Edge Zones presents two new books by Charo Oquet: Arrayanos—Portraits and Arrayanos—Interiors/Exteriors. These books feature cover art and images by inter-disciplinary artist Charo Oquet, with essays by John Henry Drewal, Yolanda Wood, and Johan Mijail Castillo. The book presentation will take place on Saturday, April 28, 2018, 7:00 to 9:00pm, including the screening of the documentary Arrayanos and a conversation between the artist/filmmaker and Gabriela Keddell. Charo Oquet writes:

Arrayanos is a documentary by Charo Oquet, filmed in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. It is about Gagá (Rara) practices and the community that sustains them. The film includes interviews with arrayanos (Haitian/Dominicans) and participants of Gagá, a ritual practiced during Lent and Day of the Dead around the sugarcane growing regions of the country. Many of these communities are suffering after the dismantling of government-owned sugar mills after the decline in sugar production in the 1980s and 1990s due to both international and domestic factors. One major factor was a decision by the United States government to reduce sugar import quotas due to expanding domestic production.