Mélissa Laveaux Shares Beautiful Handmade Painting Animation For 'Angeli‑ko'

Inspired by 1920’s Harlem Renaissance movement. 

“Angeli-ko” is Mélissa’s reinterpretation of a song about the American occupation of Haiti, originally performed by Haitian troubadour Auguste L’Instant de Pradines in the early part of the 20th century. Laveaux had known the song since childhood, but when she came across it again during a visit to Haiti, it was the catalyst for what would become Radyo Siwèl. As Mélissa explains, “the moment I knew Radyo Siwèl was going to be about the occupation was when I found this song. Angelique Coles was the wife of the navy general overseeing the American occupation, and the song is about a young woman called “Angeli-ko” who can’t cook, clean, mend or sew, and someone tells her she should go back to her mother’s house to learn. It’s telling the Americans that they don’t know how Haiti works and to get the f*ck out.”