My name is Ouigi Theodore, born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti and migrated to the U.S at a very early age.
I consider myself as American as I am Haitian.
It wasn’t just one moment that kicked off my decolonization journey-
I was always very conscious. I went to a Bilingual school (P.S. 189 The Bilingual Center) from grades 3-8th, and the majority of my teachers were Black and Hispanic. Lucky for me my mother was clear about our Haitian heritage and had a vision for us. So in high school I understood who I needed to hang out with to comfortably explore who I would ultimately be. Didn’t hurt that my H.S. (Brooklyn Tech) was across the street from Spike Lee’s (Spike’s Joint) during a 90’s Black cultural boom. We grew up listening to KRS 1, X-Clan, Digable Planet, A Tribe Called Quest, and lots of conscious Reggae music. So we were being groomed to represent the movement then and forever.
If I could reiterate one truth to my younger self it would be-
Focus on your culture more, value it and learn how to protect it and license it to outsiders. DO NOT GIVE IT AWAY FOR FREE. PROTECT IT AT ALL COST.
I grew up in Brooklyn and it was about Brooklyn culture, which is a melting pot of African American and Caribbean culture so the disconnect between Haitian and African American culture wasn’t as clear. Yes we spoke Kreyole at home, but we also listened to Hip Hop and Reggae music which ultimately connected us all. So we lived a special mix of Black American and Caribbean lifestyle.
To understand the disconnect between the Haitian diaspora community and the Haitian community within Haiti, you really have to spend time in Haiti, and I have. Let’s start with Haiti is driven more by class than race. In America we are Black, in Haiti we are diaspora, blanc, American. And it also depends on if you are a diaspora who grew up in the states versus one that spent enough time in Haiti to still be truly considered Haitian. It’s a very interesting dynamic and quite a balance.
One of the biggest lies that needs to be decolonized within the Haitian American community is this idea that Haiti is really unsafe and you should not visit. Haiti is like the rest of the world, it has safe places and unsafe places. If you can live in NYC or any big city in America you can visit Port-au-Prince. If you are a countryside kind of person, then visit the provinces (Jacmel, Les Cayes, Petit-Goâve, Grand Goâve, Artibonite, Hinche, Miragoane). Be alert, don’t act like you are above anyone, be curious and as genuine as possible.
For the future of self love in Haiti and Haitian culture, I think we have to get the population of college educated Haitians back to Haiti as often as possible.
I own The Brooklyn Circus and we produce the best varsity jackets on the planet, hands down. We started the business in 2006 because I felt that a genuine version of what we represented was missing in the market. Our language of choice was always style and character growing up in Crown Heights Brooklyn. And so opening up a men’s clothing store was the next best thing for me to do after a run in the nightlife after college.
DC Series Quick Dive
What does “decolonization” mean to you personally?
I do actively think of all of the things I need to unlearn and how they will affect my comfort or life to be brutally honest. Sometimes I am willing to lose it all and there are times where I question if it’s worth losing it all if I am one of the very few willing to lose it all. So I stay quiet or try to figure out the language to express my disapproval of something or how wrong it was to see my grandmother pray to a Jesus that looked nothing like us.
What are you most proud of when thinking about being Haitian and Haitian culture?
I am proud of the discipline and the historical depth of Haitian culture.
If you could share a message with Haitian American elementary students, what is the most important thing you would want them to know?
Learn to speak Kreyole, keep in touch with the culture as much as possible. They have and I had the opportunity to be a part of both cultures, but if you are not careful you will get a version of Haitian culture that is very altered. Be curious about your roots, about daily life in Haiti and visit as often as possible. Also invite as many people to visit with you-share your culture.
We may have someone reading this who has suffered much pain from the lies they’ve been told and are just kicking off their personal decolonization journey. What encouragement can you give them? Where should they seek sources of truth and inspiration?
You will suffer greatly if you believe everything and the same applies if you don’t believe anything. So I say research as much as possible to shape your own views on things. If you are reading this you are online, so as it was 100yrs ago and will always be, start exactly where you are right now. Get to it!
About Ouigi-
Ouigi Theodore, Creative Director, cultural connector & lead curator, has cultivated a unique style that has garnered recognition not only among the fashion pundits of New York, but also from streetwise fans as far away as Europe, South Africa, Japan, Korea and the UK. He has become a recognizable figure and has established himself as a trend forecaster for advertising and marketing agencies looking to get an edge in the market. He has consulted on campaigns for the likes of Hennessy/LVMH, Toyota, Casio G-Shock, American Express, PF Flyers, Liberty Fairs, ENVSN FEST, New Balance, Reebok, Deutsch Advertising, Sennheiser Audio. He's been a featured speaker at the PSFK Conference, a trend-forecasting summit in New York, AIGA, The Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Public Library and Dumbo House.
After graduating from the State University at Stony Brook with a degree in history, he went on to study Advertising Design at the Fashion Institute of Technology. As founder of The Brooklyn Circus, one of the most influential retail concepts in the USA, he travels extensively sharing The Brooklyn Circus/BKc perspective as well as the 100 Year plan of Style + Character.
