Souvni on the Mike launches 12-week Haitian Creole podcast series

UNDER THE HAITIAN SKIN is a 12-week podcast series in Haitian Creole launching June 12 and running through August 28, with episodes released every Friday from Odessa, Florida. The show aims to reframe Haiti’s story through memory, identity, spirituality and resilience, with English companion materials for non-Creole listeners. Why it matters: - UNDER THE HAITIAN SKIN puts Haitian Creole at the center of a long-form audio series about Haiti’s history, identity and resilience. - The format is designed to reach both Creole speakers and non-speakers, expanding access through weekly English guides and full Creole transcripts. - The series seeks to challenge crisis-only narratives about Haiti with a broader view of the country’s culture, memory and lived experience. What happened: - Souvni on the Mike launched UNDER THE HAITIAN SKIN as a 12-week podcast series in Haitian Creole from Odessa, Florida. - The series runs from Friday, June 12, to Friday, August 28, with new episodes each Friday at 8 p.m. - Listeners can hear the podcast on the show site . - Weekly summaries and additional English resources are available on the companion blog . The details: - The series is fully produced in Haitian Creole. - Full Creole transcripts are available for listeners who want to translate or follow along. - A weekly English guide provides context, reflections and background for each episode. - The first month, Vies cachées des icônes haïtiennes , examines the human stories behind major Haitian historical figures. - The opening episode, Les Péchés d’Haïti: Oser la liberté (Partie 1) , revisits Haiti’s decision to claim freedom when much of the world saw that act as a “crime.” - The second episode, Les Péchés d’Haïti: Punis pour la liberté (Partie 2) , focuses on the cost Haiti has paid for being first. - The third episode, Une journée dans la vie de Jean-Jacques Dessalines , looks at the person behind the emperor. - The fourth episode, 1er janvier 1804: La nuit après la liberté , asks what follows the day impossible becomes real. - The second month, La condition haïtienne , focuses on migration, identity, survival and psychology. - The fifth episode, La génération « trou de merde » , examines a generation shaped by global contempt. - The sixth episode, Parcours d’une expulsion , tells a story in reverse, starting with arrival and moving back to the moment everything changed. - The seventh episode, Où les médecins haïtiens se soignent-ils? , looks at class, trust and survival. - The eighth episode, Le modèle de l’immigrant haïtien , explores the unwritten rules many Haitians carry across Port-au-Prince, Miami, Montreal and Paris. - The third month, Dans les coulisses de la société haïtienne , focuses on the people, forces and spiritual logic that keep Haiti going. - The ninth episode, Ceux qui font l’histoire d’Haïti sans figurer dans les livres d’histoire , honors the nation’s invisible builders. - The tenth episode, La psychologie de la fierté haïtienne , examines why Haitians boast, hide and survive. - The eleventh episode, La spiritualité haïtienne: la véritable langue nationale , explores religion and spiritual codes in Haitian life. - The final episode, Haïti sous notre peau , reflects on who Haitians are, who they were and who they are becoming. - Each episode combines historical research, cultural analysis and narrative storytelling. - The series also aims to highlight Haiti’s beauty, humor and spirit alongside its harder truths. Between the lines: - The Creole-first format is a direct statement about authority and authenticity in telling Haitian stories. - The English companion materials widen the audience without replacing the original language of the series. - The show’s structure suggests a counter-archive: a record built from lived experience rather than outside framing. - The project arrives as global conversations about race, identity and historical responsibility remain active and unresolved. - By emphasizing context over crisis, the series pushes back against simplified coverage of Haiti. What’s next: - New episodes continue each Friday through August 28. - Weekly English support materials and transcripts will continue alongside the audio release. - The project’s final episode will close the series with a broader reflection on Haitian identity and change. The bottom line: - UNDER THE HAITIAN SKIN is using Haitian Creole, weekly storytelling and bilingual support to present Haiti as a people to understand, not a problem to solve.