Let’s start the conversation.
Keynotes, lectures, panels and workshops on decolonisation, identity, and mental liberation — grounded in scholarship and lived experience, and built to meet every audience where they are.
- 1804 Renaissance120+ episodes
- Who Taught You That?6 episodes
- Based inLos Angeles, California
- SpeaksEnglish, French, Kreyòl
- FormatsKeynote, lecture, panel, workshop
- DeliveredIn person or virtual
- PublishedAlike Regardless (2021)
- ForthcomingThe Colonization of the Mind, May 2027
Signature Talks
The Chains We Cannot See: An Introduction to Decolonization of the Mind
Colonial rule ended on paper. It did not end in the mind. This talk examines how systems of power survived the end of empire by relocating into the ideas we hold about language, faith, race, culture, and our own worth — and then asks what it actually takes to notice the chain, question who put it there, and choose differently. Practical rather than merely critical: audiences leave with something they can do on Monday.
Language Is More Than Communication: It Is Identity
A child walks into a classroom speaking Kreyòl and is not considered serious. The same child returns speaking French and is. Nothing about that child changed — only which language the room had been taught to respect. Warm, funny, and quietly devastating, this talk follows one question through school, family, and nation: who decided which tongues carry authority, and what did we believe about ourselves as a result?
Other Formats
Lecture & classroom visit
A session built around a course reading or theme, with space for students to push back. I would rather be argued with than applauded.
Panel & roundtable
History, identity, diaspora, faith and colonial legacy. Comfortable as moderator or as a panellist, and happy to work alongside your other speakers.
Workshop
Interactive, exercise-led, small-group. Participants work through where an inherited belief came from and what it costs them — not just that they have one.
Fireside & in conversation
Unscripted, interviewer-led, closer to the podcast. Good for bookstores, libraries, community centres and campus evenings.
Commencement & celebration
Graduations, Black History Month programmes, cultural celebrations and heritage events. Written for the room and the occasion.
Media & interview
Podcast guest, radio, television, documentary contribution, or a written interview. Remote is straightforward.
Every room is a different room
A group of fifteen-year-olds and a group of professors need different things from the same idea. Each talk is adapted to the audience, and I will ask you who is in the room before I write a word.
- Universities and colleges — lectures, Black Studies programmes, student unions, graduation, MLK and Black History Month events
- Schools — classroom visits, assemblies, language and literacy programmes, and curriculum days on identity and belonging
- Community organisations — cultural centres, libraries, faith communities, diaspora associations and youth groups
- Conferences and symposia — on decolonisation, education, Black history, Caribbean and Haitian studies
- Workplaces and institutions — DEI programmes, leadership offsites, and teams working on equity, language or history
- Media — podcast, radio, television and documentary contributions
How Booking Works
Date, audience, format, and what you want them to walk away with. A few sentences is plenty.
A short call so I understand the room. I will tell you honestly if I am the right speaker.
The talk is written for your audience, not recycled. You will see the outline beforehand.
In person or virtual, with Q&A. Recordings are welcome where useful.
Fees & Travel
Schools & community organisations
Local schools, libraries, community groups and youth programmes are free of charge. If budgets allow, an honorarium is appreciated but never required. If you cannot afford to bring me, that is not a reason not to ask.
Engagements requiring travel
An honorarium appropriate to your organisation, plus travel, accommodation and meals. Expenses are quoted in advance and never padded. Virtual engagements carry no travel cost.
Corporate & institutional keynotes
Corporate events, conferences and funded institutional programmes at a professional speaking fee. Fee is confirmed in writing before the engagement, and is quoted per event.
What do you charge?
It depends on who you are. Local schools and community organisations pay nothing. Anything requiring travel is an honorarium plus expenses. Corporate and funded institutional events are at a professional fee. Ask, and I will tell you straight.
Do you speak in Kreyòl or French?
Yes. I can deliver in English, French or Kreyòl Ayisyen, and I have a Kreyòl version of the keynote for Haitian audiences. Tell me your audience's language and I will plan around it. Interpretation for other languages can also be arranged.
Will you travel to us?
Yes, including internationally. I am based in Los Angeles and travel regularly across the United States, to Canada, and to the Caribbean. Travel costs are quoted up front and agreed before anything is booked.
Can you tailor the talk to our theme?
Always. I will ask who is in the room and what you want them to leave with, then write for that audience. You will see the outline before the event. No talk is delivered twice unchanged.
How far ahead should we book?
For keynotes, six to eight weeks is comfortable. For Black History Month in February and academic conference dates, earlier is much better — those calendars fill from November. For anything urgent, ask anyway; I sometimes have room.
Is the talk religious or political?
Neither, in the way those words usually mean. I examine how systems and institutions shaped what people were taught to believe. I do not attack anyone's personal faith or tell audiences what to think — I invite them to question what they were taught.
Can we record or livestream?
Almost always yes, and it extends the reach of your event. Just tell me in advance so we can agree the terms. I am happy for schools and non-profits to use the recording internally.
What do you need from us on the day?
A reliable connection for virtual events, or a clear stage and working microphone in person. For workshops, tables rather than rows. That is genuinely it — I travel light and do not need much.
Tell me about your audience, and I’ll tell you what I’d say to them.
Send the date, the audience, the format, and what you want them to walk away with. I read every enquiry myself and reply either way.
- Email
info@yvenerduroseau.com - Text
+1 318-667-8226 - Office
+1 (323) 218-8220
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Media Inquiries
For interview requests, speaking engagements, and press inquiries on decolonizing the mind, please complete the form below.