We were lucky to catch up with Doumafis Lafontant, Ml recently and have shared our conversation below.

Doumafis, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

I conceived Development+ Art, a local organization designed for local artists to showcase their Cultural, Creative, and Artistic talents. Since the year 2009, I have worked primarily with local artists who see themselves as a business, i.e., small- medium enterprise (SME). Toward this aim, I connect local artists to live/work space by placing them at the center of the neighborhood development goals. The lack of live/work space leads most artists to get work outside of their field of expertise, sphere of influence, and neighborhoods. This state of affair makes the pursuit of a career in the creative industry secondary. “The starving artist” is a well-known phenomenon within the fine arts community. As it is said, “There is no social problem without solution,” I match the local artists to business opportunities and resources toward increasing the incomes of local artists. This is the key metric that I utilize to improve the standard of living of the local artists living in disenfranchised neighborhoods of Boston, such as Roxbury. This neighborhood development model seeks to effectively solve poverty. It does not push it out, “Not In My Backyard”. It is my vision of Better Neighborhood Future that enfolds the continuous improvement of the historical legacy and tradition that local artists animate. My story is entwined with a collective of local artists who are committed to addressing the issues that affect their neighborhoods, while making artworks with recycled and/or eco-friendly materials. In the neighborhoods of Boston, where I work, as well as the ones that I have visited in Accra, Amsterdam, Foshan, Havana, Hong Kong, Kampala, Montreal, Nairobi, Port-au-Prince, Tainan, and so on, I teach the local artists to serve the grassroots on the same Palette.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am a Playwright, with a keen interest in the Arts & Humanities, as well as activities to make justice work in society. Beyond the social justice, I share my praxis with like-minded individuals to find solutions to the issues that hamper human development. At the age of ten (10) years old, I started providing care, to little children who are abandoned and/or orphaned, at my parents home. For the past forty-four years, I have done major work on art equity, by supporting “the local artists who see themselves as a business”. My life long goal is to bridge the wealth, income, and power gap that Black Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) face. Toward this end, I founded Abarigani, a consulting firm to reinforce profitable businesses; Ecofugees©, a green initiative to protect natural habitat and preserve endangered species; and created ITA hexagon canvas, a capital good conceived for artists to paint fine arts. As a community builder, I have raised over two million dollars (US$2 million) in grant funding. I lead, educate, & empower my team to communicate better than none. I exemplify inner-strength, integrity, vivacity, and resourcefulness in every detail of my personal, professional, & daily life. Four words, from me, a person can count on are, Learning; Interactive; Fun; & Experiential (LIFE). I consider myself a traveler, continuous learner, geographer, with a particular focus on Ayiti. During my leisure time, I enjoy writing, photography, drumming, and graphic design. Samples of my works are on Patreon, Instagram and LinkedIn. I am the Author of Krik? Krak! Dèyè mòn gen mòn, and After the dust settles the next practices for the transformation of Haiti. Moreover, I have written several articles, books, essays, and curriculum published by the Boston Society of Landscape Architect, Boston University, New American Writing, Potomitan.info, Progress in Community Health Partnerships, Quora, Tanbou.com, and Tanzania Digest. I hvae a Master of Leadership, Sol Price School of Public Policy, University of Southern California (USC). I am the proud father of Gabriel and Ita.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My aim is to discover emerging trends and/or information in the field of creative industry, in particular visual art. My work in general is intended to foster income equity, and mitigate gentrification by the displacement of small- medium enterprise (SME). My work with the local artists is based on a leadership style conceived to convene and facilitate interaction among residents, policymakers, donors, and other interested stakeholders. In my view, given the opportunity, most people, irrespective of social backgrounds, would prefer to be in service to the citizens of their countries and the rest of the world, rather than to stand in line, like at a soup kitchen, waiting to be served. It is this belief in the well-being of all people that keeps me engaged in local initiatives designed to create a new urban paradigm. Overall, the work that I do is transformative. My accomplishments are indicated by the impressive number of stakeholders that I have brought together. Above all, I place the local artists at the center of economic development so that they can play a key role in the global effort to eliminate the wealth gap.

Alright – so here’s a fun one. What do you think about NFTs?

Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) are used to make buying, selling, and trading assets more efficient and reduce fraud. I am aware that a few companies have auctioned off NFT art to raise money for charity. So, I think the advantage of NFT investing are the potential for high returns, clear ownership records, accessibility, and support for artists. However, artists must also pay attention to the market volatility, legal and regulatory uncertainties, technological risks, lower liquidity, and high transaction fees. Finally, i can honestly say that NFTs can be beneficial for artists. They can be a good way for new collectors to discover artists and support them.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.samareign.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/doumafisla/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dumas-lafontant-ml-430a08284/

Image Credits

Doumafis Lafontant, ML & Samareign Hassan