Reading and Lecture by Raphaël Confiant

Reading and Lecture by Raphaël Confiant

In the 1970s, writer and intellectual Raphaël Confiant had a radical proposition: that Creole culture was, in fact, central to Antillean culture, whose ancestral roots included Chinese, Indian, and European influences. His vision launched a revolution among scholars and artists known as the Créolité movement, which would advocate for the use of the Creole language among the Martinican population. As part of the exhibition, Where the Oceans Meet, Confiant interweaves excerpts from his writings on Creolization with musings on his close friend and confidante, Édouard Glissant to unpack issues underlying Where the Oceans Meet, such as the interplay between language and identity.

The reading and lecture by Raphaël Confiant is a public program that accompanies the exhibition Where the Oceans Meet, curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist, Asad Raza, Gabriela Rangel, and Rina Carvajal. It is made possible by generous support from the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners; and the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture.