Interview with Roberto Martino, T-Vice

Every month, the Little Haiti Cultural Complex hosts an event called Conversations With. It is a Happy Hour Networking event that features a prominent member of the Haitian/Haitian American community. You drink, eat, and mingle to your hearts content, until the featured speaker shares his/her story.








This past weekend, Roberto Martino, lead singer of the Haitian Konpa band, T-Vice was the featured speaker. Before he hit the stage, I had the pleasure of a one on one interview with him. I found him Very down to earth and open to share himself with his fans.

Click here for the full interview.

After the interview, the singer took to the stage to share the tale of T-Vice from his point of view. Personally I had not become familiar with the band until my late teens, so the band's history was very enlightening. They suffered ups and downs as most entertainers do, and had moments where they almost left it all behind. But as Roberto shared, the love of the music and the love they had for their fans kept them from walking away.

The event closed out with him announcing an upcoming album and answering questions from the crowd. I asked a question that many T-Vice fans wanted to know. What started the beef between T-Vice and Djakout #1? The answer is in the video below.

Click here to watch the video.

Perhaps the next interview will be with the younger brother, Reynaldo Martino. You'll have to stay tuned to found out.

Until then
Na we pita/A plus tard

Haitian Food

Ok so I understand everyone around the world says this in their own right...but there's nothing, I mean NOTHING as DELICIOUS as MANJE AYISYEN (Haitian food). I mean the spices, the fresh ingredients, the variety, the love it's all prepared with...WHOOSH!!!! Ok wait, hold on, I am getting a little ahead of myself. As you can tell I am a big fan of food. I love all kinds of food. Asian, chicken wings, Latin, chicken wings, Southern style Soul Food, chicken wings, and did I mention how much I love chicken wings? But there's something about going to manmi's (mom's), my nenen's (godmother's) or ma tante's (my aunt's) house right after they THREW DOWN on some queue boeuf (oxtail), di ri ak jonjon (black rice with mushrooms), makawoni au gratin (macaroni and cheese) and my personal favorite some boulettes (meatballs)!!!

Haitians have their signature dishes that other cultures have come to know well like griot (deep fried pork), tassot (deep fried goat or turkey meat), banan peze (pressed and fried plantains) and of course pikliz (put plainly...a spicy coleslaw). Aside from those and the ones I listed earlier, Haitian cuisine is very diverse and has influences from French, African and Latin cuisine. Also the beauty in the food is that it is a perfect representation of the island. Fresh seafood bears witness to its geographical location. The farm raised animals and fresh grown crops used in the foods are all indigenous to the island. And the blend of spices and the hint of heat in the food shows the fire that burns within the people. (I know I know, I'm pretty deep and poetic.)

Here comes the bride...

So my older sister is getting married this weekend. I am super happy for her and very proud. She found a man who puts her first and prioritizes her happiness...Although I don't think I have ever seen her this stressed. My sister usually has it all together but if you bring up anything regarding her wedding party, flowers or guests...well to put it nicely you just  may get your head bitten off.

Is there a word for Bridezilla in Kreyol (Creole)? I'm just kidding. For a bride to be, she is pretty reasonable...at times, but its the other 23 hours of the day that has us all going nuts. In typical Haitian woman fashion everything is over the top and spells the end of the world. "UMWAY!!! Guys the caterer didn't call me back today. He must've packed up and escaped with all the money!!!" "WHOOSH!!! My hairdresser rescheduled my appointment. If I have to go to someone else they will mess up my hair. And if my hair looks bad for the wedding he's going to leave me and the wedding will be off!!!!" Her exact words, no, but definitely not an exaggeration. The one fun part of the wedding preparations is trying to see if my sister's innate Haitian-ness will creep up out of her.

Now if you've ever been to any REAL Ayitien (Haitian) weddings you know four elements are always present.

Big Night In Little Haiti/Gwo Nuit Nan Ti Ayiti

Yours truly and the Big Night In Little Haiti sign

Miami is one of those cities constantly mentioned in songs and travel blogs for its nightlife and activities. For it's beautiful beaches, various clubs and lounges, and plethora of culturally inspired events people from all over the world flock to Miami. Few people realize that Miami is made up of many smaller cities. One city in particular, Little Haiti, is one of Miami's hidden gems.

Little Haiti, so named due to the influx of Haitian immigrants who came to call it home in the late '70s early '80s. Comprised of many Haitian owned restaurants, businesses and tourist attractions, Little Haiti is a great place to become engrossed in Haitian culture.

One such attraction is The Little Haiti Cultural Center (LHCC). The center offers tutoring programs, arts and crafts, and dance classes for children and adults. A focal point of the center is a program that it along with The Rhythm Foundation sponsors every third Friday of the month.

M pa kab dòmi/I can't sleep

12:09 AM Tuesday morning and m pa kab domi (I can't sleep). I don't know what it is. I'd love to say something profound like, "the troubles of this world are forever on my mind and manifest in my restless nights". Lies. Or maybe, "y'all home in bed sleeping while I'm out here in these streets gettin it..."  Naw, eh eh. Some of you are probably thinking, "well a few minutes past midnight isn't that late anyway so buck up fella", (I don't actually know anyone who'd say buck up fella but it felt right lol). 

Well midnight on a weeknight is pretty late especially when I wake up at 5am for a little cardio session then get ready for my morning show. Wait did I forget to mention I'm a co-host on a morning talk radio show? (The Morning Drive on WSRF 1580am Monday-Friday 9am-10am ANN ALE!!!!) Yes that was a shameless plug and there's more info on that subject coming soon. But the point is I'm already looking at less than five hours of sleep. Now it is true that my rugged good looks come naturally and take little to no effort. In fact one could say I woke up like this...(yes I just did) but for overall good health one must get sufficient rest.

Diaspora...

...a word that I have heard many times since I was very young, but not once did I ever stop to find out its meaning. To be honest I never considered the fact that the word would be relevant to me in the slightest. Diaspora was always used in conjunction with the "just comes", Haitians who literally just came over to the U.S. So naturally a young AMERICAN born Haitian like myself wanted no connection with the term.

Growing up Haitian in Miami in the early '90s meant one of two things, you were either a "boat" (Haitian immigrant who came over on a raft/boat) or you were a "Zoe" (a member of the Haitian gang Zoe Pound). Honestly, I never once hid my Haitian heritage, but I did disassociate myself with the "boats". My thoughts were, if I couldn’t be regarded, as a regular kid I'd much rather be feared for having gang affiliations. The wrench in that plan was my father. He didn't seem to be too concerned with my day-to-day identity crises. He sent me to school in my Sabbath Best (comparable to others' Sunday Best) and of course strictly enforced the Three L's of Haitian upbringing: L'eglise, Lekol, Lakay (church, school, home). It’s hard to be thugging in your shiny black church shoes while sprinting home full speed after school to avoid baton. I had no strong Haitian accent or any trouble speaking English whatsoever; but I also didn’t have the newest gear, cable TV, the latest toys and games, or even a respectable shape-up (dad claimed only thugs had shape-ups, smh). All that coupled with a French name and a distinct difference in behavior from my peers, I was clearly different.