There has been a mass exodus of migration from Haiti to cities like New York, Miami, Philadelphia, Boston, etc. This may seem random and arbitrary to the random observer, but this has been a steady result of years of imperialism and government neglect, and the Haitian people have been singing about it the entire time. 

Charline Jean Gilles is a formidable artist who’s been creating for over 15 years in theater, song and cultural preservation. Charline now has a new musical collaboration with the artist and guitarist Toussaint Jimmy Kerby called NANM.

Woy Magazine sits down with Andrise Pierre, a Haitian playwright and literature teacher whose plays have started to receive international acclaim. Her plays tackle social issues of violence within the family and within the society.

An interview with Alain Martin, director of "The Forgotten Occupation." The official trailer for his upcoming documentary is available now!

Etant Dupain has announced his new documentary film entitled "The Fight for Haiti". "[This documentary] takes a deep dive into why the “international community” supports the corrupt politicians and business persons who stole the PetroCaribe money and the dream of millions.

Here is a list of a few Haitian literary classics that have been translated into English.

Memory of the Bois Caiman is vivid amongst the population who remembers the exact points where events took place.

The words “Petro Caribe” have been trending on Haiti Twitter for the last few weeks, and maybe you don’t know what any of it means. For those of you who are from Haiti or who love Haiti, but don’t know what exactly is going on, we wanted to break it down for you to clear up the confusion. We've gathered some videos, articles, and links that can explain why people are asking, "Where is the PetroCaribe money??"

Dr. Naomi Andre, historical musicologist, tells us the story of the first opera by a Black American composer to be performed by a major opera company in the USA. This opera told the story of Jean Jacques Dessalines. She also sheds some light on some of the highs and lows of the realities of Blackness in the context of opera today.

Nan Epizòd nimewo 2, Pwofesè Weibert Arthus ap pale nou de enpak diplomasi ayisyen te genyen sou lemonn, ni nan tan peyi a t ap pran nesans jis konya.

Listen to Epizòd 1 featuring Dr. Marlene Daut, where she tells us about Haitian literary history, the Mulatto's Revenge, the Tropical Temptress & Baron de Vastey.

There was a time in Haiti where there was no Christmas without Konkou Chante Nwèl on Telemax. We discover many musicians in front of that Telemax Christmas tree, many of whom have now either gone in different musical directions, or are now superstars in the Haitian Music Industry. Here is a list of a few of them:

Throughout my life as a manbo, I often come across young people who are also heirs. This means that they have been claimed, but they are having trouble finding their way. Their lives are filled with bad luck, they are suffering because either their mother, father, or grandmother used to serve Vodou and have stopped. Now, the weight has fallen on them, and they don’t know how to shoulder this burden. Many of these people end up in the wrong circle because as they are looking for guidance, they may end accepting the first person offering help.

Ibi Zoboi is a Haitian author residing in New York. Her short stories have been published in Dark Matter: Reading the Bones, Haiti Noir and The Caribbean Writer. Her upcoming Young Adult debut, American Street will be published in the winter of 2017. She shared with Woy Magazine her thoughts on Haiti in literature, and writing from a spiritual perspective. 

Woy Magazine had the pleasure of speaking with the ladies of Symbi Roots, a group of women who are taking on Rara with a new artistic approach.

While you were occupied with all the political uncertainty in Haiti and questions about Carnival, RAM released their first album in 12 years. “It was time!” Morse, lead singer of Ram says of the timing of the album. "RAM 6: Manman m Se Ginen" is a project with 12 songs sung by Lunise, Richard and a 5 person chorus.

Numa Perrier, Haitian-American filmmaker, actress and cofounder of Black&Sexy TV recently screened her short film “Florida Water” at the 2015 Art Basel in Miami. In 6 minutes, Numa Perrier has given birth to a memory from an old faded photograph of her mother in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

Congratulations to jazz vocalist of Haitian descent, Cecile McLorin Salvant on her second Grammy nomination in the category of Best Jazz Vocal Album for her sophomore project “For One To Love.” Born of a French mother and a Haitian father, Salvant credits the many cultures she was surrounded by growing up for her inspiration and artistry, "I was lucky enough to grow up in a house where we listened to all kinds of music. We listened to Haitian, hip hop, soul, classical jazz, gospel and Cuban music, to name a few. When you have access to that as a child, it just opens up your world,” she said in a recent interview with Essence Magazine.

Konpa has been discriminating against single people for decades. But we want to help you out if you ever find yourself at a Konpa show by yourself. Sit down, take some notes. 

Haitian politics is many things, but boring definitely is not one of them. Election season is here, and while all the latest buzz and drama surrounding that can be entertaining, it's easy to get lost in all of the details involved with the process. Maybe you have been too scared to ask what a "décharge" or a "carnet" is. We want to help. Here is a general guide to navigating some of the buzzwords and complexities that will be recurring themes in the coming months. This guide focuses on the presidential elections for two primary reasons. One is that some of the same concepts explained here are applicable to the other posts; and two, to date, there are 2,039 candidates (literally) for parliament. Seriously, who has time to go through all those candidates?

Kreyòl pale, Kreyòl konprann! Woo me in my mother's tongue! The songstress with the sweet voice who offered us "Jwe'm" and "Ou Manke'm" in 2013 is back, and this time she's brought along Rap Kreyòl empress, Princess Eud.  Sherlee describes "File'm an Kreyòl" as "more than a love song. It is a celebration of our identity and culture." This upbeat tune, perfect to shake your your hips to, is a lyrical collaboration between Eud, Sherlee Skai, and amazing wordsmith B.I.C. Go ahead and listen to it below, and take a look at the behind the scenes video too!

"Ou Fè M" is a mixture of smooth, sexy and Natif Natal all in one. This tune, perfect for date night, is a single off of Riva's upcoming album "Perle de Culture." If this is any indication of how the rest of this album will sound like, we over here at Woy Magazine can't wait for the completed project. Check out the video below, and enjoy! But one more thing...I'm going to go ahead and ask a question all of us are wondering about this video: where can I get one of those "bwè" mugs she's holding?

Carnival 2015 is here, and that means Haitian bands have been putting out new music. In many people’s opinions, this year’s carnival songs are a bit lackluster. Just this past week, legendary Haitian music producer Fabrice Rouzier had a brief word with Kompa Magazine expressing his disappointment in this year’s carnival music. Rouzier even called out some of the biggest bands in music industry, saying that their latest musical offerings are “Boring, repetitive and completely uncreative.” We aren’t going to argue with a Haitian music connoisseur. However, we have found some gems in this year’s carnival selections that have been on constant loop on our iPods. Here is Woy Magazine’s Top 10 Carnival songs for 2015:

#12JanvyeMDeside: The Woy Team shares what action the 2010 earthquake inspired us to take. We invite you to share the same using this hashtag on social media today.