SeJoe à Montréal le 16 avril au Théatre Rialto

March 28, 2016  /  Bianca Ducasse

"J’aime performer au Canada, dit-il, ici les Haïtiens parlent ou comprennent l’anglais, le créole et le français."

By Jean Numa Goudou via Intexto Journal Nou

Le premier «One man show» en trois langues (50% créole, 25 anglais et 25% français) a lieu ce 16 avril dès 21h à Montréal au théâtre Rialto à Montréal sur le thème «Nou chajé ak pwoblèm», une production de Pikliz Show. Haïti, les Haïtiens vivant à l’étranger, les femmes, les parents haïtiens tout y passera avec SeJoe. «Je veux porter les gens à réfléchir pas seulement à rire.»

Joseph Alexandre Ducasse, 29 ans, né à Brooklyn d’un père haïtien vivant dans la ville de Québec a passé aussi bien une bonne partie de son enfance en Haïti. C’est d’ailleurs au pays qu’il fait ses premières armes d’humour avec pour seuls spectateurs ses camarades de classe. Ses parents, notamment sa mère, voulaient qu’il devienne médecin.

Mais après avoir obtenu son diplôme au Collège en biologie, chimie et langue, le jeune Ducasse remet les papiers à sa mère et lui annonce que maintenant il veut faire ce qui lui plai: la comédie. «J’aime la joie, pas la médecine», dit-il en entrevue au journal alors qu’il est en tournée de promotion de son one man show.

Après sa pénible formation au Collège, Joseph Alexandre Ducasse vit beaucoup de «frustrations» et cherche à les évacuer. Il se met alors à chercher sur Internet des blagues qui pourraient lui changer les idées, le porter à réfléchir. «J’ai trouvé que les blagues en créole que je disais étaient meilleures que celles (en créole) que je trouvais sur Youtube», dit-il.

Il commence alors par poster des capsules plutôt rigolotes sur Youtube en commençant par : «Yes yes, sa kap fèt la a SeJoe!!!». Voilà, le nom d’artiste SeJoe est né. Et depuis 2009, Joseph-Alexandre travaille comme humoriste professionnel.

Généralement, le jeune humoriste qui évolue aux États-Unis réalise ses show en créole. Mais grâce à son parcours rocambolesque (USA-Canada-Haïti) SeJoe alternera le créole, le français et l’anglais sur scène ce 16 avril.

One Man Show Tour

February 16, 2016  /  Bianca Ducasse

"Sejoe's fast momentum is apparent."

Starting in Montreal and then venturing off to Quebec, Ottawa and Toronto, Sejoe will embark on his One Man Show Tour in April! Sponsored by Pikliz Show D'Humour and Netflix, Sejoe's fast momentum is apparent. Join us for the ride!

See below to get your tickets:

SAMEDI 16 AVRIL 2016
PIKLIZ COMEDY SHOW presents
SEJOE | PREMIER ONE MAN SHOW
Nou chaje ak pwoblèm

Admission 30.00$ - 150.00$ 
Ouverture des portes : 20h00
Spectacle : 21h00
INFOLINE : 514.824.1033

Théâtre Rialto 5723 AV. du Parc.

Diaspora celebrity Se Joe candidly talks that talk about Haiti

January 26, 2016  /  Bianca Ducasse

"SeJoe talks about how the past, present and future of Haiti is no laughing matter."

By Chris Azzopardi via Challenges

Se Joe — who collectively has more than 70,000 followers on his social media channels — is a funny man with a mission: to help Haiti. In this conversation with the YouTuber and Haitian diaspora celebrity — “the Haitian Eddie Murphy,” as he calls himself — Se Joe talks about how the past, present and future of Haiti is no laughing matter.

Q: You were born in Brooklyn, N.Y., but raised in Haiti. Why were you raised there and not in America?

A: Better education. My mom wanted us to know who we are as black people, as Haitians and as human beings. She thought Haiti was the right place because that’s where she grew up.

Q: How often do you get back to Haiti?

A: At least every year. Actually, I just got back from Haiti in December; I was shooting a documentary for Emeline Michel. But I come back every year. I don’t spend Christmas or New Years in America.

Q: How has Haiti changed since your childhood?

A: Haiti has definitely changed. I was born in 1987, so I grew up during a time of turmoil. A lot did change; however, we’re in 2016 and I should not be saying, “Haiti is better now because we have more electricity.” That’s not what I should be proud of in 2016. Right now I should be saying, “Wow. Haiti has changed so much because they just built 130 schools in the country, they just built the 66th hospital, we just got our 13th fire station, we just built a big solar electricity plant that powers the whole entire Caribbean.”

Q: What kind of contributions do you make to Haiti?

A: My contributions are self-made. I don’t believe in organizations that say they’re going to benefit Haiti and all that bullcrap. If I’m doing something charitable, I do it simply because I want to. When I go to Haiti, nobody knows. I’m not looking for a pat on the back. It’s my duty as a Haitian citizen to do what I need to do, period.

Q: What reactions do you get from older generations of Haitians when it comes to your version of Creole, which you call “Creglish”?

A: You can’t please everybody, but honestly, I do it for my generation. I don’t care about the generation that came before me because I hate their way of thinking. The way they were brought up that is not conducive to my generation. French was the language that showed you were educated then, and speaking Creole, to them, was like speaking slang. My generation doesn’t see it like that. A language is just a mode of communication, so we embrace Creole.

Q: Why is it important for you to speak to this generation?

A: When I grew up there were a lot of things I didn’t like, so I didn’t want my generation to grow up making the same mistakes. I want Haiti to be better. I want Haiti to change. That’s why I speak to this generation the way I do.

Meet Se Joe, Haitian Filmmaker & Comedian Extraordinaire

January 13, 2016  /  Bianca Ducasse

"I’m more than just a comedian. I’m a creator."

By Marjua Estevez via VIBE Viva

Se Joe is on a journey, a personal alchemy of sorts. The kind that awakens a deep desire and passion to live with a greater sense of purpose.

Born Joseph Ducasse, the 20-something, years ago, obtained a Bachelor’s in Biology with an emphasis in Chemistry to blindly fulfill his family’s ultimate wish of becoming a doctor. However, Joe’s insatiable appetite for culture, love of laughter and mastery behind the lens, catapulted him to stages around the world where he could tell gut-busting jokes in Creole, a source of pride for the Haitian-born humorist.

When he’s not telling jokes, editing music videos with finesse or schooling an international fan base with his Word of the Day series, he’s filming in his native Ayiti and documenting the latest world tour of superstar songstress Emeline Michel.

True to the millennial way, Joe’s startup on YouTube had taken him much further than he initially thought. He’d grown with a public so fond of his work (and charm) that he was prompted to create his now-wildly successful comedy hub SeJoe.com. With influences like Dave Chappelle, Eddie Murphy and Paul Mooney – all of whom “kept it real” with the world – and a new move to the Big Apple, Joe’s getting ready for his next big act. Get acquainted.

The space I occupy in this world:
I’m more than just a comedian. I’m a creator. I produce videos, I produce entertainment, and I produce education. That’s what I do.

My MLK moment (realizing the dream):
I’m more of a Malcolm X guy. [Laughs] I really haven’t had any MLK moment, because I don’t dream per se. Whenever I think about what I want to accomplish in life, [it] never comes to me when I’m asleep. It comes to me when I’m awake. Dreams, I think, are for people who wish something would happen. Someone maybe waiting for God or a sign to accomplish what they want to see come into fruition. But me, I’m a go-getter. So, if I want something, I just go and make it happen.

The hardest project I have ever worked on:
Pretending I wanted to be a doctor. I think that was the hardest thing I ever had to do. Pretending to my family that I was going to be some plastic surgeon, or something. Other than that, I haven’t had too many hard projects. I would say I’ve been challenged a lot, but I always overcome my challenges.

My biggest personal win:
So far, everything I’ve accomplished in my career has been “winning.” However, I’d say the biggest win was having the courage to follow my personal desire versus doing what my mother and everyone else wanted me to do.

My creative flow necessities:
Marijuana. [Laughs] A little smoke and the ideas just come to me, honestly. I don’t abuse it, of course, but I like to use it in my creative zone, because that’s when my ideas seem to come in all at once. So far, the results been marvelous.

I am currently working on…
A documentary for international artist, Emeline Michel. This is my first time producing a full-length film. I’m very excited to make it my best work, yet.

My mentor is…
A mentor is someone who gives you good advice about life, someone who maybe guides you in the right direction in what you want to accomplish. So, I think I have a couple or several people who I seek when I need some direction or a second opinion. Allaix Augustin is a close mentor of mine, someone who I go to often for advice. Bianca Salvant, my co-producer, she’s always there whenever I have any doubts or need a second opinion—third, fourth, fifth opinion. Fred St. Amand Jr. is a cousin of mine and someone whose opinion I really value. Dave Chappelle, Eddie Murphy and Paul Mooney are influences, so in a sense, they’ve guided me too.

My definition of a boss:
A boss is someone who barks orders and doesn’t really do anything. He or she just barks orders and wants to feel powerful or in control. That’s my definition of a boss. A boss is not a team leader or a team player. He’s just there to make sure the machine is running.

My life mantra:
The words “f*ck it.” I love those words, because I honestly live by them. I don’t give people free rent in my head, you know what I mean? Whenever people try to come at me with negativity, I just say aloud, “f*ck it” and everything sort of subsides and appeases me in a sense that I don’t have to worry about whatever B.S. tried to make its way into my life. Those are some good words. You should try [saying] it sometimes and then just walk away. See how that feels.

Meet SeJoe – Entertainer and Entrepreneur

January 20, 2015  /  Bianca Ducasse

"An enthusiastic, witty and amusing young man, Sejoe’s mission is to highlight the positive essence of his Haitian culture"

By Victoria Spedale via The 509 Exchange Project

“If I can make people happy by making them laugh, I have fulfilled my purpose by utilizing one of the gifts God has given me, my sense of humor.” A comedian, producer, actor, model, videographer, artist manager and more, Entertainer and Entrepreneur Joseph “Sejoe” Ducasse is a Haitian comedic success in the entertainment industry.

“My first venture in the entertainment industry was during my senior year in college where I majored in biology at Florida State University because my mother had a dream of me becoming a doctor but my heart wasn’t in it Yet, I didn’t know what I wanted to do. Feeling down and lonely, I wanted to feel close to my people and culture so I went searching on the Internet for jokes in Creole. To my surprise, there were hardly any jokes in Haitian Creole. Always the class clown, I decided to tell myself a joke to lift my own spirits. I turned on the camera from my laptop, recorded myself telling a joke and posted it online. Suddenly, I started to receive comments by others telling me how much they loved it and that I should post more. So I did. And so my ‘new career’ started.”

Born in Brooklyn and raised in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Sejoe’s start in entertainment began with that first joke, followed by many others, five years of creating his own animated cartoon, producing shows for rappers like Big Sean and Sean Paul (as well as rappers A$AP Rocky, Daddy Yankee and Flo-Rida), and founding Sejoe Entertainment (which is involved in creating, directing, producing and editing commercials, fashion shows, music videos and photo shoots).

Fluent in Creole, English and French, Sejoe is considered a unique stand-up comedian because he can successfully communicate his humor and make audiences laugh.

“I like to make people laugh but to also teach them something. My jokes allow people to remember what I’m talking about — they are learning about Haitian humor without even realizing it.”

An enthusiastic, witty and amusing young man, Sejoe’s mission is to highlight the positive essence of his Haitian culture, including its Creole language, by educating others about it through his comedy. In this quest, he recently launched two ventures: the Haitian Humor Series, The Sejoe Show, which is broadcast in Haitian Creole (with some English thrown in) and geared towards a rising generation of Haitian Diaspora and an app to learn the Creole language that contains over 25,000 words, including translations, jokes and videos. Sejoe is also a contributor to The 509 Exchange Project.

“I intend to contribute to The 509 Exchange Project by sharing their efforts with my fans and encouraging them to get engaged in any way they can. The 509 Exchange Project team and I are equally passionate about sharing the beauty and richness of the Haitian culture with as many people as possible. I also plan to participate in future Discover Haiti trips and the 509 Exchange Project events. My fans know me as a comedian, and I will continue sharing my sense of humor with them, but I look forward to growing as an entertainer while exploring new avenues and possibilities. I believe that the best chance of success for a social media project like The 509 Exchange Project is for people who like what we do to make their voices heard by liking, subscribing and following us online. I, for one, will do anything I can to help.”

#TBT: Se Joe Interview on Chokarella

April 10, 2014  /  Bianca Ducasse

"His startup on youtube has taken him further than he ever thought he could reach."

By Carel Pedre 

Yes Yes… Sa Kap Fèt La a…. Hello again and welcome to my first TBT post!

I chose to bring back attention to one very talented Haitian comedian whom I happened to meet through my friend Timoza last year. He had come in Haiti to film a documentary about an orphanage and stopped by ChoKarelLa on monday August 22, 2011 to introduce himself and talk about his work. His name? Joseph Ducasse aka Se Joe.

Se Joe, or @Se_Joe on twitter, is what you would call a down to earth young haitian comedian. He understands that his public is composed of people who come from all walks of life, and he makes sure his material can appeal to all of them, by putting all his talent into telling very distinctive Haitian jokes.

The funny part in all of this is that, had he not listened to his heart, Se Joe would have probably never set foot on a stage, because his family, being a typical Haitian family, had hopes of him becoming a doctor. And believe it or not, Joseph has obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Biology and minors in both Chemistry and French from The Florida State University in Tallahassee. Impressive, I know!

His startup on youtube has taken him further than he ever thought he could reach, with a public so fond of his work that he had to give them more of himself, by creating his own website, SeJoe.com, his android App and more recently, by deciding to post one joke a day on his instagram account, Se_Joe.

Needless to say that both the website and the IG account are getting him the attention that they deserve, and that the comedian is getting recognition for his hard work! You too should become a fan, as I have, by checking out his website or his IG account and showing your support.

Well, there goes my TBT of the week! A interview with Se Joe on #chokarella. Hope you enjoyed it! Until next time!

'The Sejoe Show' creates platform for Haitian comedy

March 03, 2014  /  Bianca Ducasse

By Addison Kane via FSU News

Episode 1 of Haitian comedian and FSU Alumnus Joseph ‘Sejoe’ Ducasse’s new The Sejoe Show begins with a sharp, red-lettered viewer discretion “WARNING,” not unlike the ones you’d see at the beginning of stunt videos or late-night infomercials. 

“The following program contains funny Creole, French and English languages not suitable for old ass Haitians,” it says, followed by a candid postscript reading “P.S. This is going to be awkward if your parents are in the room.”

The postscript’s jab at the aged, as harsh as it may seem, has much to do with the fact that the only media currently geared towards Haitian and Haitian-Americans, targets “a generation that is dying out.” On the contrary, Sejoe has his eye set on the children and grandchildren of this generation. 

As a whole, this disclaimer could almost be read as a mission statement for the show (which debuted last month), but that isn’t to say the humor is lost in self-seriousness. The idea behind The Sejoe Show is to create an authentic platform for Haitian comedy, geared towards a rising generation of Haitian and Haitian-American individuals. Because no entertainment outlets cater specifically towards this group, the comedian, who made his YouTube debut in 2009, has further taken it upon himself to fill in the gap.

Born in Brooklyn and raised in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Sejoe got his start in comedy following his move to Tallahassee to study Biology, Chemistry and French, under pressure from his family to practice medicine. Unable to repress his desire to be in the entertainment field, he started uploading videos of himself telling distinctive Haitian jokes, after realizing that the Internet contained little if any of the Haitian comic relief he himself needed. Now, following five years of creating his own animated cartoon, producing shows for rappers like Big Sean and Sean Paul (as well as non-Sean rappers A$AP Rocky, Daddy Yankee and Flo-Rida), and founding Sejoe Entertainment (which is involved in creating, directing, producing and editing commercials, fashion shows, music videos and photo shoots), the comedian has a clearer vision of what it takes to move his fellow Haitian, Haitian-American, and American Millennial audiences.

The Sejoe Show is a four-part series, made up of jokes, skits and viral videos—all in a combination of Creole and English language called ‘Creglish.’ After the opening credits in Episode 1, a highly animated, yet very IRL Sejoe appears, gesticulating wildly in a pair of jeans and black T-shirt bearing his name in red block-letters, in front of a beige backdrop. 

After one frantic minute of this, none of which contains any decipherable English, a soundtrack of ‘magical’ Disneyesque chimes emerges over a screen showing fragmented blue Twitter bird, and prompt stating “it’s cool, follow me @Se_Joe” in a characteristically millennial all-lowercase font. 

From here, opening the SJ TV News Channel, one of Sejoe’s ‘reporters’ looks into the camera, appearing to perk her breasts up before an interview, before chasing ‘Colors’ rapper Ice-T out of a building, who hides his face with a briefcase and retires to a nearby cab. The SJ TV News title then appears to the tune of ‘cheesy intense breaking news music’ and a beeping, Doppler-like countdown noise.

Sejoe, appearing as the Geraldo Rivera-looking, white-haired, white-mustached, grey suit-clad ‘Jacques Cade’ appears live from the newsroom, appearing to be worked up over an urgent broadcast, before the topic-to-be skewered is revealed as ‘Ice Loves Coco,’ rapper Ice T’s reality TV show. After a bit spoken in Creglish, the ‘host’ asks: ‘Who doesn’t like Coco?’ the only English line spoken up until that point in the episode. 

Images of soccer player Kaka, a statue of the Buddha, Ebesse Zozo hot sauce, Bill Clinton and George Bush 43 then flash on the screen as the host narrates in Creglish. 

The next scene begins with text reading #teamsejoe, and the comic returns, superimposed against an urban concrete backdrop, featuring his ‘SJ’ logo tagged in spray paint on a wall. 

After a segment showing Haitian woman being coached on how to pronounce the English world ‘world,’ Sejoe says, “Speaking of English, let’s check out–” and points to a picture of Haitian man, then mumbles his distinctly Haitian name, trailing off in an ironic recognition of its difficult pronunciation for native English speakers. The man is, like the woman before, coached on how to pronounce “Disney World,” eliciting a swath of audience laughter. 

Then, taking the Disney joke into new territory, a video of a small, blonde American girl in a ‘Donuts’ shirt (featuring a bit-into frosted donut with a peace sign in the middle) plays, wherein she’s asked by her mother where, if she could go anywhere, she would go on vacation. 

“Disneyland!” the girl says, surrounded by Micky, Minnie, and Cinderella memorabilia. After being informed that she’d be going there on that day, she breaks into tears. The video then replays, with Sejoe narrating in Creglish over the mom, but leaving the girl’s responses intact. 

Largely met with positive reviews, the show currently airs on YouTube and can be found along with other content on his Sejoe.com website.