book, and tell yourself, “Ugh, why did I write this! If I were writing this now, I’d do it so differently!” Like, do you wish you could rewrite some of your other earlier books, based on what you know now, as a human being who has done a lot more growing up, and a writer whose pen has gotten more mature?
I can’t even read some of the early work. Most writers will say that. Of course there is so much I would do differently, if I were writing those books now, but I had to write them to mature and that’s how it is.

What’s the most off-the-wall interpretation; wait-a-minute-I-never-intended-for-this you’ve ever had about one of your novels, either from a critic or from a reader?
I don’t consider any interpretation off the wall. When I’m done with a book, I realize it is no longer mine. I might disagree with an interpretation of something, but I never consider it off the wall.

Edwidge Danticat. Author. Wife. Mother. Daughter. Should the word feminist be added to the list of your descriptors?
Wi. Feel free to add it on. I am definitely a feminist.

What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
I spend time with my family. I have two small children, so the “time when I’m not writing” is well accounted for.

What’s next for you?
I am currently editing Haiti Noir 2: The Classics. It will be published in January 2014. It’s a sequel to Haiti Noir, with many older stories. We have stories that have never been translated into English before from Ida Faubert—one of Haiti’s first published women writers—Jacques Roumain and Paulette Poujol Oriol. We also have stories from Lyonel Trouillot, Jan. J. Dominique, George Anglade, and Dany Laferrière, among others. I am extremely excited about this book. I think it will introduce—or reintroduce—a whole new generation of readers to some older as well as contemporary giants of our literature. And just as with Haiti Noir, part of the proceeds will go to one or several grassroots organizations in Haiti.

You can purchase Claire of the Sea Light HERE.

The film business has been a big part of Mario Delatour’s life for a good while now. Born in South America to Haitian parents, Delatour’s career has taken him to Haiti, New York, Los Angeles, Miami and the Middle East. Delatour is touted by many observers as a natural-born storyteller, who uses film to tell his stories.

His career launched off in the late 1970s, when he decided to embark in the world of cinema. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Delatour breathed film as much as he breathed oxygen. In 2002, he decided to explore post-Apartheid South Africa with his project The limits of Patience. In recent years, his subject has been almost exclusively Haiti, a little island, as we all know, that is the inspiration for so many fascinating stories worth telling.

Delatour’s career is in full swing. There’s never a moment of dullness in his life, or a dearth of subjects. One of his most acclaimed documentaries has been Un Certain Bord de Mer, a work that chronicled Arab and Middleastern presence in Haiti. Delatour has also made Quarante Ans Après [Forty Years After], a documentary about the Jacmel-born poet, diplomat, and journalist Roussan Camille. Camille died in 1961, the same year he won the Prix Dumarsais Estimé for his poetry collection Multiple Présence. While he was known as one of the most prolific poets of his generation, Camille’s name in later years, was very little known outside of intellectual circles. Delatour aimed to change this with his documentary. Quarante Ans Après was screened at the world’s most prestigious film festivals Brussels, Belgium, Montreal, Jacmel and Amiens, France.

A graduate of the Columbia School of Motion Pictures and Television in Los Angeles, Delatour has made his alma mater proud at every turn. In 2004, he founded his own film production company, Amistad Films. Not surprisingly, the documentarian expediently put together a doc about the 2010 Haiti earthquake with 35 Long seconds: Haiti’s Deadly Earthquake (it’s French title is 35 Secondes Fatales). This year, he was part of the Cine del Caribe Traveling Filmmaker showcase in Havana, Cuba.

Delatour’s most recent project is Dead or victorious but not Prisoner, which traces the life of Alix Pasquet (and one-time Tuskegee Airman) and his participation—along with two Haitian exiles and U.S. nationals—in an invasion and overthrow of then-Haitian president Francois Duvalier in the late 1950s.

Q & A

So you were born in Venezuela of Haitian parents, were your parents exiles there?
My parents moved to Venezuela in 1950 where my father worked as a civil engineer. In the early fifties Venezuela was booming with petroleum dollars and so opportunities were plentiful for professionals from all over the world. This is about the time when Venezuela was experiencing a massive arrival of immigrants notably Italians fleeing the harsh conditions of post World War II Europe. I was born in Caracas in September of 1955. Four months later—in January of 1956—my parents brought me to Haiti. Haiti has been with me ever since!

What led you to launch your film company Amistad Films in the mid-2000’s?
In January of 2001, I came back to Haiti after a 10 year absence. This was a difficult period for me, as tragedy had struck my family with the passing of my oldest brother Leslie Delatour who died of cancer. I decided to stay in Haiti to be closer to my grieving parents and family. I didn’t regret the decision as the ten years that I had been away from Haiti had been a roller coaster ride which took me to, roughly 15 different countries on assignment. In those days, I worked in various capacities as a cameraman, a researcher, a production manager and later on as a producer. I had spent the last three years of those ten years producing in Japan for European networks, principally RTL—Radio Television Luxembourg. My professional life up until that time had been to feed television networks with various story ideas and to assist others in making their films. I had felt that the time had come for me to apply all of this work experience to making my own films. So in 2002, I founded the film company Amistad Films as a joint venture between myself and a dear friend of mine, Dominican film producer Jaime Pina. The idea was to service the production needs of foreign film companies looking to work in either Haiti or in the Dominican republic. Needless to say, we also looked forward to producing our own indigenous films.

The word Amistad means friendship in Spanish. Filmmaking I felt, was a way to bridge the differences between the two countries on the island. If we could make films to showcase our respective cultures we could help break the vicious cycle of stereotypes which have kept the two people apart and suspicious of one another.

In the process, we successfully serviced a number of visiting production companies on both sides of the island. One production that I am particularly proud to have assisted is Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates’ series on Blacks in Latin America. The series filmed both in Haiti and the Dominican Republic and looked at the keen difference between how the two nations dealt with their African heritage. The piece was broadcasted on PBS in 2011 and was the subject of much discussion.

As for making our own films, in 2002, I produced my first 52-minute film on the very talented Haitian poet Roussan Camille, a man who had done much to promote and secure a place for Haiti among its neighbors. The biography film premiered at Vues d’Afrique in Montreal in 2003 to much raving success.

Your film company Amistad Films has HASCO La Grand Dame listed as your oldest documentary, dating back to the year 1988. Was that your first documentary?
The acronym HASCO stands for Haitian American Sugar Cane Company. For many years, HASCO was Haiti’s premier sugar cane plant. The plant was started around 1912 and was finished during the American occupation in 1917. HASCO once upon a time powered up the city of Port au Prince with electricity from its powerful generators in the days when the capital was a sleepy Caribbean city of 250,000 people. HASCO however was better known for its network of trains, which went all the way out to the southern city of Léogane. On their way back from the cane fields, the trains would cut through downtown Port-au-Prince and shake every building in the Bord de Mer commercial district. In those days, it was a common sight to see kids run along the side of the trains to catch some free sticks of cane. Unfortunately, a good many lost limbs with this practice—hence the expression, “Banm jamb pran kan”—give a leg and I’ll give you some cane—that came to be associated with HASCO trains.

The Mevs family purchased the plant in the early eighties and kept it running until the early nineties when contraband sugar started flooding the market. It was a sad day when it closed its doors, as HASCO was only second to the state in providing Haitian workers with jobs. Planters, seasonal workers and staff all went out of work because of a massive influx of cheap sugar on the Haitian market. This signed the death warrant of HASCO. It made no sense to keep such a costly operation running! In 1988, Mrs. Huguette Mevs called on to me to produce a film on sugar. I seized on the opportunity to tell the story of HASCO. It was only my second documentary film. In 1983, I had made a 30-minute film on road building in Haiti.

You made a documentary Un Certain Bord de Mer about the Arabic heritage of some Haitians. How did the idea for this project come about?
I am a nomadic soul by nature, my parents instilled the travel bug in me early on with long trips to far away lands like the Congo—a country where my family dropped anchor for a year in 1966. All of this to tell you, that I have always been fascinated by the reasons that cause people to move around the world. The Arab community is a thriving one in Haiti. I had often pondered on how they came to choose Haiti as their final destination, and so while researching this subject for the film, I discovered that a good many initially set out for Brazil and came to Haiti purely by accident! The research for this film in 2005 took me to the Middle East on two occasions. I went to Lebanon, Syria and Jordan for the project as the bulk of the community in Haiti came from Lebanon and Syria.

It must be noted as well that a good many Arab families also came from Palestine. The vast majority of the Arabs came to Haiti towards the end of the nineteen-century. Most of them were Christians fleeing the persecution of the Ottoman Empire, which ruled over their homeland. The history of the Arabs in Haiti is the same story repeated all over this hemisphere. Brazilian Emperor Dom Pedro—he lived from 1825 to 1891—towards the end of his rule went to the region to encourage immigration to his country and so loads crossed the Atlantic in search of a more secure life. It is around that time that many came to Haiti during the reign of president Florvil Hypollite in 1891. I must tell you that initially they were not welcomed with open arms and measures were taken to expel them on two occasions. This took place under the rule of president Leconte. The Americans gave the community a brief respite during their 19 year occupation simply because they imported goods from America as opposed to the Haitian elite which imported goods mostly from Europe. T

The community hit another snag in 1930 with the laws of President Vincent, which seriously hindered their commercial activities. The laws proved to be unpopular and were rescinded. Further down the line in the sixties, President Duvalier favored the community over the mulatto class and gave them preferential treatment. Today the community is well integrated and is an economic force to reckon with. In a nutshell that is the story of our Haitian-Arab brothers in Haiti! The documentary Un Certain Bord de Mer examines all this period and describes in details the up and downs of the community in Haiti. Bord de Mer by the way is Port-au-Prince’s commercial district by the sea front.

Roussan Camille, a poet of the 1940s era in Haiti was the subject of one of your documentaries. How did you get introduced to him?
In the early sixties, Roussan Camille’s family lived next door to us in Bourdon. I never knew the poet as a child though I was a good friend of his son Jean Camille. Roussan Camille died in 1961 at the age of 49, a premature death by all accounts. I was introduced to the world of the poet through the numerous photographs he left behind. A very tall stylish man whose talent was used by numerous Haitian presidents notably Dumarsais Estimé, Paul Eugène Magloire and François Duvalier. It was Roussan Camille who was instrumental in having Cuban sculptors do the fantastic statues of our national heroes on the Champs de Mars during Magloire’s reign. It was also Roussan Camille who represented Haiti in San Francisco for the birth of the United Nations in 1947. Camille’s book of poems Assault a la nuit is a classic piece of literary work, a cornerstone of Haitian literature.

I was encouraged to make this film by my good friend Régine Estimé daughter of president Dumarsais Estimé. She felt that Haiti was lacking in its collective memory and that today’s youth needed to discover the work of these giants who had done so much to enhance our prestige in the forties, fifties and sixties. It was also Régine Estimé who encouraged me to work with the great Syto Cave. Syto wrote a beautiful poetic text to which I cut a mixture of archival footage, photos and interviews; the result was a very poetic film. The film after it premiered at Vues d’Afrique in Montreal in 2003 created a buzz around the man. As a result, the poet’s daughter received a posthumously literary prize from Deschamps in Haiti. The film was financed by two grants from FOKAL and the French embassy.

You currently live in Miami? Do you go back and forth to Haiti?
I currently live in Haiti as of June of 2012. I’ve recently come back once again to Haiti after a brief stay in Luxembourg for a year and a half. I will be here for a little while, time enough to finish my next film that has been in the making for the last 5 years. Whether or not I leave or stay this time, one thing is certain, I never stay away too long from Haiti. I consider it my home. Having said so, I must say that these are difficult times indeed for Haiti after this dreadful earthquake in 2010 that destroyed so much. An encouraging sign though is the resilience of the Haitian people who’ve managed to move on despite so much hardship.

What procedure did you follow, in terms of coming up with research, and interview subjects?
The research work for every film is different; it depends on the subject matter that you are treating. In the year 2000 in Japan for example, I did research for a piece on foreign girls working as bar hostesses in Tokyo. The work was interesting as I spent much time in bars and talked to Russian, Ukranian and German girls who worked on a part time basis in the field. My initial idea, that this sort of work was somewhat borderline prostitution turned out to be something quite different. These girls simply entertained their customers by pouring their drinks, listening to their jokes and they made these overworked salary men feel like kings and in the process they made money. The point is you need to jump in without any preconceived notions. You need to be curious and open minded and go with the flow of the work!

In 2006, the U.S, embassy in Haiti had asked me to do a piece on violence and the need for dialogue. Well, I spent much time in the field, particularly in Cité Soleil where kidnappings were rampant in those days. I spoke to gang leaders, foot soldiers and child soldiers. I went to juvenile detention centers; I also spoke to kidnapping victims to get a sense of what propelled this senseless violence. As a rule, there is always more underneath! Often this work is potentially dangerous and hairs-rising, but these are the risks of the trade.

In 1996 we researched a story on a case of infanticide in Rwanda, a nation that had gone through the trauma of genocide where nearly a million people perished over the course of 120 days. We wondered how a woman that had witness so much killing in her village could find the strength to throw her own baby down a latrine. This story required that we spend time with this woman in the prison where she was incarcerated that we listened to her side of the story and not judged her. In a nutshell, once your research is done you’ll know who to interview and how to approach them!

You’re a documentary filmmaker, and your subjects are almost exclusively Haiti-related. Now, with the many fires, and now the earthquake that happened in 2010, do you think it’ll be somewhat difficult more than ever to find archival sources and documents to supplement your documentaries?
This is a very pertinent question as archives are quite difficult to access in Haiti. Where are the archives in Haiti? Well for the most part they are in the hands of private individuals, families, and some few existing foundations and there lies the problem, as these individuals or families or foundations are not always keen on sharing these documents. And why is that? Because of a lack of trust, the keepers of these documents are not always sure of your intentions hence there tends to be great suspicion in producing documents to others. Another thing is the complete lack of real established institutions like museums that could guarantee the safety of these documents and assure some sort of protection for future generations.

Having said so, in the midst of a devastated downtown Port-au-Prince, one can still go the library of the Frères de l’Instruction Chrétienne of Saint Louis de Gonzague and find relevant documents. It is quite amazing! Right across from that institution is the Bibliothèque Nationale where I was able to find periodicals for the Roussan Camille film. As a documentary filmmaker one is often in a seduction mode with various individuals to access their private archives. You need to establish trust or prove that your reputation is worthy of trust. For instance I was not successful in obtaining much family pictures from Arab families in Haiti for the film Un Certain Bord de Mer, believe it or not, a good many of the pictures used in that film, I was able to obtain them from an archive center in Beyrouth Lebanon known as Mémoire Collective.

The trend is beginning to change though with progressive institutions like FOKAL where you can go and access documents. Everyone is welcomed and thank God for that! Now the earthquake has done a lot harm because much was lost. I myself have lost 30% of my visual archives as there were stored in the family house which was leveled during the earthquake.

You studied film at Columbia School of Motion Pictures and Television in Los Angeles, and later you minored in Third World Cinema at UCLA. What are some of the biggest lessons you learned in film school?
Going to film school in the middle of Hollywood was the thrill of my life. I was just a young boy of twenty when I drove out west and what a rare privilege to have gone to film school in the world’s biggest film environment. In film school you watch films, you study them, you analyze them, you meet the people who make those films, your teachers work in the industry etc…It is an enlightening moment to be part of that. Los Angeles is also home to AFI, the American Film Institute, a higher institution of learning. If you are lucky you can get invited to attend seminars where you see and hear the pros of the film industry. At UCLA I was in the Latin American Studies department and I was privy to attend classes at the film school where I was exposed to third world films. I had never seen films before from Brazil, Mexico, Cuba, Chile, Argentina and countries in Africa like Sénégal. I had an Ethiopian professor named Theshome Gabriel who was instrumental in educating me and helping me discover emerging filmmakers from the third world. Closer to our reality in Haiti I must say, I was very impressed by the Cuban films I saw at UCLA. It was an awakening moment for me as those countries with meager resources were able to produce quality films. Whereas they teach you in the industry of Hollywood that you cannot make a film for less than a million dollars, Cubans were making films with a hundred and fifty thousand dollars and sometimes less.

Do you think it’s a must for every aspiring filmmaker to attend film school?
I highly recommend it though it is not always a ticket to success!

Documentary filmmaking is such a big part of your life. Will you eventually adventure to feature filmmaking?
My first film The New Tenant was a short shot on 16 mm with a cast of professional actors, so I came from a background of feature films. My friend Syto Cave recently encouraged me to write for fiction and I think I will do just that but I must tell you that filmmaking is a very challenging process. It sucks the wind of you!

Which work are you most proud of?
I am in the process of wrapping up the editing on a project I started five years ago. It deals with the Alix Pasquet invasion of Haiti in July of 1958 to topple president Francois Duvalier. The film is a historical one. Though it is not yet complete, I must say that the usage of animation for the reenactment scenes coupled with historical footage and photos and talking heads is new departure for me. It’s looking pretty good so far and hopefully soon the public will be able to see it.