Pioneering photographer, scholar and interfaith leader

The Dr. Dòwòti Désir has traveled extensively documenting the historic sites, memorials, and monuments of the transatlantic slave trade in captive Africans.  From 2017-2018, she served as the designated UNESCO Desk Review Expert for the New Approaches and Interpretations to Slavery Museums and Sites International Conference.  Her publications include: Wanga: Haitian Hoodoo; Wòch kase wòch: Redlining A Holocaust, Memorials and the People of the AfroAtlantic, and its companion, Goud kase goud: Conjuring Memory in Spaces of the AfroAtlantic. The texts and photos were published to commemorate the United Nations International Decade for People of African Descent 2015-2024.

The Queen Mother is an independent scholar who writes about contemporary art, spirituality, and current events affecting the African diaspora. She is a post modern human geographer who is redefining and decolonizing the notion of “folklore and traditional arts.” As a Manbo Asogwe, a High Priest in Haitian Vodou she lectures extensively on the subject internationally, and works with other faith leaders who are committed to interfaith service. She studied and obtained her Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral degrees respectively from Barnard College, Columbia University; The Center for Curatorial Studies, Bard College; and The New Seminary.  Her Royal Majesty is the, Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute, 2024 Scholar-in-Residence..

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Photocredit: Martial “Longma” Davis, Messy Bed Productions, Inc.