Arts at the Armory Spotlight Series presents Lakou Mizik

Friday, November 15th at 7:00PM

Arts at the Armory Basks in the Cultural Riches of Haitians and Haitian Immigrants with LAKOU MIZIK Concert and Opening Reception for Lauded Photographer DANIEL MOREL on November 15th 

The Center Arts at the Armory is proud to welcome back Haitian Roots band Lakou Mizik on Friday, November 15th at 7pm as part of Arts at the Armory’s Spotlight Series. Opening the show is Boston-based Rara Band Bel Poze. 

Prior to the concert, from 5-7pm, ROOTED Armory Café will host an opening reception for Regards sur le Vodou, an exhibition by lauded Haitian photographer Daniel Morel. It is an evening that will create an immersive cultural experience that showcases Haiti’s artistic and cultural richness.

Lakou Mizik is a powerhouse collective with a soulful energy and a mix of styles that feels mystical and familiar at the same time. In the wake of Haiti’s devastating 2010 earthquake the band came together to show the world that their country was much more than the sum of headlines that were being shot around the globe. With today’s resurgence of racism and xenophobia against Haitians, their message and what they will bring to Somerville on November 15th is even more relevant. 

Their latest album, “Leave the Bones,” is a ground-breaking collaboration between the multigenerational Lakou Mizik and Grammy-winning electronic musician Joseph Ray. Their album “HaitiaNola” celebrates the shared cultural roots of Haiti and New Orleans with noted guests including the Preservation Hall Jazz Band.

Today, with their positive messages and roots revival music, they have become one of Haiti’s hottest exports and have gained an international following with their critically acclaimed debut album “Wa Di Yo” and their mystical, soulful, dance party inducing live shows.

The ROOTED Armory Café reception is free and the Lakou Mizik concert is $35 advance and $40 at the door.

Lakou Mizik member Sanba Zao is available for interviews in French and Haitian Kreyol. Lakou Mizik member Steeve Valcourt and Daniel Morel are available for interviews in English, French and Haitian Kreyol.

Daniel Morel was born in Haiti in 1951. The day he discovered photography wasn’t the happiest of days, but it set the stage for the rest of his life. It was November 12, 1964, in Port-au Prince. The Haitian government canceled school and people were bussed in from miles around to watch the execution of Louis Drouin and Marcel Numa. The two young men were the last two survivors of a 13-member group that called themselves ‘Jeune Haiti’ (Young Haiti). The group had planned to overthrow the regime of Francois ‘Papa Doc’ Duvalier. The next day, a photographer who had shot the rebels’ deaths frame by frame posted them in the front of his studio. It was a gruesome sight for the young Morel, but it made him realize that he wanted to take pictures too.

For over 20 years, Morel has documented his native country, capturing culture, history and people – covering coups d’état, numerous presidents, ceremonies and pilgrimages, demonstrations and massacres, hurricanes or harvests. His photographs have appeared in The New York Times, Vanity Fair, The Wall Street Journal and throughout the world. He was the resident photographer for the Associated Press for 14 years until 2004, and has received a Citation for Excellence from the Overseas Press Club of America, the AP Award of Excellence and the Sam Chavkin Prize for Integrity in Latin American Journalism. Morel has received grants from the Soros / Open Society Foundation Documentary Photo Project to host a series of photo exhibitions in Haiti and New York, aimed at enabling Haitian Americans and Haitians in Haiti to address their past and collaborate toward a positive future. 

As a producer, his film projects include Unfinished Country about the Haiti elections, and When the Drum is Beating, a feature-length documentary about the revered Haitian big band, Septentrional.

In 2013, Morel won a landmark $1.2 million lawsuit against two media companies, Getty and Agence France-Presse, for their unauthorized use of Morel’s photographs posted to Twitter documenting the 2010 earthquake that killed more than 250,000 people in Haiti. 

Since 2017 Daniel, has produced several exhibitions and participated in numerous photography events, including: Sonje Exposition et Vodou in Port-au-Prince ( 2015 and 2019), inauguration of Photo Café in Montreal (February 2017), Vision du Vodou York University, Toronto (2019), CIDIHCA, Canada (2020), Exhibition in Santiago de Chile (2020) and at the Zoom Photo Festival in Chicoutimi in October 2023. In 2024, Radio Canada presented its photos on television to commemorate the anniversary of the January 2010 earthquake.

In 2019 he published the book Regards sur le Vodou.