Jamaican artistes Jah9 and Stephen Marley are among the performers for Diaspora Calling — a two-day event highlighting Haitian art at King’s Theatre in Brooklyn, New York.
Jah9 is scheduled to perform tomorrow, opening day.
The show is promoted by Lauryn Hill, a former member of Grammy-winning group The Fugees, two of whose members (Wyclef Jean and Pras) are Haitians.
Jah9 told the Jamaica Observer that she accepted an invitation from Hill’s management to be part of the entertainment package.
“She had a lot of influence on my personal development, so I’m happy to do it. Plus, it’s very important to build ties with the diaspora and it’s good exposure,” she said.
Hill is Marley’s ex ‘sister-in-law’. She was his younger brother Rohan’s partner for several years before they split up. He also produced her 1999 version of Turn Your Lights Down Low, a digitised duet with Bob Marley.
He and Hill perform on Friday.
The works of Haitian artists including Nadine Renazile, Jean-Baptiste Bottex, Francks Deceus, Mireille Delice, Maksaens Denis, G.E Ducasse, Shakespeare Guirand and André Pierre will be displayed in the King’s Theatre gallery.
Wyclef and Pras are cousins who were born in Haiti but raised in Miami. Along with Hill, an American, they formed The Fugees which had a multi-platinum album in The Score, released in 1996.
Hill’s first album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, won five awards, including Best Album at the 1999 Grammy Awards.
