The Gagá of San Luis 2014 to Present
The municipality of San Luis in Santo Domingo Este boasts one of the oldest Gagá (Rara) celebrations in the Dominican Republic. My research has documented these celebrations in San Luis since 2015. Throughout this time, I have conducted participatory observations of the Gagá, participated in Holy Week processions, and witnessed some of its more intimate rituals. My goal with this project is to highlight how the Gagá ritual-celebrations have been critical to 1-processes of community formation for San Luis, and 2-the construction of a sense of locality for a community tied to the sugar industry.
Figure 1. Gagá procession in San Luis, 2019. Photo by Rafael Gómez ©All Rights Reserved
The research of the Gagá of San Luis includes visual and audio research. In addition, I’ve conducted archival research at the archives of the British Columbia Sugar Refinery Company in Vancouver (BCSRC owned the Ozama Sugar Mill, from 1944 to 1955). These archives contain some of the earlier written and visual documentation of the Gagá/Rara celebrations.
Figure 2. Gagá dancer in San Luis, 2019. Photo by Rafael Gómez. ©All Rights Reserved
Figure 3. Gagá procession in San Luis, 2019. Photo by Rafael Gómez ©All Rights Reserved
There are several projects on the works regarding this research, including a written publication, visual documentation, and an art exhibition. To learn more about this project, you can reach me by email here.
