{"id":108962,"date":"2026-01-07T12:35:12","date_gmt":"2026-01-07T12:35:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/108962\/"},"modified":"2026-01-07T12:35:12","modified_gmt":"2026-01-07T12:35:12","slug":"inside-souke-the-haitian-day-party-that-just-made-its-miami-debut-lifestyles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/108962\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside Souk\u00e9: The Haitian day party that just made its Miami debut | Lifestyles"},"content":{"rendered":"

When DJs, artists, and cultural curators unite members of the community through joy, celebration, and dance for an ultimately greater cause, events like Souk\u00e9 are born.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Souk\u00e9, a day party and fundraising celebration of Haitian and Caribbean heritage based in New York City, came to Miami for the first time on Jan. 4, 2026. The proceeds from the event, which took place at Lakou in Little Haiti, directly supported the Gaskov Clerg\u00e9 Foundation (GCF), a nonprofit dedicated to enhancing educational opportunities and healthcare services in Haiti.\u00a0<\/p>\n

GCF\u2019s president, Cosy Joseph, and her son, Ianko Joseph, worked together to found Souk\u00e9 as a fundraising event that encourages mindfulness, creativity, and joy while supporting meaningful causes. Every action helps expand access to healthcare, education, and youth development in underserved areas of Haiti.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Lakou<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Souk\u00e9 was an evening of music, community and culture held at Lakou Miami.<\/p>\n

(Elisabeth Campbell for The Miami Times)<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we align celebration with purpose, we extend our impact far beyond our immediate communities,\u201d said Ms. Joseph. \u201cThe Gaskov Clerg\u00e9 Foundation leads medical missions, provides healthcare services, and empowers young people through sports and education in remote areas of Haiti\u2026 The needs are great, but the progress is real.\u201d<\/p>\n

A big part of the ethos of GCF is to give back to Haiti as members of the Haitian diaspora, connecting Haitian people to the resources they need at home. The effort is for Haitians, by Haitians. The word \u201cSouk\u00e9\u201d itself means \u201cto shake\u201d in Haitian Creole.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Day<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Souk\u00e9 is a day party and fundraising celebration of Haitian and Caribbean heritage.<\/p>\n

(Elisabeth Campbell for The Miami Times)<\/p>\n

\u201cI think for us, the significance is obviously to promote dancing, but also to promote shaking it out, switching up what we\u2019re doing, switching up our approach, switching up our perspective,\u201d said Ianko. \u201cI think Souk\u00e9 is meant to be a cultural bridge for Haiti, not just for Haitians but for non-Haitians as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ianko speaks against the desensitization of his generation, having witnessed great evils in the world during their lifetimes. His fight is the fight of others, and though he cannot help everybody, he seeks to share his desires to do good around the world in a fight against corruption.<\/p>\n

\"Proceeds\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

All ticket proceeds were donated for medical relief in Haiti.<\/p>\n

(Elisabeth Campbell for The Miami Times)<\/p>\n

Ianko also called upon the throughline of national pride and the joy one takes in representing their country, no matter where they are from.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re anybody that\u2019s from anywhere, there\u2019s something to pull [from the national pride of Haitians],\u201d said Ianko. \u201cIt\u2019s not just about the Haitians that are here; it\u2019s about the Haitians at home. It\u2019s about the Haitians everywhere. And it\u2019s also about humans: human beings and our pursuit of happiness.\u201d<\/p>\n

The party on Sunday was accompanied by an information seminar held the day before, a conference that painted the bigger picture of what has happened in Haiti. The GCF wants to foster an environment of positivity and uplifting energy through Souk\u00e9 while also doing justice to the country’s current circumstances. The point of the information seminar was to speak on the gang crisis in the capital, which is causing resources to ebb in the south of Haiti. People living in the south are not receiving the same resources as those in the north due to the roads being held up by some of the gangs.<\/p>\n

\"Joseph<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

(L-R) Ianko Joseph (Ianko FJ) and Raphael Vulcain (RARA) go back to back on a set at Souk\u00e9’s Miami debut.<\/p>\n

(Giahni Bosquet)<\/p>\n

The seminar began in the present, went backwards to the past, and then ended in a conversation about the future \u2014 how people can be optimistically involved in benefiting Haiti, and therefore the world.<\/p>\n

\"Dominoes\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Attendees play dominoes at Lakou.<\/p>\n

(Elisabeth Campbell for The Miami Times)<\/p>\n

\u201cI am 100% of the belief that Haiti\u2019s fight is Venezuela\u2019s fight, is Congo\u2019s fight, is Palestine\u2019s fight,\u201d said Ianko. \u201cIt\u2019s the fight of so many, the fight against systematic oppression. It\u2019s the fight to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"DJ<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The event featured DJ sets throughout the afternoon and evening, including Jonathan Saint-Dic, RARA, and Ianko FJ.<\/p>\n

(Elisabeth Campbell for The Miami Times)<\/p>\n

As a part of GCF, Souk\u00e9 is a global effort. Raphael Vulcain, a local DJ known professionally as RARA and a Haitian himself, was the connection for Souk\u00e9 to make it to the Miami community.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIanko and I share a lot of music, and we also share the Haitian heritage,\u201d said Vulcain. \u201cThe artists, creatives, and DJs [that are part of Souk\u00e9] figured out a way to merge their interests with their mission\u2026 I\u2019m glad that I was able to experience Souk\u00e9 as a Haitian man. I feel truly represented.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Event\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Many attendees took pictures throughout the event.<\/p>\n

(Elisabeth Campbell for The Miami Times)<\/p>\n

Souk\u00e9 will be returning to Miami in the near future. The organizers believe that a lot of the good that is to be done for GCF is going to be done in South Florida, the heart of the Haitian diaspora. This event, with a mission to connect and enrich the community through charity and the arts, directly impacts lives in Haiti, continuing to build healthier and stronger communities there.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cOur social lives can become powerful platforms for change,\u201d said Ms. Joseph. \u201cBy choosing to gather with intention, through events like Souk\u00e9, we can raise awareness, build solidarity, and generate resources for global issues such as healthcare insecurity. When we align celebration with purpose, we extend our impact far beyond our immediate communities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Find out more about Souk\u00e9 by following @gaskovclergefoundation on Instagram or by visiting www.gaskov.org<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n


\n
\n Close <\/p>\n

\"Partners\"
\n \"\"<\/p>\n

Souk\u00e9 was held in partnership with Olilous Film Lab, Burgundy, and Neighborhood Thread.<\/p>\n

\"The
\n \"\"<\/p>\n

The party was preceded by a research sharing and community bonding seminar dedicated to discussing the causes of the current crises in Haiti.<\/p>\n

\"Flags\"
\n \"\"<\/p>\n

Haitian flags were distributed to each attendee throughout the venue during the event.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Partners\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Souk\u00e9 was held in partnership with Olilous Film Lab, Burgundy, and Neighborhood Thread.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

The party was preceded by a research sharing and community bonding seminar dedicated to discussing the causes of the current crises in Haiti.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Flags\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Haitian flags were distributed to each attendee throughout the venue during the event.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When DJs, artists, and cultural curators unite members of the community through joy, celebration, and dance for an…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":108963,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[55744,55754,55740,55764,55752,55748,55751,55747,55758,55767,55760,55757,55749,55768,55755,55753,55741,55743,55765,55761,225,227,226,55745,55746,55742,55763,55766,55759,55750,55762,55739,55756],"class_list":["post-108962","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-hialeah","tag-cosy-joseph-gcf","tag-dj-rara-raphael-vulcain","tag-gaskov-clerg-foundation-haiti","tag-haiti-community-empowerment","tag-haiti-diaspora-activism","tag-haiti-education-support-programs","tag-haiti-gang-crisis-seminar","tag-haiti-healthcare-nonprofit","tag-haiti-medical-missions-gcf","tag-haiti-resource-access-challenges","tag-haiti-systemic-oppression-discussion","tag-haiti-youth-development-programs","tag-haitian-caribbean-day-party","tag-haitian-community-support-initiatives","tag-haitian-creatives-miami","tag-haitian-cultural-pride-miami","tag-haitian-diaspora-miami","tag-haitian-fundraising-events-miami","tag-haitian-global-solidarity-movement","tag-haitian-heritage-celebration","tag-hialeah","tag-hialeah-headlines","tag-hialeah-news","tag-ianko-joseph-souk","tag-lakou-little-haiti-events","tag-little-haiti-cultural-events","tag-miami-arts-and-charity-events","tag-miami-caribbean-cultural-events","tag-miami-cultural-fundraising-events","tag-miami-haitian-community-events","tag-new-york-souk-event-expansion","tag-souk-miami-2026","tag-south-florida-haitian-diaspora"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108962","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=108962"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108962\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/108963"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=108962"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=108962"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=108962"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}