Theme and Variations:
Tres Canciones acerca de Haiti y Republica Dominicana
Trois Chansons de Haiti et de Republique Dominican
Three Songs for Haiti and the Dominican Republic
Over the last ten years, I've had the opportunity to technologically volunteer for the Batey Relief Alliance, an international humanitarian medical relief group based in New York and operating in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. During this time, the organization has grown from a smaller grassroots effort to a more established UN and internationally-connected aid organization for the wider Caribbean. The videos below reflect on the first ten years of the Batey Relief Alliance's humanitarian evolution through juxtaposition, similitude and difference. The different musical selections presented (i.e. Haitian Kreyòl, Africanized Spanish Salve and Dominican Instrumentals) hopefully capture some of this region's intricate harmonies playing on English, French Kreyòl and Spanish synergies. Haiti and the Dominican Republic form two halves of a single island divided by metaphorical, political and historical borders and physical and cultural geographies. Borders and peoples are presented through images and song from the region.
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