the Organic Soul Crew

DORLIS ... HERMOSDEF ... KIJA

THE ORGANIC SOUL CREW

The Organic Soul Crew was created by these three talented and visionary photographers to change the way French people see the black community in France as more than dancers or soccer players. January of this year Hermosdef was found dead in Paris and this entry is dedicated to his memory.

Hermann DEZA aka HERMOSDEF was born in Paris in 1975, the 3rd child of migrants from Ivory Coast, West Africa. The 2 great passions of his life were music and photography. Not wanting to choose one over the other Hermosdef worked to entwine and combine these 2 worlds in his work. He said that he had been told that his pictures have a "whole lot of Soul". He came to call his art AFROPICS. You can see more of his past works here.

DORLIS, after living for sometime in Paris, now resides in Guadelope, French West Indies. His mother was French while his father was from Martinque. Doris' works have been featured here in the past and you can see more of his work here as well.

KIJA aka SupaKija aka Jacky Gotin was born in Guadeloupe.He says his images are influenced by the music I like. His works have won over the critics with some of the statements made in reference to his works were "Kija's photos are very strong and deeply mooving... I'd really like to see the world as he does..." by Filipe Ferreia and "To put it simply, Jacky was born to do this; to remind us that our loveliness is a reflection of this lovely world - full of lush beauty and color at every turn and in every moment!" You can check out his blog here his previous poetic entry for the Garden here.

sugar cane

History takes me back to the basement of our culture

I can’t hide myself anymore

Beneath this so-called of civilized men

The sands of time is what I’ve been made with

The hand of the past may help to lay back relax

If we check it now.

And what you’ve got to do is just take care of

That inner black beauty that shines through

Your melanine tone

And take care of everything you got visible or invisible.

For not so long ago they didn’t love none of us –

At all.

I’d like to tell you something

It’s all about my own thing

Now I know what is sweet

I know what is sweet as sugar cane

And the promises they made at these times

Of struggle and fight must provide change in your mind.

For life is for lore

All praises are for the Lords.

So the souls descending from the

Tribe of Atkaptah will have to

Reminisce and unified on strong.

So don’t go dreamin’ on the edge of their land

Oh no ! No ! You’ll go flyin’ high, you’ll go too high

And now for the rest, let’s remind the pledge :

Each time you’ll taste the fruit of the cane

Don’t forget the whip, the field, their sweat.

(So this heritage will be as sweet as sugar cane…)

I’d like to tell you something

It’s all about my own thing

Now I know what is sweet

I know what is sweet as sugar cane

Les NubiansIISugar Cane

Jacky Gotin aka Kija...

Born in 1980, Jacky Gotin entered the world of photography immortalizing pieces of lives that staged friends and members of his family. This pastime progressively turned into a passion and became a reality during a journey in Paris, in the course of which he met photographers that were fascinated, just like he was, by the Parisian soul scene and its representatives of the moment. Influenced by his afro-caribbean origins, his photographies are doors opened on the world and the beauties that emanate from it under its most varied forms.

You can see more of his work here and here.