Daphne from TISAKSUK, sharing her colors this summer

Welcome to Interview 1 of the series Lavi an koulè, a series dedicated to featuring Haitian creatives, entrepreneurs, artists and more; bringing colors to our lives through their work and personality. In order to celebrate summer and it’s colors all season long, we will keep the conversation flowing around joy, Haitian childhood memories, seasonal fruits and everything in between.

Introducing Daphne Valmond, founder of Tisaksuk…

Daphne is a Haitian born and raised entrepreneur. She is a mom of 2 who turned a hobby into a business, Tisaksuk, who’s mission is to bring sustainable economic and social development to the people of Haiti through apprenticeship at Atelier Tisaksuk, job creation and the promotion of civic engagement.

Tell us more about Tisaksuk? What is the story behind it?

Tisaksuk is a nickname given to me by my now husband. We grew up together and he always called me that. I started this business out of pure love for Haitian arts and crafts. I was always in awe of how talented we are as a people and felt it important to help showcase, promote and sell made in Haiti to help artisans live off of their talents. Tisaksuk is based in Port-au-Prince, Haiti and offers a large variety of products, and promotes the use of made in Haiti locally and abroad. Tisaksuk works with local artisans to design and create wonderful pieces using different mediums, than serves as a link and venue to sell these merchandises

What is your favorite summer memory as a Haitian kid?

Growing up in Haiti, my parents were quite big on taking us to the country side, my fondest memories were of going to the south. Dad worked there in the summer so we spent the entire time between the beach, river and pool in Jacmel. We had lots of fruits and Haitian junk food. Right across from where we lived was a bakery, sur la gallerie. There was this lady making marinade, I can taste them now. We would buy fresh bread, she would put marinade inside of them and pour a sauce over it with pikliz. This memory has stayed with me and my siblings forever it was so good. I can see us walking the streets of Jacmel, alone as kids, we would dress up in the afternoon for a stroll to go buy TI CAROL (Haitian popsicles) or sugar cane. Good times.

Is there a childhood tradition that still makes you smile today?

I remember locals teaching us how to “tire lobe” at the river. It’s a thing they do in the water that makes the coolest sounds, when done well its like they play music in the water

What is your favorite fruit to eat in the summer? Has anything changed now that you are plant-based?

I love eating mango! I am experimenting with so much! I have to say I am enjoying fruit bowls a lot! Very refreshing in the hot summer.

What is one thing in life that keeps you vibrant?

LIFE. I enjoy life’s moments, however small. So I’ m always happy and grateful for every tiny thing. I romanticize almost everything. I like life.

How are you going to live Lavi an koulè this summer? How are you planning to incorporate more moments of joy in your life this season through your business and daily routine?

These are really hard times to do business in Haiti, to live and carry on every day life in Haiti as you know. I am remaining intentional and trying not to complicate what moments of joy are supposed to be. The energy gets to be too heavy here at times, but if we look around and approach things with gratitude the little moments of joy are all that we have left. I will be intentional about time with family, social/fun activities with employees… a way to break the monotony  and stay grounded are important. 

Make sure to follow their work on Instagram. Do not forget to give them a follow and support by sharing with friends!

Support this Haitian business and use the code “tisaksuk10” for a 10% discount on your purchases at tisaksuk.com

Thank you for reading and don’t forget to share your favorites parts of the series.

Stay tuned for our next guest!

More than just a box...

There are no words to describe the situation here in Haïti. In the last few months, things have taken a turn for the worse and we find ourselves constantly needing to find new ways to keep going, to keep hoping. We do this by remembering our “why”, by encouraging each other mutually and making sure we do everything in our power to keep business going.

Ever since Haiti Design Co has been created, our goal has been to not only create unique and quality products, but also to connect to buyers to the stories and faces behind each piece. The maker’s box has been our way to do just that. Each season, we curate products you will love in collaboration with Haitian artisans to help develop and grow their own businesses. Through initiatives like the maker’s box, we have been ale to keep artisans employed and hopeful by not only providing jobs but also by reminding them that people are still thinking about Haïti and still value our art and talents.

My name is Maggie Joseph and I started working with HDC when we began the VAK branch in O Cap. Before getting this job, I was always in a situation where I was constantly obligated to take out loans, but since having a steady job with VAK, I have never had to borrow money- which is very empowering. I would love that our customers know and realize what a difference they are truly making. There are so many women in my neighborhood that watch me go to work every day, and they often come to the workshop looking for a job. Every product our customers have purchased have given so many people steady jobs that help support their families, and every product they will buy in the future will give even more steady jobs.

Maggie - Spring Maker’s box 2018

To us, it is more than just a box. It is a way of keeping the hope alive in a time where it is so easy to get discouraged. Our moto has been the same from the start, “Men anpil, chay pa lou” and will remain the same till the end because we firmly believe that it takes many many hands to keep going.

“Working with HDC betters our lives, and I want everyone to see how we represent our country in the products we create.” GERALD - LEATHER TEAM

Spring, for many, is the symbol of hope and we believe that this spring 2022 maker's box is a great way to empower Haitian entrepreneurs and support Haïti in this dark time. As we ship out this season’s boxes, we want to invite you, friend and supporter, to learn more about these boxes and join our many other faithful subscribers.

We strive to keep the light on even in this season. We have faith that, with hard work, positivity and love, we can move mountains.

Getting to know Abraham

My name is Abraham Rivage. I was born in Les Cayes, Haiti. I moved to Port-au-Prince in 1999 with my family to go to school.

Through the years, I always made sure I could make some money either through selling goods or else. I had a sense of entrepreneurship from a young age.

I joined the Haiti Design Co. team in 2017. Before this, I worked in mechanics from 2014 to 2017.

Adelson, one of the leather team members referred me so I could also work at Haiti design Co. At first, Madame Fabienne and Madame Chandler were the ones who trained me. I was part of of the “Tèt frèt” team where we did packaging and shipping. I was so happy to be able to learn quickly. I also had a lot of support and help. Now in 2022, I have grown a lot and am now in charge of the packaging and shipping. I manage the quality control of products before they are shipped out as well.

I have a 4 year old son and we are best friends. He is my main motivation in everything I do

His mom lives in Brazil and he lives with his grandma but we see each other often. He is in second year of kindergarten. His name is Schneider Rivage. He is incredibly smart and shows me so much affection. Whenever I go see him in Miragoane, he is always sad to see me leave. I unfortunately cannot take him to Port-au-Prince because it is not safe enough for him.

Besides working at HDC, I love doing business. I sell fresh drinks. I love reading books in English so I can learn the language and also romantic books.

I am looking forward to everything 2022 holds. Growth in my work and more time with my son.

"When I think of Haitian Women..."

What comes to your mind when thinking of Haitian Women?

A CONVERSATION ON BLACK JOY

In 2020, the term Black Joy started being heard all over. As black voices were rising to speak up about the deep injustice and murders against black lives, Black joy was introduced as an act of resistance against a system of oppression and racism. Since then, the term has been echoed louder and louder and we had a chance to sit down with two amazing creatives Tash and Anne Marjorie for an authentic conversation about what Black joy means to them.

From Anne Marjorie:

I just love to see Black people happy. Being able to create the life they want to create, moments of love and happiness. I’m tired of being resilient, but I’m embracing joy as an act of resistance.

To me, I practice joy by holding on to this confidence that no matter what happens God is still in control. We as Haitians, coming from a history of slavery, think we always need to be working.

Black Joy is about unlearning that life is about labor. it is about knowing that we deserve to enjoy life.

I grew up in a community where everybody’s life revolved around work, and I think from a heritage of slavery, they believed that they mattered only when they were doing . Finding freedom from that to embrace balance has changed my life tremendously.

I am deeply encouraged and influenced by the work of black creators on the internet, seeing visual representations of people who look like me , practicing rest , enjoying the simple pleasures of life gives me a boost to do the same .

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Through this transparent conversation, both ladies got to share their stories and perspective. It was an enriching conversation where we got to dig deeper into what Black Joy means for everybody and how we can truly live it in our day to day lives. Tash and Anne-Marjorie are doing such a great job at showcasing this lately through their individual Instagram pages. Anne Marjorie recently reached 10K on Instagram and we believe that more people will have the chance to enjoy her purposeful content that always brings light to our timeline.

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From Tash:

To me, black joy is about allowing ourselves to appear soft, to appear gentle, showing that there is more to us than the stories propagated online. Growing up in America, I’ve never felt like what I had to say about my culture, about the way I was raised as a black girl was ever a topic that people were interested in. It wasn’t until 2020 and Black Lives Matter that friends that had known me for years started asking questions and even caring about what I had to say about all of this. It is very important for me to put out all the things we know to be true, that we’ve held sacred for so long. All the things that we cherish as a community, we hold with each other and deserve to be shared and heard and valued. 2020 showed us that we need to show white people who we are and what is important to us.
Black women never appear soft in society. We are always seen as parenting out of fear, but our homes are filled with nurturing and love and more than what you see. Black people across the diaspora are tired of being strong, are tired of the fight. It’s time to live, to enjoy, to change the narrative, and to reposition ourselves for the future.

I deserve to have good experiences and I don’t have to earn them, or need to be worthy in some way to get them. And it’s so important to me raising our daughters that they know they are worthy and deserve certain things. Modeling a life of freedom is what is important to me, and knowing my kids are always watching to observe that, and that’s how I practice Black joy.

Watch our live replay here!

Don’t forget to follow Tash and Anne Marjorie on Instagram