From: "REGINE ROMAIN" <brooklynphotosalon@xxxxxxxxx>
*Brooklyn to Benin: Ancestral Memories (Part II)*
*WaWaWa Diaspora Centre Tour*
*Tuesday, December 19, 2017*
Film Screening and Artist Talk
7:00 – 8:30 pm
Doors open 6:30 pm
All ages welcome.
Free.
BROOKLYN, NY December 2017 – *WaWaWa Diaspora Centre* in collaboration with
the *Brooklyn Public Library *is pleased to announce *Brooklyn to Benin:
Ancestral Memories Part (II*), the second presentation in the *Central
Branch* - *Info Commons Lab* of Régine Romain’s *Brooklyn to Benin* - an
educational and mixed-media series exploring the historical, cultural and
spiritual connections between the African diaspora and Benin, West Africa
from a Haitian-American perspective.
Today many members of the African diaspora are seeking knowledge of their
ancestry through DNA testing and are further researching family, local,
national and international archives, in their quest to learn more about
their genealogical heritage. Others, do not feel the need to take a DNA
test, because within their family narrative, the various African nations of
origin are remembered.
Two short narrative documentary films will share the journey of two women
of Haitian descent who cross time and space to travel to Benin, formerly
the Kingdom of Dahomey, where many Africans were stolen and sold into
captivity. Their sojourns are individual, but are connected to Haiti and to
the “healing and reconciliation” necessary for all who descend from the
tragic TransAtlantic Slave Trade history.
The films are “Brooklyn to Benin: A Vodou Pilgrimage” (Director/Executive
Producer: Régine Romain - 2016) and “African Odyssey: Ancestral Memories”
(Director: Emeka Anozie and Executive Producer: Cathleen Antoine - 2017),
followed with interactive discussion facilitated by Régine Romain and
Cathleen Antoine on memory, myth and magic.
Cathleen Marie Antoine is a Haitian-American educator with over 15 years
experience as a NYC public school practitioner. She has incorporated the
arts and social activism in her pedagogy. Cathleen currently works as an
education and equity consultant with the NYU Metro Center supporting
teachers, administrators and community members around issues of race power
and privilege and ensuring the positive racial identity development through
education of young people of the African Diaspora.
Régine Romain is a Haitian American artist, educator and anthropologist
from Brooklyn, NY now living in Benin. She has 20+ years practice in
creating, researching, teaching, and supporting diverse communities in
engaging and co-creating projects that promote positive representations of
their individual and collective identities. Through an extensive global
network, she produces culturally transformative courses, curriculum,
workshops, salons, exhibits, festivals, and forums. Régine is the
founder/director of Urban PhotoPoets, Brooklyn Photo Salon and now the
WaWaWa Diaspora Centre, which is an inter-generational arts, education and
exchange project in West Africa.
*Brooklyn Public Library* is located at 10 Grand Army Plaza, in the
Prospect Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY. 2/3 trains to Eastern
Parkway/Brooklyn Museum and for further directions please visit
https://www.bklynlibrary.org/calendar/brooklyn-benin-
ancestral-central-library-info-121917. For more information please contact
Cathleen Antoine AfricanOdysseyMovie@xxxxxxxxx and Régine Romain at
wawawadiaspora@xxxxxxxxx <jlohnes@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>.
--
*Régine Romain*
Founder | Director - WaWaWa Diaspora Centre
<https://www.facebook.com/WaWaWaDiasporaCentre>
Email - WaWaWaDiaspora@xxxxxxxxx
Benin - +229 631 331 53
Brooklyn - 347 669 1791
