San Lazaro visually narrates the stories of the devotees of St. Lazarus, the patron spirit of disenfranchised communities, and a miraculous healer of various illnesses. San Lazaro’s devotees at Rincón de San Lázaro church pay tribute annually and seek spiritual intervention through pilgrimage and offerings. Mostly of Cuban heritage, the members of the oldest parish in Hialeah exhibit keen dedication, often traveling long distances–sometimes under delicate conditions–to make their petition. This observation calls for a neighborhood parade enhanced with music, dance, and gifts for St. Lazarus. The layers of history and culture are also evident in the practitioner’s ceremonies as San Lazaro is syncretized with the Yorùbá Orisha (a deity archetype) Babalú-Ayé, or O̩balúayé, who is associated with the element of Earth and is a healer of infectious diseases.
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 HistoryMiami Museum.
Delisfort’s past creative work, research and outreach has been supported by the Miami Foundation, HistoryMiami Museum 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 HistoryMiami Museum 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.