Voices with Jawan Strader on NBC 6 Miami

Voices with Jawan Strader on NBC 6 Miami

Kendall man on mission to remind world of late uncle’s talent for guitar playing

 

by BY CHRISTINA MAYO

Paying tribute to a lost loved one can weigh heavily on our hearts. But Kendall resident Yanatha Desouvre has made it his mission to help the world know and remember his guitarist uncle and godfather, Daniel Coulanges, who died in 1989 at 28 of HIV/AIDS complications.

“Imagine the musicians Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain, or Amy Winehouse, who all died at a very young age, had some rare unheard creative works that were never shared with the world. What would you do to get that music to the world?” Desouvre said in email.

He last saw his godfather 27 years ago when Desouvre was an 11-year-old boy. Coulanges, was a classical Haitian guitarist, “like his award-winning, world-renowned accomplished older brother Amos Coulanges.” Another uncle in the musical family, Nito Coulanges, was in the Haitian gospel band, Echo Mysteriuex.

Desouvre discovered his late godfather’s music through its remarkable journey to him.

A video of Daniel Coulanges playing “Killing Me Softly” and “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina” traveled from New York to Paris to Miami.

“My Uncle Amos Coulanges said, ‘Nephew, someone told me they have a recording of Daniel playing guitar at a college in Staten Island, New York.’ He told me as soon as he gets it he’ll send me a copy,” Desouvre said.

“I received a gift I will never forget,” he said. “I opened the international package and silence filled the room. I put the DVD in my computer and with each guitar string my godfather plucked I cried and cried. My godfather was speaking directly to me with each note.”

“He died on April 30, 1989, two years before Magic Johnson made his announcement, and never had an opportunity to share his talent with the world, until now,” Desouvre said.

In the grainy video (https://youtu.be/nnX9-VhPtMY), Coulanges also plays a stunning classical guitar adaption of “Ne Me Quitte Pas” by Belgian singer-songwriter Jacques Brel.

Desouvre is trying to raise $1,358 through Indiegogo to have the recordings remastered.

He is also trying to raise awareness about HIV testing through the project. Desouvre is a prolific author. He was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, grew up in Brooklyn and Philadelphia, and now lives in Kendall with his wife and three children. Another is on the way. He works at the University of Miami.

He said he remembers his godfather in the Brooklyn apartment. He remembers him playing guitar and he said he does not want to throw away his chance to share that music with the world.

“My wife and I named our second daughter Danielle after my godfather. She shares his drive, ambition and sense of humor,” he said.

As for the recording, he said, “I managed to extract the audio from the video performances. I plan to get the songs mastered and produced so we may share this sentimental musical and video project with the world titled, ‘Daniel Coulanges — World's Finest — Live in New York’ because that was how the host introduced my godfather.”

He relates to and quotes “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda and the words in Miranda’s Tony acceptance speech: “Nothing here is promised, not one day.”

“I strongly agree with Lin-Manuel Miranda. I also believe since we all only have just one life to live we must all live that life to the fullest,” Desouvre said. “This is a story of how a nephew/godson wants to honor the legacy of his musically gifted late uncle/godfather Daniel Coulanges. That nephew/godson is me.”

Desouvre is planning to release the album for his godfather in January.

“After the album is produced all the proceeds from that album will create a fund to establish and finance a not-for-profit center called Daniel Coulanges Center for Arts, Technology, and Business where there will be workshops and classes for anyone who wants to learn the business of the art that they are passionate about,” Desouvre said.

Yanatha Desouvre Hopes to Raise HIV Awareness With Album of Lost Footage From His Late Uncle

Kendall Man Hopes to Raise HIV Awareness With Album of Lost Footage From His Late Uncle

By Jessica Lipscomb

courtesy of Yanatha Desouvre

On a stage in Staten Island almost 30 years ago, a host grabbed the mike and announced the next performer, a Haitian classical guitarist.

"One of the world's finest guitarists, Daniel Coulanges," he said. "Please welcome Mr. Coulanges."

Wearing a charcoal-gray suit and a black bow tie, Coulanges took a seat on a black piano bench against a backdrop of verdant treetops. Without further ado, he moved his fingers up and down the neck of his guitar, strumming out the chords of "Killing Me Softly."

Coulanges died of AIDS shortly after the performance, in 1989. His godson and nephew Yanatha Desouvre says he wept when he saw footage of the Staten Island performance for the first time earlier this year. Now, Desouvre, a Kendall resident who works in IT at the University of Miami, is raising money to have the audio remastered and released to honor his uncle's legacy and encourage people to get tested for HIV.

Desouvre says another uncle sent him the DVD of Coulanges' performance this past April. He was instantly flooded with childhood memories of growing up in Brooklyn and enjoying visits from Uncle Daniel. 

"I have a wife and three kids at home, so it's normally really loud. But when I popped in the video, it got quiet," he says. "I saw my godfather alive, and with every guitar string that he plucked, I started crying and crying and crying. He talked to me through the music, and I couldn't hold it in. I was like, I gotta do something with this."

Desouvre remembers spending Sunday afternoons with his uncle watching kung fu movies and soccer games in Spanish, because the commentary was more exciting that way. As a boy, he remembers his uncle cutting his hair in the living room and listening raptly as his uncle played guitar. 

"The house was full of music," Desouvre says. "Music is in my DNA."

Photo courtesy of Yanatha Desouvre

Desouvre was only 11 years old when he learned that his Uncle Daniel had died. It was so sudden and his uncle so young — just 28 — that nothing about his death made sense. It wasn't until two years later when Desouvre found a piece of paper indicating his godfather had HIV/AIDS that his questions were answered. 

"We were told that he was sick and he died," Desouvre says. "It was the late '80s, and no one really talked about it. It was taboo."

Desouvre's mission is twofold: He hopes to encourage people to know their status but also to explore their passions and share their talents. 

"Miami, according to the statistics, in 2014 was number one for new cases of HIV and AIDS, so I want to encourage people to know your status and be able to live your life to the fullest. If you're negative, that's great, and if you're positive, there's medicine that can help you live a fulfilled life," he says. "My uncle didn't get a chance to live a full life, and that's why I'm doing this. I want the music to be out in the world and encourage others to live life."

DESOUVRE’S NOVEL TAKES READERS ON A DANGEROUS QUEST

This weekend there's a party and you are invited....celebrate the excitement and nervousness of pursuing one's passion, passionately

**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**

EDITORS: For review copies or interview requests

Contact : 561-713-0462

Email : bookyanatha@gmail.com

http://www.yanatha.com

 (When requesting an interview, please provide an email address.)

DESOUVRE’S NOVEL TAKES READERS ON A DANGEROUS QUEST

Desouvre captures the complexity of the human spirit in this fictional, yet realistic culturally relevant mystery

MIAMI, FL – SATURDAY, APRIL 16th

Everyone is invited to this virtual book launch party on Facebook and celebrate with Yanatha Desouvre on his birthday April 16th, 2016 the release of his long awaited debut novel "To Whom Much is Given - A Grayson Goodman Novel" Goodman Chronicles Book One.

For A Limited-Time Only just $0.99 Pre-Order your e-book   Paperback version is also available.

You can also get a FREE preview and Pre-Order your e-book copy for iBooks (for iPhone, iPad and  10.9.x and higher)

“Engaging and impossible to put down”, To Whom Much is Given, is Yanatha Desouvre's debut novel which readers have described as “James Bond meets Luther; with a dash of Marvel’s X-Men and Mission Impossible sprinkled with Haitian hot sauce.” Among action packed cliff hangers, Desouvre captures the complexity of the human spirit in this fictional, yet realistic culturally relevant mystery brimming in believable and intentionally broken characters, leaving you wondering what is next for this witty and courageous crew.

Childhood friends Grayson and Amara, along with Dominique, Amara's closest friend join together on a dangerous pursuit to rescue Amara's nephew Jason. Little do they know where this quest will take them and how dangerous are the forces behind this kidnapping. The darkness of the past haunts these brave friends as they embark on this journey. Will they be able to save Jason in time?

Yanatha Desouvre, a prolific author, was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, grew up in Brooklyn, N.Y., and Philadelphia, P.A. Desouvre has written nine books, titled, “Walk Through this Journey: Volume One and Two (The Next Step Forward); A Family Affair; Savor the Moments, An Essential Guide to Windows 10 and his best-selling children's book “Big Sister, Little Sister (also available in French, Spanish and Haitian Creole)” available now on amazon.com. Desouvre released “Walk Through this Journey: Volume One” and Savor the Moments as audiobooks, now available through iTunes and Google Play stores. Desouvre has also created several successful mobile apps for iOS and Android devices 

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HuffPost Books: A Collaboration Between Father and Daughter

A Collaboration Between Father and Daughter

Peak Johnson

Posted: 06/24/2013 1:12 pm

Using over a year of pictures from their iPhones, Yanatha Desouvre and his wife, Amy, started compiling images of their two children partaking in different activities together. Desouvre would eventually bring them all together on his computer with the oldest daughter by his side.

Five-year-old Reanna would dictate the words to her father of what would become "Big Sister, Littler Sister," a collaboration between father and daughter.

"My eldest daughter [Reanna] started to read at about three-years-old while she was attending a Montessori school," Desouvre said. "It only made sense to do [the story] it with her. It would not only motivate her to read, but maybe inspire other children her age to do the same."

Big Sister, Little Sister, self-published by Desouvre, chronicles the first day Reanna became a big sister to her younger sister Danielle and all the days beyond that over a course of a year and a half.

At such a young age, Desouvre felt that it was important to share his daughter's story so that she could express the deep love that is felt between sisters.

"It's never to early to learn to read and love it," Desouvre said. "It's critical to one's success in the future."

Desouvre started writing creatively himself when he was in middle school; he would sale his poems and give them to his peers.

"I use to write blogs on MySpace and had subscribers to my blogs from all over the world, it was a truly humbling experience," Desouvre said. "I only published my first book when a friend of mine, Jason Fleurant, asked when my book was coming out."

Originally born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Desouvre grew up in Brooklyn, N.Y., and presently resides in Philadelphia with his family.

He received his MBA in Marketing and Mass Communication and Media Management at Lynn University in June, 2010, and a Bachelor's Degree in MIS and Marketing at Drexel University in 2001.

Desouvre hopes that other children who read his daughter's story in Philadelphia and other cities will become inspired and experience the joys of reading for themselves.

"Developing the book was a family and friends affair," Desouvre said. "My cousin, Antoine Coulanges helped with the translation in French and a great friend of mine Morayama James did the Spanish translation."

Desouvre added that when receiving the very first proofs of the book, Reanna was so excited that she read it each night as a bedtime story to Danielle for just a few hours before falling asleep herself.

Promoting the book has been a challenge without a publishing company's support. Though Desouvre decided to stick with the option because of the full control he was able to have of the story.

"I recommend it for any writer who wants to publish a book," Desouvre said. "With the technology that is out there plus companies like Amazon investing in self-publishing companies, the task of self-publishing high quality great books available to the masses isn't a difficult thing."

With the help of friends, news about Big Sister, Little Sister has been spreading. The children's book has made it to Amazon's Hot New Release in its sibling's category when first releasing in March.

"I am now working on my first non-creative book "Life is about Purpose" (Not a Position) - A Guide to Effective and Actionable Leadership inspired by true life events as well," Desouvre said. "The manuscripts of my other books have been written and will be published soon there after."

Follow Peak Johnson on Twitter: www.twitter.com/peakjohn

Better Know a LeBow Author: Yanatha Desouvre ’01

Yanatha Desouvre ’01, who studied MIS and marketing at LeBow, has co-authored a book with a very unlikely collaborator — his four-year-old daughter, Reanna.

The book, Big Sister, Little Sister, which chronicles the birth of little sister Danielle Nathalia, is among the top titles onAmazon’s Hot New Release list in Sibling Relationships — and topped out at number one last week.

Big Sister, Little Sister is a labor of love that was born from Desourvre’s iPhone. Sitting in his family living room, Desouvre began transferring pictures of his daughters onto his computer. As each picture flashed on the screen, Desouvre asked Reanna to describe the scene. Her words, which tell a tale of friendship and love between siblings, developed into the narrative. All dad had to do was compile everything and make a few edits for his young authoress.

A native of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, who came to Philadelphia by way of Brooklyn, NY, Desouvre is an accomplished mobile application developer who earned his MBA in marketing and mass communication from Lynn University in 2010. Currently, he is pursuing his Ed.D. in higher education at the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education.

Desourvre credits Drexel LeBow’s MIS program for teaching him the business side of technology and his marketing studies for helping him build his online footprint and making Big Sister, Little Sister his best-selling book to date (this is his fourth).

“I am very proud to be a LeBow College of Business graduate,” Desouvre says. “Every time we pass Drexel University, Reanna says ‘Daddy, I am going to Drexel like you.’ That brings such a huge smile on my face.”

As for Reanna, who turns five in May, she is now learning how to write. She has even autographed a few books for her mother, Amy, and her proud co-author.

“Her trademark is a happy face with a moustache for Dad and a head of hair for mom,” Desouvre says.

Just think what Reanna will accomplish by age six.

Sweet tooth

He’s an admitted ice cream connoisseur with a predilection for rum raisin and coconut.

He has an app for that

Desouvre has engineeered several successful mobile apps, including: “Pre-K Math,” “Proud to be Haitian,” “Proud to be Jewish,” “Kids Eat Free HD,” “Pocket Poetry,” and “I Love My Dog.”

A Man with a Plan

“My life’s theme is to positively impact your life by empowering others so that we can uplift one another through our daily challenges,” Desouvre says. “I choose to see my challenges as an opportunity for growth.”