Zanmi Lakay

(Photos of all these events are all coming, but internet connections are so bad here we haven’t been able to post…please keep checking, but we may have to wait until we’re home this Friday. Some links are attached in this post…and we haven’t even been able to view them yet.)

Jacmel

We were invited to a Vodou Ceremony the evening before the Silent Artists Procession and it seemed appropriate. Women in white danced and chanted around the poto mitan while the drummers played and the crowd sang along. A woman who was mounted by Danballa was covered with a sheet and fed honey. It was all quite beautiful.

Artist Procession Sunday 7 February – Part of what Zanmi Lakay did in Jacmel was to help organize and sponsor the silent artists’ procession. Guy and I presented the idea to Amanou of Troupe Flambeau, and to Blaise, president of G-27 (an organization of 27 paper maché troupes), and liked the idea of something silent that was NOT a party. The artists decided all of the details including the funeral band that we took up a collection for at Hotel Cyvadier and we received more money than we asked for…so we told Blaise to give it out as needed to the artists. Cine Institute students were videotaping the entire time, and I was shooting pictures. All of the children from ACFFC lined up at the start to have their faces painted with black and white dots, and others followed suit including Guy. Everyone wore a black strip of cloth on their heads, arms, or around their necks. The crowd, including Jacmel’s mayor, wove its way through the town passing many collapsed buildings with people lining the streets or joining us. It lasted about 2 ½ hours ending at the Jacmel Cemetery where we buried all of the banners and black strips of cloth in a grave. It was beautiful.

The New York Times published a story along with some of my photos in it (A Carnival Artist Without a Carnival)

Mural-Monday 8 February-The children began a mural on three walls of the Foundation building in the morning and finished it before the end of the day. We were in and out because two planes came in that day with food, and every time we came back to unload the hundreds of pounds of rice and beans and pasta and tomato sauce, there was much progress. The walls are now full of solid color and covered with original artwork by the children. Blaise (brother of Blaise above), one of the artisans in Jacmel employed by ACFFC, oversaw the project and we provided the tools (assisted by some paint and brushes visiting photographer Andy Levin brought in through the Dominican Republic). When people come to visit, they will be greeted instantly by the children’s beautiful work, and it gives an entirely new vibe to the daily happenings at the Center.

Fête/Slideshow/Tent Giveaway at ACFFC Wednesday 10 February – The Zanmi Lakay presents ACFFC’s Earthquake Recovery Project fet was a wonderful event culminating in a slideshow of the kids’ work and then my photos documenting all of our activities together including a field trip to the beach, the painting of the mural, the Trésor video shoot by Ciné Institute (go to this link for the final video), picking up and distribution of food donated by Go Ministries and delivered by volunteer pilots, and the Photography Workshop. We provided popcorn and soda, and then at the very end of the party each family received a tent. (It turned out that a friend and co-worker of my sister, Allison Davis, was one of the volunteer pilots so I was asked what I wanted and the results were 60 tents. This was a major organizational feat with many people helping with their time and money, including Craig McAllister, the tent and delivery companies, Allison, everyone who donated, and the pilots. Our boxes of tents were the only thing that came in on that airplane except for a care package for one of the airport workers…who were also great.) Much thanks to our Zanmi Lakay/ACFFC family members including Judy Hoffman (the Executive Director/Mother/energetic woman extraordinaire of ACFFC in FL), Georges Metelus (director of ACFFC in Haiti), Allison (one of our Board members in SF), Matou, Evens, Madame Coteas, Andy and his crew of photographers, Guy (translator/driver/teacher/mover and shaker), and of course all of the kids and the town of Jacmel.

We did a bit of collaborating with the Ciné Institute film school in Jacmel. Please check out their website if you haven’t yet. A couple of the film students came to ACFFC to interview five of the kids in our Photography Workshop for another article with the NYTimes. Unfortunately the beautiful footage won’t be in the article because we couldn’t get it uploaded and translated in time, but they did a fabulous job, were so patient, and gave us the footage so we could translate for the article.

The Tresor video of the Earthquake Song is finished and posted on Ciné Institute’s website. The students and townspeople loved their song as do we. Often I found myself singing it out of the blue. Please check it out-we are so proud of all of them. The boys in the band are all sponsored by Zanmi Lakay and continue to need help with school, rent, and living expenses, and we helped them by providing funds and food, and the collaboration with the video shoot. We are also currently trying to buy a moto for Wilky – he’s the one that makes the crochet hats we sell at our Ti Machés – as it would help him immensely to use it getting around and as a taxi driver to make money.

We had our short Cite Soleil Photography Workshop yesterday and today. The first thing we did was show and critique all of the photos from last June displayed on a computer with a round of applause after each student’s work. This long term situation with the photo students isn’t working because they love it too much and show so much talent that they need much more instruction and support. This time our theme is Healing Haiti and six young children used disposable film camera while the rest of the kids are taking turns using digital cameras for the first time. They absolutely love it and we have two very strong stand outs in the class who went all the way down to the Palace and National Cathedral taking beautiful photos representing their national pride. We edited them today in front of the class and the other students were in awe. We did some running around yesterday with Jean Ristil and friends buying food and supplies. Today we danced and had visitors and handed out food bags and all the things we bought yesterday for the kids and the end of class. It was all very short, but beautiful. They understood that this trip was different because of the earthquake, but we also had to promise them that we would be back much more often so they could continue studying photography. Some truly want to be journalists and we want them to fulfill their dreams.

Jennifer met us (Pilatus N116TH) in Jacmel, Haiti on February 8 when we delivered 2,000 pounds of food to Art Creation Foundation for Children in Jacmel, Haiti. We were presented with a special gift…

A Monumental Benefit and Clothing Drive
Bay Area artists, musicians and performers donate their talents to support local organizations working in Haiti.

It is time to share experiences from Jacmel, the Pearl of the Antilles. We’ve been concentrating our efforts with ACFFC (the organization with 60 impoverished children and our collaborators for many years), Zanmi Lakay’s small group of young men in our Transition Program, and local paper maché artisans and families.
But first … an example of an exciting day in Haiti. Today we went out shooting with the kids and a bunch of photographers with Andy Levin’s 100 Eyes Workshops in small groups. Guy, Andy, and I went out with Ti Charles and Rodyle. We stopped by Ti Charles house and were drinking sodas and talking about Vodou when we noticed a door directly across the dirt road from us had a Baron cross on it. The Mambo of the ‘Kay Magic’ (magic house) came out, introduced herself, and invited us in to show us how the earthquake had ruined her house. It was full of everything Vodou with vévés, posters of spirits, gris gris, and a beautiful altar. She let us photograph her as we listened to her stories. On our way back to the ACFFC house we strolled through the Jacmel Cemetery and came upon a woman praying at the black wooden Baron cross, burning a rope at the base, and throwing rhum on the flames. She wouldn’t let us photograph her, only the cross, and when she left told us NOT to follow her…so we didn’t. Then we went to the airport to wait for our 1:00 plane that soon flew in with 60 much needed tents that my sister facilitated along with Craig, pilots Marc and Lyndy, and I’m not sure who else, but they got it done. Besides a care package for one of the girls working there, our tents were the sole purpose of that flight. Miracles, baby! There were hugs all around and it is a good day in Haiti.
There are a lot of NGO’s in town (as you can imagine) working on food distribution programs, assessing needs, and trying to figure out what to do about living conditions. We visited three on the second day we were here with Georges (ACFFC’s director) and tried to get food and/or tents to no avail. ACFFC was “too small”, supplies hadn’t arrived yet, or organizations were still assessing. The director of the World Food Program told us we were too small and I found out last night that they handed out 28,000 meals yesterday, so we are very thankful for the donations, pilots, and planes that delivered the 5000 pounds of food that we picked up on Tuesday for the children and their families. We received a call about noon with the pilot’s first names and a tail number, Georges made a call and immediately a truck and driver were on the way, and in 30 minutes we were all at the airport. Guy and I got through security easily because I was white, but the other Haitians had problems and I’m not getting into that here. An hour later we were unloading 2,500 pounds of rice, beans, corn meal, cooking oil, and tomato sauce in tag team muscle fashion at ACFFC’s foundation building with the kids. Then we received another call about a plane just an hour later and repeated it all again. It was exhilarating and wonderful and miraculous. According to the volunteer pilots, the Jacmel airport is the best run in the country. There’s a team keeping track of all flights and the Canadian Military are dug in and maintaining security. Guy and I happily played tour guide for five pilots to the tent city at the soccer field, historical Jacmel, and then ACFFC so that they could meet the recipients of their efforts. These pilots are amazing, generous, extremely sweet, and were so grateful to us for the little time we spent with them….we couldn’t thank them enough. They are making a HUGE difference here. (Check out recent NYTimes article Help from Above.)

We have visited two tent cities in Jacmel – a huge one with thousands of people living in makeshift tents at the soccer field, and another above the cemetery that is smaller and less organized. People are living in misery with very little privacy, and in the soccer field using newly dug latrines, group cooking areas, and a lousy water system. USAID and boys scouts were entertaining children one day, people are selling goods, and there is even a brothel tent. It’s been raining here every night and we heard Venezuelans have taken over and are rearranging the camp at the soccer field trying to get everyone into big tents (something they hate), but the water isn’t draining, mud is everywhere, and it’s a big problem. The Haitians were not happy when they raised the Venezuelan flag however, and we’re not sure how that turned out, but not a good idea.
Onto the Photography Workshop and our Earthquake Recovery Project. As of today, 28 kids have shot eight assignments pertaining to the earthquake tragedy and their hometown shooting two days each. Everyone is sharing cameras and taking turns-one group shoots one day and the second group shoots the next day, then that was repeated. So four days of taking photographs have now happened. We’ve had class time and two long group editing sessions with all the students, and one session included the visiting photographers so the kids had great feedback. The kids begin the mural on Monday, and our end of session fete will be Wednesday. Guy and Georges interviewed each of the students on video, and all of these elements will be incorporated with team efforts into the final project.
The last element of the Project is the Earthquake Song by Trésor, the Haitian rap band made up of four young men sponsored by Zanmi Lakay, and it will be our soundtrack. Yesterday Ciné Institute (please look them up online-Jacmel’s film school that was ruined in the earthquake, but the first people shooting images to the world after it happened) made a music video shooting Trésor singing in locations all over town including the main square with people living in a little tent city. A blind woman joined in singing, clapping, and throwing her arms around the boys. It was absolutely fabulous! The boys were a little nervous at first, but came through each having a little solo time, becoming stronger as the momentum grew. The filmmakers and the townsfolk loved the song, and young girls and children were singing the chorus wherever we went. The boys had never received that kind of attention, and I was so proud!
There will be no usual Kanaval festivities this year in Jacmel. So many homes in the area where the paper maché artisans live have collapsed or are so badly damaged that they will be demolished, and much of their hard work for the world famous parades was ruined in the earthquake. Many of these artisans are also living in the tent camps. Guy and I have been trying to organize these artists so they can somehow show what is left of their beautiful art, be sensitive to the catastrophe, and create an event that can be healing for the city. Zanmi Lakay is now a sponsor of the silent march that will happen this Sunday through Jacmel, and we are collecting funds from visitors to pay a funeral band that will play while walking through the streets. I photographed the beginning of the black banners being painted today paying homage to those that died in the earthquake and to Haiti. Both ACFFC and Zanmi Lakay will have banners. The mayor and the police are on board. There are glimmers of life returning and to cancel Kanaval completely for the first time seems too sad, so the brilliant artisans will walk the broken streets of Jacmel in silence as a funeral band plays sad songs of what is now gone.