Holy Week | Semune Himamat shares the parallel and contrasting dynamics between practices that blend the traditions of African and European religious frameworks. While both the Catholic and Orthodox Ethiopian Church believe in the crucifixion and resurrection of Yeshua or Jesus, they also observe distinctly different calendars and ceremonies that relate closely to the cultural roots and histories of their development as organized Christian sects.
The photo essay Semune Himamat (Holy Week in Amharic) explores the Ethiopian Coptic faith, which has created a tight-knit community of believers in the heart of Miami Gardens. Holy Week looks to Notre Dame d’Haiti Catholic Church, a prominent place of worship for Haitians in Little Haiti, Miami. The faithful observe Roman-Catholic ceremonies for Good Friday modeled after the traditions practiced in Ayiti (Haiti) by the French and Spanish invaders. The blending of religious traditions challenges typical understandings of spirituality beyond the binaries of “right or wrong” ways of holding sacred space. The beauty and dedication of believers are called into focus as cultural representation becomes a key component of creating sacred spaces.
Listen to additional context on this section provided by the photographer, Woosler Delisfort.
Artist Statement
Woosler Delisfort is an award winning documentary photographer and filmmaker. His latest project titled: GODmama: Great Mother of Power, is a documentary series with a focus on the intersectionality of afro-spiritual traditions of the African Diaspora and the essential role of women, specifically prevalent in the ceremonies of Vodou, Santeria, and IFA traditions found in Haiti, Cuba, Brazil, Jamaica, Benin, Nigeria, and throughout the U.S.
Storytelling is an integral component of Delisfort’s work as it depicts truth, authenticity, and the exploration of self and the unexplored. Fundamentally, it is an opportunity to connect with the core principles that affect the collective human spirit.
Delisfort, a native of Miami-born, raised and residing in the community of Little Haiti. He has dedicated the past decade capturing the energies driving the human experiences, aesthetics, sounds and rhythms of Miami’s Haitian community in Little Haiti. Such passion is evident in his commitment to building communities through photographic documentary partnerships, empowering the local youths to tell their own stories through their experiences and perspectives via his current fellowship with the Museum of Miami.
Delisfort’s past creative work, research and outreach has been supported by the Miami Foundation, Museum of Miami Center for Photography, Bakehouse Art Complex, Oolite Arts and IPC ArtSpace. Also a board member of Haitian Cultural Arts Alliance’s.
About the Photographer
Born and raised in Little Haiti, Woosler Delisfort is a self-taught documentary photographer and filmmaker whose mission is to explore the core principles affecting the collective human spirit. His practice uses storytelling to weave together experiences and anecdotes to illuminate the realities of the world. Delisfort began his career documenting the emotions, humanity, and spirituality of the people of Little Haiti in the hopes of replacing the negative stereotypes of crime, drugs, and poverty often associated with his hometown with more positive and personal images of joy, life, and creative expression.
Photographs by Woosler Delisfort. Guest Curators Marie Vickles and Ireọlá Ọláifá. We gratefully acknowledge the staff at the Museum of Miami that have contributed to and worked on this exhibition, as well as the practitioners and extended networks of support both in front and behind the camera lens.