Between new releases and tradition, the music industry remains vibrant despite the challenges facing a country at war. One of today’s hottest rappers opens up to us, and we present a selection of the best albums of 2026 in this special summer issue devoted to music. All this and much more in issue #68 of HAÏTI MAGAZINE by DÈYÈ MÒN ENFO.

Contents #68

1. Woolens Strong: Rap as Strength and Refuge

2. The Standout Albums and EPs of 2026 (January to July)

3. Tabou Combo and Tropicana: Two Compas Legends on One Stage

4. Music Video of the Week: Leo Leo Remix by Bulin 47 and Afriken An

5. Kreyol La in Petit-Goâve: the Concert in Pictures

6. Imafoto Shines a Spotlight on Haiti’s Next Generation of Photographers

7. Kenscoff Mourns Another Massacre

8. Press Reviews

Woolens Strong: Rap as Strength and Refuge

Active on the rap scene for more than 15 years, Woolens Strong quickly rose among the leading names in Haitian hip-hop after releasing his first two excellent EPs within a single year. His experience has also earned him the support of industry heavyweights, including Dutty and Fantòm of Barikad Crew, who appear in his latest music video.

“Coming from Bas-peu-de-Chose was one of my greatest assets when I started rapping, but it was not the only one,” he explains. He began rapping in 2008 with a group from the same neighborhood as Barikad Crew, one of Haiti’s most legendary rap groups.

Since launching his solo career in 2015, he has sought to support young rap artists in turn, just as others supported him early in his career. This fall, he plans to open a new recording studio in Delmas 75. Called Underground Connexion. The studio is intended as a welcoming space for hip-hop artists in the capital.

“I listen to everything being made in rap,” he says. “As soon as your music is on YouTube, I will listen to it. And many artists in Creole rap are doing good work. I recommend that everyone set the big names aside for a moment and take the time to listen to other artists too. For example, artists like Flewo, Apoteoz and Tikawo Trafik are doing great work. Pèkitan too. There is also an MC named Handboy. There are so many… I cannot name them all.”

Woolens Strong has lived in Delmas since the 2024 attacks on the Bas-peu-de-Chose and Carrefour-Feuilles neighborhoods near downtown Port-au-Prince.

“My heart is always heavy, and I feel great sadness when I see what is happening where we grew up and cannot go back. I also see people I grew up with living in shelters, where there is illness and all the social problems caused by the situation. I always have tears in my eyes when I think about it. But it is beyond our control; this is what the country has become. The most important thing is to be alive.”

His latest EP, I Am Strong, was released earlier this year (see the review below). His first EP, released last year, is titled Play Mwen. Both are available on streaming platforms, where he has already released several songs, including the excellent Rap Pov in 2023.

The Standout Albums and EPs of 2026 (January to July)

I Am Strong by Woolens Strong (Apple Music, Spotify)

Genre: Hip-hop

This is a very strong EP with powerful, incisive Creole rap that is sensitive and intelligent. Every lyric is deliberate and thoughtful, with nuanced, finely crafted, and uncompromising poetry. “Better to be happy on foot than crying in a Prado,” he says in Ensomni. The lyrics address his past, his pride, and hardship. They are carried by a choppy flow that sometimes lacks variety, but this is balanced by catchy hooks. The featured singers offer R&B that can feel slightly overdone at times, but is more nuanced elsewhere. The instrumentals are mostly classic boom-bap, except for one drill track with Bourik The Latalay. They are consistently well produced. Whether built on looped violins, acoustic guitar, keyboards or brass, the production remains top-tier. This is the work of an accomplished artist at the height of his craft.

Standout tracks: #2 #4 #5 #6 #7

Contraste by Domec Brusly (Apple Music, Spotify)

Genres: Pop, Afropop

This album features gentle Haitian afropop with beautiful melodies and touches of compas and Caribbean music, including amapiano log drums on three tracks. While no song is quite as infectious as his hit Ma Muse, remixed here with Roody Roodboy, the set remains catchy. The production quality is excellent. The lyrics focus on love, sometimes turning introspective or addressing the state of the country. The album is sweet yet well-made and varied from track to track.

Standout tracks: #1 #2 #10 #11 #12

Sometimes by Rayhans (Apple Music, Spotify)

Genres: Chanson, Pop, Downtempo

Both innocent and melodic, this EP by the Ontario-based Haitian singer comes as a surprise. Though not intended for Haiti’s mainstream audience, it retains its full Creole flavor through rhythms subtly inspired by compas, roots music, and marching bands, featuring a cowbell on two tracks. Driven by gentle electronic beats, the EP remains deeply rooted in the chanson tradition, with catchy choruses, harmonies and the occasional acoustic-guitar melodies. Its sweet tunes, mostly in Creole but sometimes in English, warm the heart and soul. With a textured yet ethereal voice, at times almost whispered, and understated melodies, Rayhans clearly stands out as one of the young singers of the Haitian diaspora to watch, especially since he has announced two more EPs this year.

Standout tracks: #1 #2 #3 #5 #8

Fenomèn by Mebel Brun (Apple Music, Spotify)

Genres: Compas, Pop, Rabòday, Afropop

Haitian pop with strong afropop influences and amapiano log drums on two tracks. There are also touches of compas, including keyboard or guitar solos in four songs against a pop backdrop. The lyrics touch on love, seduction, sex, depression and the single life, as heard in a duet with Watson-G.

Standout tracks: #2 #4 #6 #8 #9 #10

RARA PEYIM (Popouri Vol 1) by Haitian Music Library (Apple Music, Spotify)

Genre: Band-à-pieds

Access to recordings of Haitian marching bands is always a gift, especially when most of the tracks are well recorded. Documents of such cultural richness are rare and difficult to find. This compilation brings together several songs by the same groups, which underscores the lack of professional recordings of these popular Haitian brass bands. It is an anthology-worthy document.

Standout tracks: #1 #3

First Drop by Colmix (Apple Music, Spotify)

Genres: Rabòday, Compas

In this EP, the artist primarly explores rhythms that are slower than his usual pace and what rabòday audiences have come to expect. He flirts with compas on the first five tracks, which feature Mebel Brun, Roody Roodboy and Mickael Guirand. He also occasionally adopts a downtempo afropop feel. Several songs feature remarkable solos. The last three tracks are more clearly rabòday, though they still move at a relatively slow pace for the genre. The EP closes with strong afropop, featuring log drums on the penultimate track and near-drill hip-hop on the final one. The production is first-rate. Colmix is an established producer, although more innovation or experimentation would have been welcome. Each track features a different artist, and the lyrics generally focus on relationships and love.

Standout tracks: #1 #3 #5 #7

BYEN PRE PA LAKAY by ÄSHH (Apple Music, Spotify)

Genre: Hip-hop

Fairly classic hip-hop, but very well-crafted and especially melodic. The project often leans more toward sung rap than spoken rap. Strong musicality runs throughout, supported by rhythms that are buoyant but never quite cross into trap. Several tracks end with excerpts of messages from his mother, who lives in Haiti, adding a touch that is both funny and personal.

Standout tracks: #1 #3 #5 #7 #9

BWAAAAAAA by backup promo (Apple Music, Spotify)

Genre: Rabòday

This rabòday mini-compilation, released by Backup Promo, packs ten tracks into just fourteen minutes. The identity of the original artists can sometimes be difficult to determine. The very short tracks emphasize club energy, chanted hooks, and electronic percussion.

Standout tracks: #2 #5 #6 #8 #9 #10

AFTER FAME by KidnelyRz (Apple Music, Spotify)

Genre: Hip-hop

Distinctive, well-made Creole rap. The productions have a unique feel, often influenced by trap. The artist’s flow is equally distinctive, featuring choppy, highly rhythmic phrasing. However, the lyrics can sometimes feel a little childish.

Standout tracks: #1 #3 #8 #10 #12

Hatelove by Joé Dwèt Filé (Apple Music, Spotify)

Genres: Compas, Pop, R&B, Hip-hop

A compas project infused with pop, R&B and dancehall that explores the duality of love and hate in modern relationships. Whether revisiting past relationships that still haunt us, passionate love, or marriage, romance lies at the heart of every lyric. Compas dominates, sung entirely in French except for one track. The music is languid, warm, and haunting. It may be too syrupy for some listeners, but the project goes down like candy and is exceptionally well produced, directed and mastered.

Standout tracks: #5 #8 #13 #15

Lobocity: Tout Yon Inivè by GWOLOBO, Paul Beaubrun, ManitoNation & KOLO (Apple Music, Spotify)

Genres: Compas, Rabòday, House, Roots

A set of tracks that sound like they were fun to make, with plenty of skits and playful nods. Are they just as enjoyable to listen to? That likely depends on the audience. The album features plenty of guitar solos and layered sound. There are also many guests artists, and the production quality is high. However, the vocals, which are mixed prominently, sometimes clash with the background electronic music.

Standout track: #13

ECLESIA par Naïka (Apple Music, Spotify)

Genres: R&B, Pop, Compas, Salsa, Soul

Pop, jazz and soul songs drawing on many influences, performed in English, French and with a few snippets of Haitian Creole. The project is well produced and very modern, but also highly polished. The Caribbean influences deliver its strongest moments. When Naïka raps, her voice recalls Kanis.

Standout track: #5

Other noteworthy releases:

• Promesse by Dracky Anpenpan

• ‎NEW LIFE by Dave Casseus

• Makem by Clifford Dume on Apple Music

• ‎Esansyèl by Widmayard CJ

• Jete Dlo (feat. Kabysh) by Gardy Girault

• Inspiration Divine by Fre Gabe

• DRIPP LIFE by LPA PAPA DRIPP

• Rasin Mwen by R-KING F

Tabou Combo and Tropicana: Two Compas Legends on One Stage

The country’s leading political figures and business leaders gathered on Saturday, August 22, for a summit between two of Haiti’s oldest compas orchestras: Tabou Combo and Tropicana.

The Karibe Hotel in Pétion-Ville was packed for this exclusive event, with tickets priced at US$100. Much of the cabinet, including the ministers of Culture, Tourism and Foreign Affairs, as well as the transitional prime minister, attended the evening, which ended at 4 a.m.

Tabou Combo is based in New York, while Tropicana is based in northern Haiti. Both emerged from compas direct, the foundational form of compas, backed by a brass section.

Music Video of the Week

Leo Leo Remix - Bulin 47 X Afriken An

Often portrayed as enemies by their leaders, Haiti and the Dominican Republic nevertheless have far more in common than divides them. This new hit by Haiti’s Afriken An and the Dominican Republic’s Bulin 47 makes the point by blending rabòday and dembow. The song quickly became a hit in both countries. With 11 million YouTube views in three weeks, the video has made the duo one of the year’s defining phenomena across the island of Hispaniola.

Afriken An’s original track, released in 2024, began gaining traction with Dominican audiences after the World Cup, where it became the unofficial anthem of the Cape Verde team.

Nevertheless, some racist voices in the Dominican Republic criticized this highly popular collaboration. In response, several Dominicans said the criticism revealed an insecurity about national identity (see the video above).

Kreyol La in Petit-Goâve: the Concert in Pictures

The compas band Kreyol La, led by singer T-Jo Zenny, performed at the Canne à Sucre Night Club in Petit-Goâve on August 15. Our contributor was there.

Imafoto shines a spotlight on Haiti’s next generation of photographers

The Imafoto festival’s annual exhibition showcased several of Haiti’s most important and active emerging photographers. The event was presented simultaneously at several venues before the works were brought together on Place Boyer for the final days. Our contributor Steeve Saint Fleur (top photo) was among the exhibitors.

Kenscoff Mourns Another Massacre

At least 47 people were massacred overnight from Sunday, August 23, to Monday, August 24, when an armed group attacked residents of the Kenscoff commune. The victims were people of all ages, including children. Dozens of people were also kidnapped during the attack, with estimates ranging from twenty to forty. The children among the hostages were released several days later thanks to the intervention of a citizen.

On the night of the massacre, the attackers reached the center of this agricultural town, including the area around the police station. More than 4,200 people were forced to flee their homes because of the attacks, according to the latest IOM figures.

Messages of sympathy and outrage followed from Canada, France, the United Nations and the Haitian government, among others. A few days later, the government replaced the police station’s leadership. The United Nations Security Council also held a special meeting on Haiti following the massacre.

As is often the case, the attack had been announced in advance, yet the police response was clearly inadequate. Several media outlets asked the same question: How could a predicted attack have been taken so lightly? According to available information, there were no police armored vehicles on site during the assault, despite the area having been under fire since the first attacks in January 2025.

The massacre sparked deep dismay in the capital and across the country.

DÈYÈ MÒN ENFO’s team

Photojournalists: Francillon Laguerre, Sonson Thelusma, Andoo Lafond, Milot Andris, Patrick Payin, Ketlain Difficile, Steeve Saint Fleur, Clarens Siffroy, Odelyn Joseph, Steeve Saint Fleur
Community manager: Steven Andris
Editorial board: Etienne Côté-Paluck, Jean Elie Fortiné, Jean-Paul Saint-Fleur
Interns: Wilky Andris, Donley Jean Simon
Special collaboration: Stéphanie Tourillon-Gingras, Mateo Fortin Lubin, Dickens Lundi
Media partners: Centre à la Une, J-COM, Nord-Est Info
Institutional partners: Kay Fanm, Mouka.ht

How Does Your Contribution Help?

Your monthly (or yearly) support helps finance the production and pay the salaries of the DÈYÈ MÒN ENFO staff in the communities of Cité-Soleil, Port-au-Prince and Cayes-Jacmel. In addition, donations are regularly distributed for medical expenses, school fees and other emergencies in these communities.

Press Reviews

Performing Arts (Music)

• Time Passes, but Tropicana and Tabou Combo Endure - Le Nouvelliste

• PRONAMUH Summer Camp Closes at Kiosque Occide Jeanty - Le Nouvelliste

• Sainte-Trinité Music School and Philharmonic Orchestra Hold Grand Concert at Place Boyer - Le Nouvelliste

• Dracky Anpenpan to Perform for the First Time at Parc Saint-Pierre in Ouanaminthe - Le Nouvelliste

Visual Arts

• Johnson Sabin: When Photography Becomes a Way to Tell Haiti’s Story - Le Nouvelliste

• Haiti Photo Connect Celebrates “A Haitian View of the World” - Le Nouvelliste

• Kolektif Fotograf Ayisyen Closes Second Edition of IMAYITI Festi Foto - Le Nouvelliste

• Patrick Vilaire, Major Figure in Haitian Art, Dies - Le Nouvelliste

Film

• Mototaxis Through the Lens of Arnold Antonin - Le Nouvelliste

• Haiti Without Screens: The Exile of National Cinema - Le Nouvelliste

• Lakaywood Seeks to Make Film a True Cultural and Economic Engine - Le Nouvelliste

Culture

• Profamil Hosts Major Food and Crafts Fair in Delmas - Le Nouvelliste

• Rezonans Culture Lab Officially Launches in Delmas - Le Nouvelliste

• Pyepoudre Cultural Center Closes Fifth Edition of “Men Vakans Tololo” - Le Nouvelliste

• Dondon Caves Festival: An 11th Edition Marked by Resilience, Excellence and Pride - Le Nouvelliste

Literature

• Thélyson Orélien Shortlisted for the Prix Femina and Prix Femina des Lycéens - Le Nouvelliste

• Emmelie Prophète’s Cécé Honored in the United States - Le Nouvelliste

• Thélyson Orélien in the Running for the Renaudot After the Goncourt and Goncourt des Lycéens - Le Nouvelliste

• Thélyson Orélien Wins Strasbourg Espoir CIC Prize for C’était ça ou mourir - Le Nouvelliste

• Literature: Vol raté de la Saint-Jean - Le Nouvelliste

• Chelson Ermoza Makes a Major Return to Port-au-Prince With Tras pye lorizon - Le Nouvelliste

• Hinche Municipal Library: Prévilus Joslyn’s Fight for Books - Le Nouvelliste

• René Depestre, Nearly 102, Honored at the Lagrasse Book Banquet - Le Nouvelliste

Music

• Haiti’s Army and the Musical Paradox - AlterPresse

• Albert Chancy Recounts Shoubou’s Difficult Beginnings Before Becoming Tabou Combo’s Cult Singer - Le Nouvelliste

• Frantz Joseph, Bossa Combo’s Drummer, Falls Silent - Le Nouvelliste

• Gwolobo Presents Lobo City: Tout Yon Inivè - Le Nouvelliste

Heritage

• Toussaint Louverture Memorial Mural Unveiled in Benin During SISTNA - Le Nouvelliste

• Haiti’s National Archives, the Foundation of National Memory - Le Nouvelliste

• Remembering Slavery: Bois-Caïman Museum Project at the Center of UNESCO Debate - Le Nouvelliste

• Lakou Soukri, the Memory of a Heritage at Risk - Le Nouvelliste

• A Call to Restore Champ de Mars - Métropole

• On the 1964 Jérémie Vespers - Le Nouvelliste

Gender and Women’s Rights

presented by KAY FANM

• Haiti Elections: Five Women-Led Political Groups Among 15 Approved by the CEP - HaitiLibre

• Haiti Crisis: One in Three Women’s Organizations at Risk of Closure, UN Women Says - AlterPresse

• Grand’Anse: Wagler Luc Convicted - JCOM Haiti

• Agriculture: National Forum on Rural Women - iciHaiti

• Haiti: SOFEHJ Calls for Immediate Humanitarian Aid for Women and Girls in Kenscoff - AlterPresse

Read more

⚠️ Lyrics in Creole, sometimes explicit, not suitable for work environments (NSFW)

#rapkreyol #GadonBlan

Poetry became a call for life to return to downtown Port-au-Prince, carried by young people living in displacement camps and by artist Ricardo Boucher. All that and more in issue #67 of HAÏTI MAGAZINE by DÈYÈ MÒN ENFO.

Issue #67 Summary

1. Displaced Youth Make the Call to Return Resonate

2. Celebrating Locks, Challenging Prejudice

3. This Week’s Music Video - Pye Sòl by Woolens Strong and Dutty

4. A Fragile Lull, but Kidnappings on the Rise

5. Press Reviews

Displaced Youth Make the Call to Return Resonate

A week-long training session with young people living in displacement camps culminated late last month in an artistic performance calling for life to return to downtown Port-au-Prince. Chanting “Live” at the top of their lungs, the presentation began with a march and ended with a performance at the Lycée Marie-Jeanne camp in Port-au-Prince. It was meant as a call for peace and a celebration of everything that once made up the heart of downtown, often called the lower part of the city.

The event, Bote Anba Lavil, takes its name from an expression popular among merchants who carry their goods “down to the lower city.” With its many markets, the area was considered the country’s economic heart until, two years ago, armed conflicts forced many residents and merchants to leave.

“I’ve always liked reciting poems, but I’ve really improved the way I express myself, and my shyness is starting to disappear thanks to this training,” explains Blandina, 17, who took part in the event. She lives in a camp in Bourdon.

“I used to do a bit of slam”, adds her colleague Edna, “but I was always a little shy. Now, with the workshop, I know how to speak in public and articulate well.”

Edna, who has lived for the past two years in a displacement camp, had also taken part last year in the first edition of these training sessions.

“The workshop completely changed my life,” she says.

Artist and poet Ricardo Boucher, who initiated the project and led the training, tells HAÏTI MAGAZINE that the project reflects “a popular rage, anger and a form of resistance,” “I’m a Port-au-Prince guy. I was born and grew up here. My parents also sold goods at Croix-des-Bossales and the Salomon market, among other places.”

“The downtown area has disappeared, it is no more.” he adds. “All these places are lost. This whole set of spaces made Port-au-Prince what it is, and they are disappearing.”

More than an economic lung, downtown Port-au-Prince was also central to social life, with its churches, cathedral, educational institutions and many markets. “At Croix-des-Bossales [the country’s largest market before the conflict], the way the merchant women called out to sell created a cacophony, but also conviviality, a sense of communion.”

The downtown area was a kind of lung for Port-au-Prince. “Today, we wonder what happened to the beauty of this city. What happened to the beauty of downtown Port-au-Prince? What happened to its aesthetic? What happened to the elegance that existed at the heart of all that life?”

Before the final presentation on July 25, the young participants gathered for a week in the rehearsal hall of the En lisant festival for workshops on poetry and artistic performance with Boucher.

“I hope the city will regain its charm and the desire we once had to live there,” Ricardo Boucher concludes. “We are working with young people, who are the symbol of Port-au-Prince’s resistance, of its present and of its future. And in the displaced persons camp, we created a performance that carried all the aesthetic charge of Port-au-Prince, its anger and all its rage.”

Celebrating Locks, Challenging Prejudice

Wearing long natural hair, most often dreads or locks, can sometimes be a struggle in Haiti, as we reported in issue #18 three years ago (in French).

Again this year, people wearing dreads have been forced by Haitian police to cut their hair. Last year, police officers with hair longer than average were also ordered to cut it, following a new directive from the chain of command.

Western prejudices often force a person with long natural hair to face several forms of discrimination. The second edition of the Haitian Locks Festival was held last month to challenge such prejudices. Organized at the Brazil-Haiti Cultural Centre in Pétion-Ville, the event was an opportunity to restore pride in long, kinky hair.

“The goal is to deconstruct stereotypes toward people with long hair or with locks” explains Malaïka Lamarre, contacted by HAÏTI MAGAZINE. “We want to reveal the origins of this discrimination and these stereotypes, but also how a person who wears locks can emancipate itself from its burden. We want to show how important it is to respect the hair and bodies of people who choose natural hair, as well as the beauty in every form of locks. In short, we want to help people reconnect with their identity through their hair.”

The event was aimed at people who have locks or long natural hair, she says, but also at anyone interested in the history of this hair. “It is not an easy journey, but it is an extraordinary one.”

This Week’s Music Video

Pye Sòl feat. Dutty - Woolens Strong

Young rapper Woolens Strong released his first full album this spring and a first excerpt of the music video for “Pye Sòl”, alongside Haitian dancehall veteran Dutty.

It is not the most popular video this month, but it marks an important step in this artist’s career. The album and video reflect the credit he is receiving as a rising star in rap, appreciated as much for the intelligence of his lyrics as for his street credibility. Better-known rappers such as Fantòm (Barikad Crew) and Pèkitan also put in an appearance in the video.

The expression “pye sòl” implies knowing the true state of affairs or walking the streets. It was popularized by a group of police officers, Team Pye Sòl, who took pride in putting their feet “on the ground” rather than fighting armed men from inside their armoured vehicle.

A Fragile Lull, but Kidnappings on the Rise

The conflicts in Cité-Soleil and Kenscoff, reported in our last issue, appear to have recently paused. Activities have somewhat resumed in both areas, except when gunfire was reported in Fort-Dimanche yesterday afternoon.

But kidnappings have also resumed. Two foreigners, both South Koreans, were kidnapped last Monday in Delmas 31. The police officer responsible for their security was shot and wounded while trying to stop the abductions. In the meantime, James Boyard, chief of staff to the Minister of defence kidnapped in June, remains in the hands of armed criminal groups.

Other kidnappings have also been reported in the Plaine, northern suburb of Port-au-Prince controlled by criminal groups, where passengers in motor vehicles were reportedly abducted for ransom.

DÈYÈ MÒN ENFO’s team

Photojournalists: Francillon Laguerre, Sonson Thelusma, Andoo Lafond, Milot Andris, Patrick Payin, Ketlain Difficile, Steeve Saint Fleur, Clarens Siffroy, Odelyn Joseph
Community manager: Steven Andris
Editorial board: Etienne Côté-Paluck, Jean Elie Fortiné, Jean-Paul Saint-Fleur
Interns: Wilky Andris, Donley Jean Simon
Special collaboration: Stéphanie Tourillon-Gingras, Mateo Fortin Lubin, Dickens Lundi
Media partners: Centre à la Une, J-COM, Nord-Est Info
Institutional partners: Kay Fanm, Mouka.ht

How Does Your Contribution Help?

Your monthly (or yearly) support helps finance the production and pay the salaries of the DÈYÈ MÒN ENFO staff in the communities of Cité-Soleil, Port-au-Prince and Cayes-Jacmel. In addition, donations are regularly distributed for medical expenses, school fees and other emergencies in these communities.

Press Review

Press Review - Music

• Who Were the First Musicians of Compas Direct (3)? - Le Nouvelliste

• Who Were the First Musicians of Compas Direct? (2) - Le Nouvelliste

• Compas Direct and the Magic of Nemours Jean-Baptiste - Le Nouvelliste

• Who Were the First Musicians of Compas Direct? - Le Nouvelliste

Press Review - Performing Arts (Music)

• Haiti-Diaspora: The 20th Edition of the Haiti en Folie Festival Celebrates Haitian Culture in Montreal - AlterPresse

• The Legendary Haitian Band Tabou Combo, Known for Its Kompa, Is One of the Guests of Honour at the 40th Festival International Nuits d’Afrique - Le Devoir

Press Review - Visual Arts

• Tessa Mars Presents Her First Solo Exhibition in France with “La Mue” - Le Nouvelliste

• Insecurity in Haiti: The Arts Sector Is Also Paying a Heavy Price - RFI

• Opening of Dany Laferrière’s Exhibition “Éclair – Haïku en Haïti” - Le Nouvelliste

• Presentation of the “Lòt Fòm” Program at the Brazil-Haiti Cultural Centre - Le Nouvelliste

Press Review - Cinema

• Jacmel, Living Memories at the Heart of the Cinéma Nous Training Program - Le Nouvelliste

Press Review - Heritage

• The Vodou Costume, a Memory Stitched into Haiti’s History - Le Nouvelliste

• Haiti-U.S. Occupation: 111 Years Later, the Historical Debate Continues - AlterPresse

• Haiti’s History and Culture at the Heart of the Paris Tropical Carnival - Le Nouvelliste

• Haiti - Grande Rivière du Nord: Emergency Mission by the National Bureau of Ethnology after the Discovery of Ancient Weapons - AlterPresse

Press Review - Literature

• Haitian writer Thélyson Orélien wins the 2026 Prix Méduse for “C’était ça ou mourir” - Le Nouvelliste

• The vitality of Haitian literature and the lack of structured criticism: Dany Laferrière’s twofold observation - Le Nouvelliste

• For a fully developed literary and scientific Creolophonie - Le Nouvelliste

• Dany Laferrière returns to Petit-Goâve - Le Nouvelliste

• Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé receives academician Dany Laferrière - Le Nouvelliste

• “Haïti et les Aigles” by Oloferne Édouard - Le Nouvelliste

• Gary Victor returns with Sonson Pipirit - Le Nouvelliste

• Dany Laferrière meets with young people at the DNL - Le Nouvelliste

• Ahead of his talk on childhood, Dany Laferrière speaks to UEH students - Le Nouvelliste

Press Review - Gender and Women’s Rights

Presented by KAY FANM

• The 9th edition of the Nègès Mawon Feminist Festival comes to a close - Le Nouvelliste

• Series | Sexual exploitation and abuse (1): SOFA strengthens the role of civil society organizations - AlterPresse

• Haiti: Sexual violence and humanitarian crisis, the ordeal of displaced people at the Ferme agricole de Papaye site - AlterPresse

• Haiti-Crime: Three murders in 18 days, including that of a market woman, alarm the North-East Gender Platform - AlterPresse

• Haiti: SOFA celebrates 40 years of commitment to women’s rights and autonomy - AlterPresse

• Nègès Mawon Festival: a decade of voices, memory and resistance celebrated through music - Mus’Elles

• Haiti: More than 3,000 cases of sexual violence reported in three months, UN warns - AlterPresse

Read more

Across Haiti and throughout the diaspora, Haiti’s foutbòl [soccer] team was celebrated. Our contributors across the country photographed this historic moment, carried by a festive atmosphere. All this, and much more, in issue #66 of HAÏTI WEEKLY, by DÈYÈ MÒN ENFO.

Summary #66

1. World Cup 2026: “Unlock the country”

2. Music Video of the Week: Fe yo wè nou by Roody Roodboy

3. Conflicts Resume in Kenscoff and Cité-Soleil

4. Press Reviews

World Cup 2026: “Unlock the country”

Haiti’s second appearance in the World Cup, following its first in 1974, provided a few hours of relief during its three matches against Morocco, Scotland and Brazil. Brazil is the favorite team of many Haitians when Haiti is not competing.

The moment also presented an opportunity to call for an end to the conflicts in Haiti. Crowds chanted the slogans “unlock the country” and “open the country”, which were also featured in the popular songs that accompanied the event. Listen to the mixtape below.

In Pétion-Ville, supporters gathered in front of a giant screen at Place Boyer for all three matches. The atmosphere was unique.

The World Cup was celebrated across the Haitian capital region. Flags were raised everywhere, and many vendors took the opportunity to sell Haitian flags of all sizes and type.

Before and after the matches, the bandapye marching bands took to the streets, creating an almost carnival-like atmosphere throughout the city.

In Port-au-Prince too, fans gathered in the free areas for each match. All three ended in defeat despite admirable performances.

Despite the defeat at the end of the run, Haiti celebrated each of their two goals against Morocco like a tremendous victory during the final match.

The cathartic atmosphere of this international competition was also deeply felt in Cap-Hatian.

In celebration of their participation, three players from Haiti’s national team, Duckens Nazon, Martin Expérience and Josué Duverger, returned to Haiti this week. They attracted attention wherever they went, from Cap-Haïtien to Port-au-Prince and Les Cayes.

They were welcomed by thousands of people in each city, often to the sound of fanfares. In Cap-Haïtien, Duckens Nazon took the opportunity to play a few passes with young people in the streets.

Music Video of the Week

Fe yo wè nou - Roody Roodboy

Roody Roodboy uses a carnival rhythm to celebrate Haiti’s foutbòl [soccer] team in Fe yo wè nou [Show them who we are]. From the beginning, the famous singer reminds listeners that 52 years have passed since the national team last appeared in the World Cup.

He names many of the players on Haiti’s 2026 squad and imagines a match in which the ball moves from player to player until it reaches the goal. Midway through, a bandapye fanfare joins in, and he closes the song with the slogan “Debloke peyi a” [Unlock the country], which is notably echoed by schoolchildren in the music video.

Conflicts Resume in Kenscoff and Cité-Soleil

Armed conflicts resumed this week in Kenscoff and Cité-Soleil. One conflict occured in the heights overlooking Port-au-Prince and the other occured at the lower edge of the city, by the sea.

In Kenscoff, armed criminal groups advanced, often under the cover of night, forcing some residents to flee into the woods. One of our contributors, who had previously taken refuge in the mountains after his neighborhood in lower Port-au-Prince fell under the control of criminal groups, fled their new home in the middle of the night with his spouse.

Last Thursday, we met with the magistrate of this commune. He appealed to the police and other authorities for help because armed groups are carrying out one of their most significant advances in the commune since the conflict began 19 months ago.

He also told us the story of five children whose parents were murdered on Tuesday. The children fled into the woods and walked for two days before reaching an area still under the control of the authorities.

In Cité-Soleil, the truce between the groups from Wharf Jérémie and Belekou groups proved short-lived. Since the beginning of the week, residents of the commune have once again been caught in the crossfire. Several health centers in the area have also had to slow down their operations.

DÈYÈ MÒN ENFO’s team

Photojournalists: Francillon Laguerre, Sonson Thelusma, Andoo Lafond, Milot Andris, Patrick Payin, Ketlain Difficile, Steeve Saint Fleur, Clarens Siffroy, Odelyn Joseph
Community manager: Steven Andris
Editorial board: Etienne Côté-Paluck, Jean Elie Fortiné, Jean-Paul Saint-Fleur
Interns: Wilky Andris, Donley Jean Simon
Special collaboration: Stéphanie Tourillon-Gingras, Mateo Fortin Lubin, Dickens Lundi
Media partners: Centre à la Une, J-COM, Nord-Est Info
Institutional partners: Kay Fanm, Mouka.ht

How Does Your Contribution Help?

Your monthly (or yearly) support helps to finance the production and pay the salaries of the DÈYÈ MÒN ENFO staff in the communities of Cité-Soleil, Port-au-Prince and Cayes-Jacmel. In addition, donations are regularly distributed for medical expenses, school fees and other emergencies in these communities.

Press Reviews

Press Review - Performing Arts

• Joubert Joseph, Finalist for the 2026 RFI Theatre Prize for “Les Yeux que la Nuit a pris” - Le Nouvelliste

Press Review - Performing Arts (Music)

• The Brazil-Haiti Cultural Center in Tune With the Fête de la Musique - Le Nouvelliste

• Djakout #1 Pulls Off Its “Welcome Back” and Crush Wins Over Audiences in Its Big Debut - Le Nouvelliste

Press Review - Visual Arts

• Amsterdam Hosts a Solo Exhibition by Haitian Artist Maksaens Denis - Le Nouvelliste

• Pawòl: When Art Becomes a Tool of Expression and an Act of Resistance - Le Nouvelliste

• At the Venice Biennale, Enock Placide Reinvents Conceptual Painting in Four Dimensions - Le Nouvelliste

• Mafalda Mondestin, Artist of Freedom and Crossings - Ayibopost

Press Review - Cinema

• Cannes Film Festival: Haiti Beyond the Red Carpet - Le Nouvelliste

• “Grand Prix 2026” at the Cabourg Festival for Marie Madeleine by Gessica Généus - Le Nouvelliste

Press Review - Literature

• Lyonel Trouillot and Louis-Philippe Dalembert Named Finalists for the Quai d’Orsay Literary Prize - Le Nouvelliste

• Thélyson Orélien, the Haitian Writer Shaking Up the Literary World From Montreal - Le Nouvelliste

• The 2026 Mallarmé Prize Awarded to Haitian Poet James Noël - Le Nouvelliste

• When Professor Hérold Toussaint Presents Jean Price-Mars at Université Laval - Le Nouvelliste

Press Review - Music

• “Lisette: A Song’s Journey From Haiti & Back,” an Album Dedicated to the Oldest Known Haitian Creole Song - Le Nouvelliste

• Wozo, Wilson Pierre’s Elegant Compas-Jazz Fusion - Le Nouvelliste

• Mandela Jean-François Unveils His “Tranzisyon” - Le Nouvelliste

• “Kale Yo”: Leicka and Eddy François’s Galvanizing Cry - Le Nouvelliste

• Jeff Beatz, a Name to Watch - Le Nouvelliste

• From Studios to Stadiums: Our Artists’ Boundless Imagination - Le Nouvelliste

Press Review - Gender and Women’s Rights

Presented by KAY FANM

• Gender: Many Women and Girls Trapped in the Hell of Sexual Violence in Haiti - AlterPresse

• Haiti: Commemorative Day Honoring Assassinated Feminist Activist Antoinette Duclaire - AlterPresse

• Annavialice Merline Casimir: The Voice of a Haitian Woman Building Bridges Between Migration, Rights, Leadership, and Entrepreneurship - Centre à la UNE

• Grand’Anse: Shelter for Survivors of Gender-Based Violence Inaugurated - AlterPresse

• “Plas Nou Pa Negosyab”: An Advocacy Project for Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights in Haiti - Le Nouvelliste

• PNH: Awareness Campaign Launched to Recruit Women - iciHaïti

Read more

#Alaso #Tyenomix #GadonBlan

Cover photo: Jean Elie Fortiné / Dèyè Mòn Enfo

Tracklist:

Read more

Will Haiti’s police force ever be able to secure the entire country? The government certainly hopes so. Several top officials recently attended the graduation of 1,192 new police officers as part of a plan to add 4,000 members to the force. All that and much more in Issue #65 of HAITI WEEKLY.

Editor’s Note: Welcome to our new subscribers! You bring the total number of followers of HAÏTI MAGAZINE in French to 1,800, and the total number of followers of HAITI WEEKLY in English to nearly 150. This places us 53rd among Substack’s international news newsletters. Thank you!

Summary #65

1. Training Faster, Policing Better? The Bet on a Larger Force

2. Livres en Folie: A Huge Crowd Turns Out for the Written Word

3. Music Videos of the Week: Dedouble by TonyMix & T-Ansyto and Ayiti nan Batay by Ayiiti & Boukman Eksperyans

4. Police Operation in Village de Dieu, a Truce in Cité-Soleil

5. Press Reviews

Training Faster, Policing Better? The Bet on a Larger Force

For a long time, Haiti was among the countries with the fewest police officers per capita, which is a sign that the country is relatively safe under normal circumstances. However, the armed conflict of the past five years has changed that, and an accelerated plan to expand the police force by more than 4,000 officers has been underway since late last year.

In January, a first class of 877 police officers graduated, including 156 women. Then, in late May, a second cohort of 1,192 new officers graduated, including 238 women (20%).

Many government officials were present, including Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé and Defense Minister Mario Andrésol, who is a former head of the Haitian police. In addition to honoring the top graduates, the officials linked this new deployment to their commitment to stabilizing the country before the next elections.

Will it be enough to curb the armed conflict? Although it may seem like the most logical solution, the succession of security promises made by transitional governments before elections since the last president was assassinated in 2021 offers little hope.

As recruitment efforts for the next cohort begin, criticism has emerged regarding the candidate selection process. According to the Ordre des défenseurs des droits humains (ORDEDH), some applicants were allegedly fast-tracked in exchange for payment.

The atmosphere at the National Police School’s graduation ceremony on Route Frère in Pétion-Ville was still celebratory. Many of the new officers were happy to graduate and reunite with their families after spending the previous four months undergoing intensive, secluded training.

Livres en Folie: A Huge Crowd Turns Out for the Written Word

Althouth Haiti’s celebration of literature has been condenses into a single day for the past few years due to the capital’s security situation, it still drew a large number of book lovers last Thursday at the El Rancho hotel convention center in Pétion-Ville. As usual, most publishing houses and dozens of Haitian authors were present at their booths.

With more than a thousand titles on display and over 100 authors in attendance, Haiti’s biggest book fair was in full swing. Among the attendees were columnist and novelist Gary Victor, historian Jean Ledan Fils, and renowned Haitian American actor Jimmy Jean-Louis, all of whom had their latest books in hand. Some politicians were also present, including Jocelerme Privert and Youri Latortue, who had their own books.

Le Nouvelliste and Magik 9 radio, two of the event organizers, had a booth where interviews were conducted and broadcast live.

Thousands of people came out to celebrate books and this edition’s guest of honor, René Depestre. Now 102 years old, Depestre unfortunately could not attend in person, but his work was celebrated throughout the event.

The crowd was so dense—with people of all ages—and the entrance was so packed that traffic backed up on the Panaméricaine from Bourdon. Some even wondered whether the venue was too small to host everyone.

Music Videos of the Week

Dedouble - TonyMix et T-Ansyto feat. Kenny Haiti, K-Dilak, J Perry & Shabba
Ayiti nan batay - Ayiiti feat. Boukman Eksperyans & Paul Beaubrun

Haiti’s historic qualification for the FIFA World Cup is the kind of event that unites Haitians together at home and around the globe. In recent weeks, dozens of songs have been released to celebrate the moment, two of which stand out.

First is Dedouble, which features some of the country’s best-known singers coming together over a TonyMix beat to “break the chains,” driven by a simple choral hook—“oh oh oh.” The video shows the artists alongside dancers and brass musicians from Haitian marching bands, some in front of a brightly painted pickup truck and others gathered around a percussionist. Images of flags, including those of the countries competing in the tournament, are woven throughout.

In the song “Ayiti nan batay” [Haiti is in the fight], Haitian singer Ayiiti is joined by the legendary group Boukman Eksperyans. The chorus of the song reprises the national team’s slogan: “Grenadye Alaso.” Following the chorus, the artists sing the refrain from Boukman Eksperyans’ classic “Kè’m pa sote” together. The music video opens with a fake news bulletin that is interrupted by the announcement that Haiti has qualified for the World Cup. The video then shows a crowd of supporters with the singers at the center, interspersed with images of foutbòl [soccer].

Police Operation in Village de Dieu, a Fragile Truce in Cité-Soleil

Since the beginning of last week, police have made a major show of force during an operation in the Village de Dieu neighborhood in downtown Port-au-Prince. The stronghold of Izo “5 Segonn,” an armed criminal group leader and rapper, has reportedly been occupied by law enforcement for more than a week. Journalists are still unable to visit the area, since the zone and access routes are not yet fully secured. However, many photos have been published on the police’s official social media accounts.

Meanwhile, the armed conflict in the northern part of Cité-Soleil that we reported on last week appears to have eased since last Sunday, according to our contributor on the ground. Several images on social media have also shown conflict zones being refurbished in the hope that displaced residents can return—more than 5,000 people, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

DÈYÈ MÒN ENFO’s team

Photojournalists: Francillon Laguerre, Sonson Thelusma, Andoo Lafond, Milot Andris, Patrick Payin, Ketlain Difficile, Steeve Saint Fleur, Clarens Siffroy
Community manager: Steven Andris
Editorial board: Etienne Côté-Paluck, Jean Elie Fortiné, Jean-Paul Saint-Fleur
Interns: Wilky Andris, Donley Jean Simon
Special collaboration: Stéphanie Tourillon-Gingras, Mateo Fortin Lubin, Dickens Lundi
Media partners: Centre à la Une, J-COM, Nord-Est Info
Institutional partners: Kay Fanm, Mouka.ht

How Does Your Contribution Help?

Your monthly (or yearly) support helps to finance the production and pay the salaries of the DÈYÈ MÒN ENFO staff in the communities of Cité-Soleil, Port-au-Prince and Cayes-Jacmel. In addition, donations are regularly distributed for medical expenses, school fees and other emergencies in these communities.

Press Reviews

Press Review — Gender and women’s rights

presented by KAY FANM

Press Review – Literature

• Livres en folie 2026: A Great Celebration – Le Nouvelliste

Press Review – Gender & Women’s Rights

presented by KAY FANM

• Arrest of a Police Officer Accused of Raping a Minor in Carrefour-Bacc – JCOM Haiti

• Haiti: Opening of Specialized Judicial Units for Financial Crimes and Sexual Violence – AlterPresse

• Haiti: The MCFDF Calls for an Investigation Into the Alleged Rape of a Teenager in Jérémie – AlterPresse

Read more

The Haitian flag, sewn in 1803 by Catherine Flon to symbolize unity among people of mixed ancestry and Blacks, remains a source of pride. Despite ongoing debates, the celebration, led largely by schoolchildren across the country, shone brightly once again this year. All that and much more in issue #64 of HAITI WEEKLY, by DÈYÈ MÒN ENFO.

Table of Contents #64

1. The Haitian Flag Celebrated at the Presidential Palace

2. Painting to Rebuild

3. Music Video of the Week : Viral by Wa Dodo

4. Cité Soleil: Downtown in Celebration, the North on Alert

5. Press Reviews

The Haitian Flag Celebrated at the Presidential Palace

On May 18 each year, Haiti celebrates Flag Day, a chance to revisit the roots of the first truly free republic in modern history, which declared independence in 1804. Previous attemps by France and the United States to establish republics were still grounded in slavery, debying citizenship and basic rights to Black and mixed‑race people. Thus, the enslaved people’s uprising on the island of Hispaniola was a slap in the face to Western powers. For more than a century, they tried to stifle Haiti’s development, fearing it would inspire other colonies to pursue independence.

The government’s official celebrations drew particular attention this year because they were held on the grounds of the Presidential Palace, which is located closed to a downtown area that is still marked by conflict. The goal was to show that the Champ-de-Mars area is safer now thant it was before.

Still, the authorities’ modest gains in central Port‑au‑Prince—small compared to the vast territory still under the control of armed criminal groups—were overshadowed by abuses in the south of the Artibonite region and new clashes north of the airport in Port‑au‑Prince, which reportedly left hundreds dead. Several critics have pointed this out over the past week. Why hold a lavish ceremony in a war-torn country?

During the government ceremony, members of Haiti’s new army mingled with young people from dance troupes, historical reenactment groups, and Vodou organizations. Haitian Vodou culture (photos above and below) is deeply intertwined with tradition and the early stages of the revolt against slavery in the late 18th century, a struggle that led to the country’s independence.

The interim prime minister of Haiti used the occasion to unveil a new stamp honoring the Haitian national soccer team. The team’s qualification for the 2026 World Cup has brought the whole nation together. Haiti last qualified for the World Cup was in 1974. As a symbol of passing the torch, Mario Léandre, a member of the 1974 squad, handed a flag to Woodensky Pierre, the only player on the current team playing for a Haitian club.

The event also gave Haiti’s armed forces (FADH) the opportunity to demonstrate their ceremonial expertise. Reestablished in 2017, the force has expanded every year since. Some view the growth of the force as a response to current insecurity, and recruitment has continued.

The troops were presented in formation and accompanied by a marching band. There was also a reenactment performed by actors depicting Haiti’s army during the time of the revolution.

Painting to Rebuild

A bottle‑painting workshop, rooted in Haitian tradition, was held for young people living in camps at the Tchaka Danse facilities in the Port-au-Prince’s Bourdon neighborhood. This initiative by the Maurice Sixto Foundation is part of a program that will include forum theater, dance workshops, and psychosocial support. The program launched on May 11 and will continue through the end of next month.

Music Video of the Week

Viral - Wa Dodo feat. Trust Halla Halla + Gogo Chen Rigòl

Wa Dodo, Trust Halla Halla, and Gogo Chen Rigòl walk through a shantytown, criticizing the current situation in the capital between games of lido [parcheesi] and phone‑charging service. It’s rare to see a music video this raw and realistic, with barbs aimed in every direction. The song celebrates working‑class people, talented children, and Haiti’s national soccer team while mourning those forced to flee their homes because of the fighting.

While it may not be one of the most popular videos right now, its authenticity and political significance make it one of the most striking songs, both for its lyrics and its cinematography.

Cité Soleil: Downtown in Celebration, the North on Alert

Flag Day is a day for young people across the country to celebrate—and Cité Soleil was no exception. Dressed in red and blue, children from the community marched through the streets with their parents and educators to celebrate a day that unites the country’s diverse political views.

Some young people were seen wearing police uniforms in the community. These photos were taken in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Cité Soleil and contrast with the ongoing clashes between factions associated with the armed criminal group G9 and those associated with G‑Pèp in the northen part of the area, as discussed in the last issue of HAITI WEEKLY. According to the International Organization for Migration, these confrontations have forced nearly 20,000 people to flee their homes.

DÈYÈ MÒN ENFO’s team

Photojournalists: Francillon Laguerre, Sonson Thelusma, Andoo Lafond, Milot Andris, Patrick Payin, Ketlain Difficile, Steeve Saint Fleur, Clarens Siffroy
Community manager: Steven Andris
Editorial board: Etienne Côté-Paluck, Jean Elie Fortiné, Jean-Paul Saint-Fleur
Interns: Wilky Andris, Donley Jean Simon
Special collaboration: Stéphanie Tourillon-Gingras, Mateo Fortin Lubin, Dickens Lundi
Media partners: Centre à la Une, J-COM, Nord-Est Info
Institutional partners: Kay Fanm, Mouka.ht

How Does Your Contribution Help?

Your monthly (or yearly) support helps to finance the production and pay the salaries of the DÈYÈ MÒN ENFO staff in the communities of Cité-Soleil, Port-au-Prince and Cayes-Jacmel. In addition, donations are regularly distributed for medical expenses, school fees and other emergencies in these communities.

Press Reviews

Press Review — Culture

• Haiti’s pavilion at the Venice Biennale - Le Nouvelliste

• “Résonances” to heal the wounds caused by violence - Le Nouvelliste

• Ayiiti and Boukman Eksperyans: bringing the 2026 World Cup to life with legendary Haitian sounds - Le Nouvelliste

• Festival Goûter littéraire for a deep reflection on rural Haiti - Le Nouvelliste

Press Review — Film

• Gessica Généus and “Marie Madeleine” conquer the 79th edition of the Cannes Film Festival - Le Nouvelliste

• The city of Jacmel moves to the rhythm of the “Festival du film de l’amitié” - Le Nouvelliste

Press Review — Heritage

• Gonaïves: between memory, spirituality, and patriotism, many activities marked Flag Day - Le Nouvelliste

• Haiti — May 18, Flag Day: the Prime Minister calls for national unity amid armed violence in Haiti - AlterPresse

• Haiti: when May 18 becomes a soul-searching moment - AlterPresse

• 223rd Flag Day: “The youth parade, living memory of the Bicolor” - iciHaiti

• 18 me: between memory, pride, and national disillusionment - Centre à la UNE

• Tribute to Catherine Flon, mother of the Haitian flag - Le Nouvelliste

Press Review — Media

• Haiti — Media: a photographer found dead in Les Cayes; two journalists die within days - AlterPresse

Press Review — Gender and women’s rights

presented by KAY FANM

• Singer and former host Luck Mervil convicted of sexual assault in Canada - Centre à la UNE

• Artibonite: in Makabon, Haitian midwives on the front line against cervical cancer - Le Nouvelliste

• Nadia Geffrard and four other Haitian women honored by Acash - Le Nouvelliste

• Haiti — gender-based violence: nearly 2,000 cases recorded between January and March 2026 - Alterpresse

• Haiti: dismissal of the Director General of the Ministry for Women’s Affairs - HaitiLibre

• Haiti’s women’s groups denounce replacing woman with man - Miami Herald

  

Read more

Following major strikes and demonstrations, the Haitian government agreed this week to open negotiations with unions and peasant movements regarding a minimum wage increase. All that and much more in issue #63 of HAITI WEEKLY by DÈYÈ MÒN ENFO.

Editor’s note: Thanks to your support, we can continue publishing. Your contribution enables us to produce exclusive, rigorous, high-quality on-the-ground reporting. Thank you to everyone who, to the best of their ability, chooses to support us with a paid subscription.

Summary #63

1. Wage Hike Talks: Minimum-wage Negotiations Underway

2. Music Video of the Week: Devan l ye by Zile

3. Expo Jeunes: A Festival of Flavors

4. Jeunesse en avant: Basketball in the Spotlight

5. Nazon Reopens, Delmas 30 Rebuilds

6. In the Plaine, the Coalition is Fracturing

7. Press Reviews

Wage Hike Talks: Minimum-wage Negotiations Underway

Since Thursday, the government has finally agreed to sit down with several union federations and peasant associations to consider raising the minimum wage, after nine days of strikes last month led by factory workers in Port-au-Prince and Ouanaminthe, two of the country’s largest industrial hubs.

“After the government’s decision in early April to raise fuel prices, workers felt they could no longer absorb the rising cost of living,” explained Télémarque Pierre, general coordinator of the ESPM–Batay Ouvriye federation, reached by phone yesterday morning just before another day of negotiations with the government.

Since the conflict between criminal groups and authorities began five years ago, annual inflation has remained around 30%. Meanwhile, the minimum wage has remained at 685 gourdes per day since 2022 (just over 7 Canadian dollars or 5 USD).

The mobilization began with three days of strikes in factories in mid-April, followed by three more days of strikes from April 20 to 22. Then, there were three additional days of strikes and demonstrations on April 29 and 30, as well as on May 1, which is International Workers’ Day and a public holiday in Haiti.

In talks that began this week, the government proposed raising the minimum wage to 1,000 gourdes per day (a little over 10 Canadian dollars, or 7.60 USD). That is not enough, according to Pierre. Given the steep rise in the cost of living, unions are demanding 3,000 gourdes per day instead.

“1,000 gourdes can’t cover basic needs for food,” the union leader explains. For example, 1,000 gourdes only pays for a plate of rice and meat from a street vendor in Port-au-Prince.

In Haiti, the government sets the minimum wage according to a grid based on job type. The 1,000-gourde proposal would apply to entry-level factory jobs. Under the government’s proposal, domestic workers’ wages would rise from 350 gourdes to 500 gourdes, and security guards’ from 615 gourdes to 925 gourdes.

These negotiations are being held with the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor, at the offices of the Economic and Social Assistance Fund (FAES).

“The workers’ demands are a minimum-wage floor of 3,000 gourdes, with no new price increases, lower gas prices, and that all employees arbitrarily and illegally dismissed at the CODEVI factories be reinstated, in line with respect for freedom of association.”

Around fifty union leaders and employees who participated in the strike were reportedly fired from factories in Ouanaminthe following the demonstrations.

“We’re calling on all workers to stay mobilized,” he concluded. “We’re consulting so that unions can adopt an official position on the government’s proposals.”

Factories in the Port-au-Prince (SONAPI) and Ouanaminthe (CODEVI) free-trade zones produce goods for Haiti and North America, such as low-cost clothing.

Music Video of the Week

Devan l ye - Zile

Led by Annie Alerte, the band Zile is enjoying success once again with its latest music video, Devan l ye (“look ahead”), which was released last Friday. A tribute to compas direct, the track features a horn section in the pure tradition of the genre, which was particularly popular before the 1990s.

In the video, a crowd in the street holds up signs bearing the names and images of some of the most important figures in compas direct. The signs are shown on screen at the very end. The song emphasized the importance of looking toward the future while remembering the past. It also recounts the journey of Annie Alerte, the group’s lead singer. As a child, she appears in front of a mirror singing into a hairbrush in a working-class neighborhood. Meanwhile, the adult singer travels by private jet and Mercedes before returning to visit the little girl she once was.

Expo Jeunes: A Festival of Flavors

In late April, the Delmas municipal hall in the Delmas 33 neighborhood hosted the sixth edition of the Expo Jeunes food fair, organized by Real Productions.

The event featured dozens of booths showcasing local products, including food and crafts. Several stars of the Haitian music scene performed in the evening, including Kreyol La, Teddy Hashtag, Bmix & Afriken, DJ YK, and Joel Akoustik. Our friends at Fragrance by Rudel were also on site (first photo).

A fashion show featuring Haitian designs was also included in the program this time.

Jeunesse en avant: Basketball in the Spotlight

The Jeunesse en avant basketball championship is currently underway in the capital, with a new edition taking place. This tournament provides an opportunity for teenagers to showcase their talent before advancing to the adult league. The event is supported by the Haitian Basketball Federation.

In the final matchup between Levante and Team Christ Roi, Team Christ Roi won the game (50–33) and the series. The game was played on April 19 at Place Boyer in Pétion-Ville.

Nazon Reopens, Delmas 30 Rebuilds

In recent weeks, a certain calm has been observed in the Nazon and Delmas 30 neighborhoods, following violent attacks by criminal groups in areas close to downtown Port-au-Prince. The armed groups appear to have retreated to their traditional strongholds, enabling some residents to return to home or assess the damage.

Based on our observations, many homes were burned and numerous sheet metal roofs were torn off. Traffic is also gradually returning to Nazon Road, where we saw buses (tap-taps) back in service on this major artery that had been closed for over a year.

In the Plaine, the Coalition is Fracturing

Tensions persist among members of Viv Ansanm, an armed criminal coalition that controls the area surrounding Port-au-Prince, including the city center.

Two weeks ago, new clashes took place in the Plaine, an area bordering Cité-Soleil and Tabarre, especially around Petite Place Cazeau and Damien in the northern outskirts of Port-au-Prince. According to the International Organization for Migration, three groups within the coalition are fighting for control of territory, triggering the forced displacement of 5,000 people. There are strong rumors that further attacks are being prepared following these initial clashes, which reportedly caused many deaths among the groups involved. Tè Nwa, a group based in Pierre 6, is reportedly attempting to seize territory from the Chen Mechan group (“Mean Dogs”) and its allies in the Taliban group, based in Canaan and led by a man known as Jeff Gwo Lwa.

Controlling certain intersections enables the installation of makeshift toll checkpoints, which generate significant income for these groups. Meanwhile, the U.S. embassy remains protected by U.S. Marines, though its doors are still closed to the public. Companies such as Barbancourt, a rum producer, and Comme il faut, a cigarette producer, which are also located near conflict zones, have called for help in a joint letter.

DÈYÈ MÒN ENFO’s team

Photojournalists: Francillon Laguerre, Sonson Thelusma, Andoo Lafond, Milot Andris, Patrick Payin, Ketlain Difficile, Steeve Saint Fleur, Clarens Siffroy
Community manager: Steven Andris
Editorial board: Etienne Côté-Paluck, Jean Elie Fortiné, Jean-Paul Saint-Fleur
Interns: Wilky Andris, Donley Jean Simon
Special collaboration: Stéphanie Tourillon-Gingras, Mateo Fortin Lubin, Dickens Lundi
Media partners: Centre à la Une, J-COM, Nord-Est Info
Institutional partners: Kay Fanm, Mouka.ht

How Does Your Contribution Help?

Your monthly (or yearly) support helps to finance the production and pay the salaries of the DÈYÈ MÒN ENFO staff in the communities of Cité-Soleil, Port-au-Prince and Cayes-Jacmel. In addition, donations are regularly distributed for medical expenses, school fees and other emergencies in these communities.

Press Reviews

Press Review - Performing Arts

• SST: Gaëlle Bien-Aimée and Cantave K. Dismantle the Country Through Laughter - Le Nouvelliste

• Atelye Mawon, or Dance as Memory and Artistic Practice - Le Nouvelliste

• Lynn Williams Rouzier Dance Institute: 60 Years of Dance and Passing on Knowledge - Le Nouvelliste

• At the Crossroads of Islands, an Attempt at Liberation Through Imagination - Le Nouvelliste

Press Review - Cinema

• “Cannes 2026, an Indescribable Emotion,” Says Gessica Généus, Who Is Presenting Their Next Film There - Le Nouvelliste

• Haiti – Cinema: Gessica Généus Selected for Cannes With “Marie-Madeleine” - AlterPresse

Press Review - Culture & Heritage

• Fort Dimanche: Memory Commemorated, but Official Silence Around April 26 - AlterPresse

• Haiti – Culture: the Pyepoudre Cultural Center Celebrates 37 Years - AlterPresse

• Haiti–UN: an Afro-Descendant Collective Demands the Restitution of Cultural Goods Looted During Colonization- AlterPresse

• Delmas Municipal Library Reopens - Le Nouvelliste

Press Review - Gender & Women’s Rights

présentée par KAY FANM

• “Veye sou nou”: a Collective Commitment for the Women of Haiti - Fondation Connaissance et Liberté

Read more

Cleanup operations, more frequent police patrols, and military reinforcements: part of downtown Port-au-Prince is back under the control of Haitian authorities. All this and much more in issue #58 of HAITI WEEKLY, by DÈYÈ MÒN ENFO.

Summary #62

1. Port-au-Prince Takes a Breath

2. To the Rhythm of Rara

3. Music Video of the Week: “A nou 2” by Watson-G feat. Kanis

4. Souvenance: The Power of the Sacred

5. Press Reviews

Port-au-Prince Takes a Breath

In recent days, authorities have carried out large-scale operations to liberate certain areas of downtown Port-au-Prince that were recently under the control of armed criminal groups. We were finally able to visit the Oloffson Hotel ruins (first two photos) to assess the damage caused by the last year’s fire that destroyed this historic building.

The western part of the Pacot neighborhood, as well as a section of Christophe Avenue and Roy Alley, are now under army control. The army took over from the police in order to consolidate their gains.

The Prince Hotel (above) and the neighboring building (below) have long served as bases for self-defense groups (and were even occupied by armed criminal groups for a time). They still bear clear signs of the armed conflicts that have taken place in the area.

Although some parts of Christophe Avenue were still inaccessible, we were able to visit several locations along this thoroughfare by going through Baryajou. This area is normally home to numerous educational institutions, including the Department of Humanities at the State University of Haiti.

Jean-Jacques-Dessalines High School, in the above photo, has also been affected by the conflict. The temporary structure made of plywood and sheet metal was completely demolished, and most of the materials were stolen. Jérémie Square was empty as well (photo below), though it remains a sensitive area and we were unable to approach it (var).

For many months, the western part of the Pacot neighborhood has been the scene of clashes. It has now been cleared (see photos below). Will the residents dare to return? Will this peace be sustainable? We will find out in the coming months.

During our visit to the former Oloffson Hotel (photos below), we were accompanied by members of the neighborhood’s self-defense group. Before and after the fire, armed criminal groups occupied the famous hotel’s premises and grounds. The hotel had previously served as the headquarters of the RAM group and where Arcade Fire had previously performed.

Police authorities say that criminal groups now control 72% of the city, down from over 80% last year, according to multiple sources. Although the area around the Champ-de-Mars has been somewhat safer in recent days, the downtown area remains a conflict zone.

To the Rhythm of Rara

The tradition of rara groups is found in cities and rural areas across Haiti during Lent, reaching its peak over Easter weekend. “It serves multiple purposes: ritual, social, community, artistic, and more,” explains Pascale Jaunay to HAITI WEEKLY. She managed the Follow Jah group for over 15 years, and we reached her in the southern part of the country. “It is a strong marker of Haitian identity and a powerful, joyful force for cohesion.”

Rara bands, featuring traditional bamboo instruments and other musical instruments march through streets of the country, accompanied by dancers.

This African tradition, which originated on plantations, calls for freedom and is linked to Voodoo.

In Port-au-Prince, near the Gran Lakou base in Lalue (April 4, first two photos), the atmosphere around the Kirikou Band was electric. A festival was held at Place Boyer in Pétion-Ville (April 2, last photos) where a stage was set up to celebrate the raras season, featuring the Follow Jah band and a dance troupe.

Music Video of the Week

A nou 2 - Watson-G feat. Kanis

A young man’s relationship with an older woman is at the heart of Watson-G’s song A nou 2, in collaboration with singer and rapper Kanis.

Watson-G urges them to pursue their romance, even promising to hit the gym for a month to bulk up. She replies that their relationship will be stronger if they remain friends. She adds that she sees him as a little brother.

The music video for this song, released earlier this week, has already surpassed 200,000 views. Kanis is an established artist, while Watson-G, featured in our 2024 music special issue, is one of the most prominent young musicians of recent years.

Souvenance: The Power of the Sacred

Around Easter each year, Lakou Souvenance welcomes initiates (ousni) from across the country who come to honor the lwa (spirits) of this sacred Vodou site.

The temple and its surroundings in Artibonite, near Gonaïves, come alive with color during this fervent spiritual celebration.

Despite the situation in the country, many worshippers came from abroad. One of our staff member traveled by bus through the suburbs of Port-au-Prince, despite the tension there, in order to reach the celebration.

DÈYÈ MÒN ENFO’s team

Photojournalists: Francillon Laguerre, Sonson Thelusma, Andoo Lafond, Milot Andris, Patrick Payin, Ketlain Difficile, Steeve Saint Fleur, Clarens Siffroy
Community manager: Steven Andris
Editorial board: Etienne Côté-Paluck, Jean Elie Fortiné, Jean-Paul Saint-Fleur
Interns: Wilky Andris, Donley Jean Simon
Special collaboration: Stéphanie Tourillon-Gingras, Mateo Fortin Lubin, Françoise Ponticq
Media partners: Centre à la Une, J-COM, Nord-Est Info
Institutional partners: Kay Fanm, Mouka.ht

How Does Your Contribution Help?

Your monthly (or yearly) support helps to finance the production and pay the salaries of the DÈYÈ MÒN ENFO staff in the communities of Cité-Soleil, Port-au-Prince and Cayes-Jacmel. In addition, donations are regularly distributed for medical expenses, school fees and other emergencies in these communities.

Press Reviews

Press Review - Visual Arts

• iciHaïti - Diaspora expo: Exceptional works by Jacmel-born painter Marco Saint-Juste - iciHaiti

• In Port-au-Prince, a visual artist uses trash to save the city - AyiboPost

• Insecurity: the works of the Grand-Rue artists threatened; André Eugène calls for government action - Le Centre d’Art

• Haiti – Venice Biennale: Édouard Duval-Carrié carries the Haitian and Caribbean voice - AlterPresse

Press Review - Performing Arts

• Jérémie vibrates to the rhythm of Fatma with Daniel Marcelin - Le Nouvelliste

• Seeing and experiencing “Enfantillages” by Raymond Gousse at the French Alliance of Jérémie - Le Nouvelliste

• The French Alliance of Jérémie hosted the play “Tèt nou pati”, a social satire - Le Nouvelliste

Press Review - Culture

• Rara in Gonaïves: exemplary organization combining civic engagement and municipal support - Le Nouvelliste

Press Review - Gender and Women’s Rights

Presented by KAY FANM

• April 3: National Day of the Haitian Women’s Movement - Fondation Connaissance et Liberté

• Haiti – MCFDF denounces sexual assaults in Cap-Haïtien - Alterpresse

• The Fortnight of Women Authors in Haiti - Le Nouvelliste

• Commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the historic march for women’s rights in Haiti - Haiti Libre

Read more

A public market, a microcosm of society, was at the heart of Agir pour la réconciliation et la paix (Working Toward Reconciliation and Peace), a play presented in late March to celebrate International Theater Day. All this and much more in issue #61 of HAITI WEEKLY by DÈYÈ MÒN ENFO.

Sommaire # 61

1. Theater Against Social Divisions

2. Growing Up in a Camp, Playing Out One’s Life

3. Music Video of the Week : Pye sou kou by Charlin Bato

4. The Ball Rolls, the City Stands

5. Terror in Artibonite

6. Christophe Avenue: Still Under Tension

7. Press Reviews

Theater Against Social Divisions

Women vendors in and around public markets bear the brunt of many of the problems plaguing Haitian society. In addition to being sometimes forced to relocate due to violence in certain neighborhoods of the capital, they must also contend with government officials who are all too often tempted to abuse their power.

These issues were the central theme of a play presented on March 26 in Pétionville by the Ateliers Encriture and the French Institute in Haiti (IFH). In the play, directed by Ronald Vital, vendors of used clothing and sandals, as well as street vendors, attempted — both literally and figuratively — to cut the rope around their necks.

Local vendors face several obstacles. First, many city governments seem oblivious to the growing number of vendors in neighborhoods that have so far been relatively spared from conflict. They do not hesitate to remove vendors who set up shop on sidewalks, deeming them “unauthorized.” Second, market officials are too often inclined to take advantage of their positions without providing adequate service.

In addition to the characters on stage, a singing voice echoed the vendors’ demands throughout the play, accompanied by musicians. The characters managed to free themselves from their symbolic ropes when everyone finally began to talk to and listen to one another.

Presented at Aioli in Pétionville, Agir pour la réconciliation et la paix aimed to use theater as a “universal language to promote peace and unity,” according to its producers. The Ateliers Encriture collective wrote it, and Sabine Auguste, Woodnaëlle Anne Delice, Fameuse Maude, Karl Laurent Dortissant, Marie-Carly Lafontant, and Williamson Augustin performed it.

Growing Up in a Camp, Playing Out One’s Life

The teenagers from the displacement camps who participated in the “Theater for Peace” project, which we highlighted in last week’s edition, finally presented their deeply moving production on March 30 and 31 at the Pyepoudre Cultural Center in Port-au-Prince.

With tears in their eyes, these young people shed light on the difficult living conditions faced by people their age. In an original production, they took turns denouncing these challenging situations.

Many young girls have difficulty finding menstrual products to manage their periods. One girl recounted how a camp official allegedly touched her while she was speaking. Tears began to flow as she spoke. She does not want to spend her childhood in a camp for displaced people or grow up there.

Others also described how some camp officials would trade food for sexual favors.

A young boy also couldn’t hold back his tears as he recounted how he had feared for his little sister’s life when a fight broke out during a food distribution. The police intervened with tear gas, which caused his sister to go into respiratory distress.

This theatrical production was organized by the Haiti Theater Intervention (BIT Haiti) and directed by Daphena Rémédor and Jenny Cadet.

Music Video of the Week

Pye sou kou - Charlin Bato

After releasing her debut album last summer, Charlin Bato finally unveiled the music video for one of her catchiest and most sensual tracks. The chorus of the compas song “Pye sou kou” repeats, in a languid tone: “I just want to hear your cries, I want to devour you in the living room, I just want to hear your sounds.”

The music video is equally explicit. It shows a scantily clad woman dancing around a pole in front of the singer’s bed. In the opening scene, she complains to two friends in English that men don’t seem to have as much stamina or strength these days. Then, Bato hands her a business card with his handwritten number on it.

The Ball Rolls, the City Stands

Several soccer tournaments and other team sports events are taking place in the capital this spring. On Sunday, we attended the “Company Tournament,” organized by comedian and host Kako, which took place on the large field in Peguyville. The tournament featured teams of employees from various major companies across the country competing against one another.

On Sunday, Ibo Kinkay’s team narrowly defeated Casami’s team 4–3 in the semifinal match. The tournament final will take place on Sunday, April 13.

Terror in Artibonite

Earlier this week, the Artibonite region was the site of yet another massacre. According to the RNDDH, at least 70 civilians of all ages are reported to have lost their lives last Sunday. According to other sources, nearly 50 homes were also set on fire.

Because the area is difficult to access, it is hard to determine the exact number of victims. Police attempted to intervene in the area earlier this week, while further abuses were reported on Monday and Tuesday.

According to initial reports from the Haitian press, the attackers split into groups and blocked certain access points to slow down the police. Babies and the elderly were reportedly targeted, as were prominent figures from local self-defense groups. The International Organization for Migration reports that nearly 9,000 people—more than 2,300 families—fled the area after the attack, in addition to dozens of injured individuals.

The UN and several foreign governments have expressed their condolences. The Haitian government’s slow response has been criticized in editorials this week.

The massacre took place in Jean-Denis, a town in the commune of Petite-Rivière-de-l’Artibonite. Located in the southern Artibonite region, which borders the West Department where Port-au-Prince is located, the area has been largely controlled by armed criminal groups for over three years. This is not the first massacre attributed to the Gran Grif group, which is known for its extremely violent methods.

Christophe Avenue: Still Under Tension

Despite several interventions in downtown Port-au-Prince, Christophe Avenue, located above the city center and home to the country’s main institutions of higher education, remains largely inaccessible.

Conflicts break out there sporadically, and residents avoid the area whenever possible. At the intersection of Jean-Paul II Avenue (Turgeau) and Christophe Avenue, traffic has become so sparse that the neighborhood looks like a wasteland, as shown in the above photo, taken at the corner of Charles-Sumner.

Meanwhile, last week, Acting Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé last week praised police operations around the Champ-de-Mars, an area in the city where many seats of power are concentrated. Fewer people are passing by the grounds than before, as evidenced by the goats that took advantage of the lull to find some shade there (see photo above).

DÈYÈ MÒN ENFO’s team

Photojournalists: Francillon Laguerre, Sonson Thelusma, Andoo Lafond, Milot Andris, Patrick Payin, Ketlain Difficile, Steeve Saint Fleur, Clarens Siffroy
Community manager: Steven Andris
Editorial board: Etienne Côté-Paluck, Jean Elie Fortiné, Jean-Paul Saint-Fleur
Interns: Wilky Andris, Donley Jean Simon
Special collaboration: Stéphanie Tourillon-Gingras, Mateo Fortin Lubin, Françoise Ponticq
Media partners: Centre à la Une, J-COM, Nord-Est Info
Institutional partners: Kay Fanm, Mouka.ht

How Does Your Contribution Help?

Your monthly (or yearly) support helps to finance the production and pay the salaries of the DÈYÈ MÒN ENFO staff in the communities of Cité-Soleil, Port-au-Prince and Cayes-Jacmel. In addition, donations are regularly distributed for medical expenses, school fees and other emergencies in these communities.

Press Reviews

Press review - Gender and women’s rights

presented by Kay Fanm

Press Review – Performing arts

• Jérémie hosts the 5th edition of the theatre festival “Regards ailleurs” - Le Nouvelliste

• Standing ovation for the play “Lakou” at the El Rancho hotel - Le Nouvelliste

Press Review – Film

• Player 1/2: a chronicle of ordinary misogyny on the big screen - Le Nouvelliste

• A dream, a camera, a future: Wegherley Joseph - Le Nouvelliste

Press Review – Culture

• Launch of the Fabrique des Arts in Les Cayes - iciHaïti

• After the Académie française, Dany Laferrière joins the House of Molière - Le Nouvelliste

• Cap-Haïtien celebrates Abigaïl Alexandre, winner of the international Éloquentia competition - Le Nouvelliste

• Jacques Nesi presents “Haiti, the making of a society of peers” - Le Nouvelliste

Press Review – Heritage

• How a digitization project for classic Haitian works came to a halt - Ayibopost

• Rara, an inexhaustible cultural treasure in Haiti - Le National

• Haiti puts Trase Vèvè forward at UNESCO to protect its cultural heritage - Centre à la Une

Press Review – Gender And Women’s Rights

Presented by KAY FANM

• The Kenyan mission implicated in 4 cases of sexual abuse and exploitation in Haiti - Ayibopost

• Haiti—Camps: POHDH warns of the distress of pregnant and breastfeeding teenage girls - AlterPresse

• Culture: Zikonnect 3.0 concludes, a program dedicated to empowering women in Haiti’s music industry - AlterPresse

• Toward a scientific and academic reflection on Haitian feminism - Le Nouvelliste

• Alarming rise in sexual violence against minors in Grand’Anse: the Zanmi Timoun Foundation sounds the alarm - L’exclusivité Infos

Read more

The Theater Intervention Brigade – Haiti (BIT Haiti) is staging its third production as part of the “Theater Against Violence” project. Ten teenagers from various displacement camps have been invited to express themselves through acting. All this and much more in issue #59 of HAITI MAGAZINE by DÈYÈ MÒN ENFO.

Summary #60

1. Theater Against Violence: Giving a Voice to Displaced Teens

2. Voodoo: Honoring Damballah

3. Music Video of the Week: “Black American” by OG Fresh Zz

4. Police Advance in Martissant, Control Still Fragile

5. Peace Returns to Cité-Soleil

6. Press Reviews

Theater Against Violence: Giving a Voice to Displaced Teens

“I was glad they called me back, because I was sad—I had nothing to do,” explains 15-year-old Ferlanda, whom we met last Thursday at Studio Théâtre En Lisant (Turgeau neighborhood, Port-au-Prince). “I haven’t even gone back to school.”

She has been living in a camp for displaced people for the past three years after she and her family were forced to flee their Savane-Pistache neighborhood by armed criminal groups.

Together with her young colleagues, she is staging a new play titled Laviwonndede lavi, based on their own stories. It tells an account of a trial held by displaced teenagers against the country’s leaders, who are accused of the crime of abandonment. However, the state vanishes, and the main defendant becomes elusive. How, then, can one judge a government that no longer exists?

“When I’m here, I feel better,” says 14-year-old Feguence from Carrefour-Feuilles. “Down there [in my camp in the Bois-Vernat neighborhood], there are often fights. […] Also, when I’m down there, there’s always the sound of the radio. It’s hard to even sleep. And the police sometimes fire tear gas when there are fights [in the camp].”

During our visit, Daphena Rémédor, an actress and member of the programming team for the En lisant theater festival, led the workshop. Jenny Cadet, the co-founder of BIT Haiti and a theater director, also leads workshops as part of this project. Five new young people have joined those from the previous phase.

“The good news is that five young people managed to leave their camp to go to the countryside with their families,” explained Eliezer Guérismé, the artistic director of the BIT Haiti collective.

The workshops are held on weekdays leading up to the two performances scheduled at the Pyepoudre Cultural Center in Port-au-Prince on March 30 and 31.

Voodoo: Honoring Damballah

A lavish ceremony was held for Damballah in the Delmas 75 neighborhood of Lakou Salvatoris last week, and our photographer was there. After the prayers and a ritual to allow the lwa (spirits) to enter, Damballah, the snake lwa, appeared in the form of two of his “facets,” explains our contributor Françoise Ponticq, who was also present.

“Damballah La Flambeau is a fiery and powerful facet of the lwa Damballa in Voodoo, often associated with Petro rites (hot/aggressive energies). He is a primordial creative force, a powerful magician, capable of healing, but also of acting with the intensity of fire, often linked to the rainbow and transformation. ”

For his part, Damballah Wèdo “is one of the most important lwa in Haitian and West African Voodoo, revered as the great creator serpent, a symbol of wisdom, fertility, and purity. Associated with the color white, rivers, and trees, he is the husband of Ayida Wedo (the rainbow goddess) and represents the principle of good.”

Music Video of the Week

Black américain - OG Fresh Zz

“They think I’m a Black American,” goes the chorus of the song by the latest rap sensation, the young OG Fresh Zz, which has racked up over a million views on YouTube in three weeks. “I walk around Texas without papers, just like Barack Obama, and with Kodak Black I’m heading all the way to Ottawa,” he also raps.

The rapper had a few hits last year (such as “Movie” and “Chèlè”), but it seems that this latest single has cemented his success. His melodic, laid-back rap humorously points out that young Haitians in the hip-hop scene closely resembles that of young people in the United States, and they take a certain pride in it. Although the artist’s Facebook page lists his location as Washington, D.C., he appears to be based in Haiti, where the music video was filmed.

Police Advance in Martissant, Control Still Fragile

The police have advanced as far as Martissant 11, though they have not yet consolidated their gains.

“It’s still a theater of operations [for the police]; they don’t have total control,” explains Jean Daniel Sénat, a journalist for Le Nouvelliste and host of the morning show on Magik9 radio. Armored vehicles had reach that far as witnesses on the ground and a police source confirmed to him. “For a long time, they couldn’t get there. But these aren’t areas that are completely under police control.”

Martissant, a town and stronghold of some of the capital’s most significant armed criminal groups, has been abandoned by the authorities for several years. On June 1, 2021, these groups overran the Martissant road, which connects the capital to the entire southern part of the country. This was a turning point that led to the current state of war.

These police incursions are therefore not yet stable and are not accompanied by ongoing operations aimed at controlling the territory. Nevertheless, they represent a significant step forward, as numerous operations are also taking place in the capital’s downtown area.

Peace Returns to Cité-Soleil

Our correspondent on the ground confirms that a relative calm has returned to Cité-Soleil in recent days following clashed between armed groups within the Viv Ansanm coalition. Although the area remains under the control of these long-standing rival groups, the streets have grown quieter, and markets have resumed operations.

According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the conflict forced nearly 3,000 people to flee their homes in Cité-Soleil and part of Croix-des-Bouquets. Most of the displaced individuals have found refuge with relatives, while seven camps, included two newly established ones, have also taken in some of them.

Based on the available information, it seems that the Canaan group was responsible for the attacks in the area.

DÈYÈ MÒN ENFO’s team

Photojournalists: Francillon Laguerre, Sonson Thelusma, Andoo Lafond, Milot Andris, Patrick Payin, Ketlain Difficile, Steeve Saint Fleur, Clarens Siffroy
Community manager: Steven Andris
Editorial board: Etienne Côté-Paluck, Jean Elie Fortiné, Jean-Paul Saint-Fleur
Interns: Wilky Andris, Donley Jean Simon
Special collaboration: Stéphanie Tourillon-Gingras, Mateo Fortin Lubin, Françoise Ponticq
Media partners: Centre à la Une, J-COM, Nord-Est Info
Institutional partners: Kay Fanm, Mouka.ht

How Does Your Contribution Help?

Your monthly (or yearly) support helps to finance the production and pay the salaries of the DÈYÈ MÒN ENFO staff in the communities of Cité-Soleil, Port-au-Prince and Cayes-Jacmel. In addition, donations are regularly distributed for medical expenses, school fees and other emergencies in these communities.

Press Reviews

Press review - Culture

• Thélyson Orélien, the novelist behind the literary buzz of the moment - URBANIA

• Konpa, a musical expression of Vodou traditions in Haiti - AyiboPost

• Port-au-Prince: theatre as a bulwark against violence for displaced children - Media Libre

• 12,000 visits in two years: Pyepoudre resists in Port-au-Prince - AyiboPost

Press review - Gender and women’s rights

presented by Kay Fanm

• Quebec’s National Assembly awards the 2026 “Engaged Woman” prize to Dorothy Rhau - Le Nouvelliste

• Haiti: two people arrested for the kidnapping and rape of a minor in Delmas - AlterPresse

• HeForShe raises young people’s awareness of women’s rights at Quisqueya University - Le Nouvelliste

• Haiti gender issues: RNDDH calls for justice for a minor raped in Grand’Anse - AlterPresse

Press review - Insecurity (Port-au-Prince)

• Gangs: OHCHR calls for international support commensurate with Haiti’s multidimensional crisis - AlterPresse

• Haiti violence: ongoing exchanges of gunfire in several neighborhoods of the capital - AlterPresse

Read more

Nothing can stop the Port-au-Prince Jazz Festival. Take a look back at the January 2026 edition, when Gardy Girault lit up the outdoor stage. All this and much more in issue #59 of HAITI MAGAZINE by DÈYÈ MÒN ENFO.

Editor’s note: Because of our forced break for health reasons, we will occasionally revisit events from the past few months over the next few weeks.
Etienne Côté-Paluck

Summary #59

1. Jazz Is Still Alive

2. March 8: The Mobilization Continues, in a Different Way

3. Music Video of the Week - I Am Legend (Remix) by Fantom, D’Banj, and Jenndantor

4. Solino: The Neighborhood Breathes Easy, But the Threat Remains

5. Press Reviews

Jazz Is Still Alive

In January, the renowned music festival set up a large outdoor stage at the Karibe Hotel, as well as the Latin Quarter and the Brazil–Haiti Cultural Center, both situated across from Place Boyer in Pétion-Ville.

Although this year’s festival was smaller than in some more prosperous years due to conflicts around the capital, music lovers were still able to enjoy a variety of jazz and related genres.

The fourth evening was undoubtedly one of the liveliest, serving as the closing event. DJ and producer Gardy Girault lit up the stage alight alongside singer Riva Précil and tambourine player Francisco “Cisco” Lafrance from the group Pawòl Tanbou. Riva Précil, whose father is Haitian, is a Brooklyn-born singer who grew up in Haiti until her teens. She also performed on opening night with Pawòl Tanbou.

With her two sidekicks, gathered at the Karibe Hotel, she energized the crowd, who wanted more. Like many of this year’s guest artists, including Mexican guitarist Daniel “Dantor” Torres, the singer participated in jazz workshops organized by the festival at the Brazil-Haiti Cultural Center earlier in the day, along with tambourine player Woulele. These workshops primarily target musicians from the capital.

On the second day of festivities, the famous Haitian singer Eddy François took center stage at Karibe on the main stage. François, the former lead singer of the bands Boukman Eksperyans and Boukan Ginen has been a well-known solo artist since the 2000s. Much to the audience’s delight, he performed hits from his former bands, Tribilasyon and Nèg anwo, as well as songs he wrote as a solo artist, such as Jou a rive.

BelO was the headliner on the third night of the festival on the Karibe main stage. Known for his pop hits, the singer has incorporated many jazz influences into his music in recent years, earning him a regular spot at the festival.

Valérie Chane Tèf from Réunion and her band Akoda, opened the evening with their debut performance in Haiti.

On day two and three of the festival, the band Deep Pockets from Florida was also in the spotlight on the main stage. The band is led by bassist Gérald Kébreau.

March 8: The Mobilization Continues, in a Different Way

Like everywhere else in the world, March 8 was celebrated in Port-au-Prince, albeit in a more intimate way than before. From 2010 to 2020, a large outdoor event that brought together the capital’s major women’s organizations was held. However, due to the security situation, each group had organized its own activities for the past three years.

Last Friday, our partner organization, Kay Fanm, presented two training workshops on women’s rights to two groups of 20 survivors of violence whom they support. Danièle Magloire, the organization’s co-founder, led the workshop. The organization has been based in the capital since 1984.

Music Video of the Week

I Am Legend (Remix) - Fantom x D’Banj ft. Jenndantor Des Gonaïves

Rapper Fantom is back on top with his latest hit, I Am Legend, featuring renowned Nigerian producer D’Banj. This remix features a beat blending drill and Jersey Club, carried by a chorus sung by Jenndantor, a voodoo priest from Gonaïves who gained fame on social media.

In the song, Fantom, a former member of the Barikad Crew, celebrates voodoo traditions, notable figures in Haitian and African history, his personal journey, and Haiti’s national soccer team’s participation in the World Cup. According to information available on Fantom’s YouTube account, I am Legend was produced by Wyclef Jean.

The music video, which also showcases Voodoo traditions, as well as Fort Picolet, and the Sans-Souci Palace. It was primarily filmed in the Cap-Haïtien area.

Solino: The Neighborhood Breathes Easy, But the Threat Remains

Part of the Solino neighborhood, which is close to downtown Port-au-Prince, has reopened following law enforcement operations in last fall. Last week, our colleague Siffroy Clarens, who is also a photographer for AFP, visited the area.

“Not all the residents have returned, mainly just members of the brigades and a few others,” says Siffroy Clarens. “Not everyone has returned because there is still no life there.”

When he arrived near the Solino market, which was still out of service, members of the neighborhood brigades explained to him that a boundary had been established a few dozen meters away and that members of armed criminal groups still occupied part of the neighborhood. Siffroy Clarens observed that some patrolled the boundary of the territory they controlled.

As in many other neighborhoods in the capital, residents formed a self-defense brigade and their territory until criminal groups took control in November 2024.

“The war [in the neighborhood] could start again at any moment.”

DÈYÈ MÒN ENFO’s team

Photojournalists: Francillon Laguerre, Sonson Thelusma, Andoo Lafond, Milot Andris, Patrick Payin, Ketlain Difficile, Steeve Saint Fleur, Clarens Siffroy
Community manager: Steven Andris
Editorial board: Etienne Côté-Paluck, Jean Elie Fortiné, Jean-Paul Saint-Fleur
Interns: Wilky Andris, Donley Jean Simon
Special collaboration: Stéphanie Tourillon-Gingras, Mateo Fortin Lubin, Siffroy Clarens
Media partners: Centre à la Une, J-COM, Nord-Est Info
Institutional partners: Kay Fanm, Mouka.ht

How Does Your Contribution Help?

Your monthly (or yearly) support helps to finance the production and pay the salaries of the DÈYÈ MÒN ENFO staff in the communities of Cité-Soleil, Port-au-Prince and Cayes-Jacmel. In addition, donations are regularly distributed for medical expenses, school fees and other emergencies in these communities.

Press Reviews

Press Review - Cinema

• Le documentaire Mon Pote Bruce primé au Film Fest International : Dave Fils-Aimé récompensé comme Meilleur Réalisateur - FOKAL

• Le film Héritage en partage au 42e Festival international de cinéma Vues d’Afrique - Le Nouvelliste

• Femmes et cinéma - Le Nouvelliste

Press Review - Culture

• «Haïti, briser le piège colonial», de Frédéric Thomas - RFI

• La Cheffe haïtienne Carline Irantus intronisée à l’Académie Culinaire de France - Haïti Libre

• Femmes et saveurs locales à l’honneur à la troisième édition du festival « Haïti à Déguster » - Le Nouvelliste

• Un dictionnaire de la langue des signes haïtienne remis au BSEIPH - Le Nouvelliste

Press Review - Education

• Haïti-Enseignement supérieur : La Fjkl dénonce du « copinage » et un « manque de transparence » dans le financement public de l’Université privée Quisqueya - AlterPresse

Press Review - Environment

• Environnement : Activité de nettoyage dans le périmètre de l’Aéroport international Toussaint Louverture - iciHaiti

• Des femmes mobilisées pour restaurer la mini-forêt de Baudin à Pilate - Le Nouvelliste

Press Review - Economy

• En 2025, les exportations de la République dominicaine pèsent plus de quinze fois celles d’Haïti - Le Nouvelliste

• Économie : Haïti sur la liste des pays acheteurs d’or dominicain - iciHaiti

• Le ministère du Commerce accorde 22 jours aux entreprises d’eau potable pour se conformer aux normes - Le Nouvelliste

Press Review - Public Finances

• Douane: plus de 10 milliards de gourdes de recettes en février 2026 - Le Nouvelliste

Press Review - Gender & Women’s Rights

presented by KAY FANM

• Les ramifications de l’affaire Epstein en Haïti - RFI

• Violées par les gangs en Haïti, parole aux survivantes - RFI

• Des victimes haïtiennes « en danger » dans l’affaire Epstein - Ayibopost

• Haïti - Remaniement : Deux Ministères régaliens aux mains de femmes - HaitiLibre.com

• Justice : Viol d’une élève mineure diffusé en vidéo sur les réseaux sociaux - iciHaiti.com

• Les femmes et filles, premières victimes de la crise multidimensionnelle en Haïti - AlterPresse

• En Haïti, parole aux femmes victimes de viols - RFI

• Haïti: 10 portraits de femmes engagées - Le National

Read more

Last month, Jacmel celebrated its carnival with its usual enthusiasm, despite the lack of tourists from outside the department. Nevertheless, the people of Jacmel celebrated art and festivities, always with a touch of socio-political commentary. All this and more in issue #58 of HAITI WEEKLY by DÈYÈ MÒN ENFO.

Editor’s note: The past six months have been though, but I’m getting there, bit by bit (“tipatipa”). Burnout and other medical complications forced me to stop working during this time. Thankfully, our team kept our social media accounts active (Facebook, Instagram), and now the newsletter is finally back. Thanks for your patience.
Etienne Côté-Paluck, editor-in-chief

Summary #58

1. Carnival Reigns Supreme in Jacmel

2. Music Video of the Week: Ou banm lanmou by Teddy Hashtag and Rutshelle

3. Port-au-Prince: Some Neighborhoods Liberated While Others Remain in Conflict

4. Press Reviews

Carnival Reigns Supreme in Jacmel

The Jacmel Carnival is an integral part of this small town’s identity. Held one week before the national carnival in the rest of the country, it showcases the best artists from this region, which is known for its crafts.

The war atmosphere in the capital and certain neighboring regions prevented most visitors from outside the country and the Southeast Department from participating in the celebrations. This did not escape the artisans’ attention. One of the signs (above) read: “No to violence, crime does not pay.” Another papier-mâché piece featured a cross adorned with the flags of three “friends of Haiti” countries. (France, the United States, and Canada, see first photo). On this cross, a black man draped in the Haitian flag was crucified.

Artisans have also been inspired by international politics, often using the carnival as an opportunity to express sharp criticism of national or foreign leaders through their creations. One such work featured a bald eagle flying with Nicolas Maduro’s head in its talons (photo above).

Another scene showed Haitians with suitcases. One of the suitcases read: “We want to go home” (center photo, below). This was in reference to the hundreds of thousands of Haitian expatriates.

The djab, renowned carnival characters, were still accompanied by lansè kòd to instill fear in young and old alike.

They sometimes surround festival-goers and frighten them by promising to stain their clothes with their black substance.

After the dancers and papier-mâché masks, brass bands and DJs took over the town’s main street at nightfall. The parade, which is also a competition, takes place there.

The makeup at this festival was very elaborate, where horror and beauty, as well as political commentary, rub shoulders. Daytime events are more family-oriented and give way to evening parties where alcohol flows freely.

At the end of the daytime parade, a jury appointed by the Jacmel city council selects winners in various categories, including dance troupes, papier-mâché masks, marching bands, and, of course, a queen (photo above) and a king.

The day always begins with the dancers showing off their finest costumes in choreography created especially for the occasion.

The colors are vivid under the bright midday sun shining down on the carnival parade.

Several friends of HAITI WEEKLY are also taking part in the parade, including artist Payen Ernst (pictured below wearing a red T-shirt) and his giant puppet sculptures.

Humor is at the heart of the carnival. Consider, for example, the brightly colored cow reading a biology textbook (second photo below), or the group of monkey monsters who are also musicians (third photo below).

Cynicism is never far away, as evidenced by the coffin (below) painted in the colors of the Haitian flag. On it is written: “the victims,” implying insecurity due to armed conflict. One of the pallbearers displays Haiti’s motto on his back: “Unity is strength,” and on the side of the coffin is written: “Yon chans pou Ayiti” (a chance for Haiti).

Finally, at a glance, there seemed that there were more participants in this year’s parade than in last year’s.

Music Video of the Week

Ou banm lanmou - Teddy Hashtag feat. Rutshelle Guillaume

Nothing is cuter or more reassuring than love — the theme celebrated in this new song by Teddy Hashtag, featuring Rutshelle Guillaume.

“Ou banm lanmou” (You give me love) is warming hearts across Haiti. Judging by the popularity of the music video, which has already received 3 million views, and the numerous TikTok covers, the song has been a hit just two two weeks after its release.

Port-au-Prince: Some Neighborhoods Liberated While Others Remain in Conflict

In recent weeks, Haitian authorities have liberated certain neighborhoods in Port-au-Prince from the control of armed criminal groups. In Solino, some residents have begun to return to their homes after spending several months in camps or with relatives.

Around the international airport, the police have regained control of certain key intersections and adjacent neighborhoods in recent days. This contrasts with previous years when the authorities reported few territorial gains. Last week, armed interventions were carried out by the police and their allies (the army and international intervention forces) were also carried out last week in Kenskoff, in the mountains above Pétion-Ville.

However, fighting is still ongoing in the city center, as well as in Portail Léogane and Bas-Peu-de-Chose. To reach Jacmel for the carnival, some members of the DÈYÈ MÒN ENFO team boarded an armored vehicle and traveled to the capital’s port. There, they boarded a ferry took them to Petit-Goâve.

DÈYÈ MÒN ENFO’s team

Photojournalists: Francillon Laguerre, Sonson Thelusma, Andoo Lafond, Milot Andris, Patrick Payin, Ketlain Difficile, Steeve Saint Fleur, Clarens Siffroy
Community manager: Steven Andris
Editorial board: Etienne Côté-Paluck, Jean Elie Fortiné, Jean-Paul Saint-Fleur
Interns: Wilky Andris, Donley Jean Simon
Special collaboration: Stéphanie Tourillon-Gingras, Mateo Fortin Lubin
Media partners: Centre à la Une, J-COM, Nord-Est Info
Institutional partners: Kay Fanm, Mouka.ht

How Does Your Contribution Help?

Your monthly (or yearly) support helps to finance the production and pay the salaries of the DÈYÈ MÒN ENFO staff in the communities of Cité-Soleil, Port-au-Prince and Cayes-Jacmel. In addition, donations are regularly distributed for medical expenses, school fees and other emergencies in these communities.

Press Reviews

Press Review - Performing Arts

• Spectacle émouvant au Centre culturel Brésil-Haïti - Le Nouvelliste

• Lakou : spectacle vibrant pour la renaissance d’Haïti par son histoire, sa culture et ses traditions - Le Nouvelliste

Press Review - Carnival

• Carnaval régional à Fort-Liberté, la créativité et l’organisation au rendez-vous - Le Nouvelliste

• Malgré le black-out total et les contraintes, le Cap-Haïtien célèbre un carnaval haut en couleur - Le Nouvelliste

• Carnaval 2026 : la mairie des Gonaïves dresse un bilan encourageant - Le Nouvelliste

• Lancement officiel du Carnaval des Cayes le dimanche 15 février - Radio Nationale d’Haïti

• Premier jour gras à Jérémie : lancement officiel du Carnaval 2026 - JCom Haïti

Press Review - Music

• Fanmi l pwotestan men yo pa t anpeche l chante vodou | Istwa Jehyna Sahyeir | Videyo - AyiboPost

• « My World Is the Sun » : Dominique Fils-Aimé, instinctivement révolutionnaire - Le Devoir

Press Review - Gender and Women’s Rights

presented by KAY FANM

• 12 mars 2026 10:30 AM : « Situations et résistances des femmes en contexte de recul de l’État de droit. Cas de l’Afghanistan, du Soudan, de Haïti et du Guatemala »
  Inscriptions : Table-ronde du CQFD au forum parallèle CSW70

• La détresse des hommes violés par les gangs en Haïti - Ayibopost

• Des femmes violées par les gangs sont humiliées dans les camps de déplacés - Ayibopost

• Fort-Liberté : Réinsertion professionnelle des femmes détenues - iciHaiti

• Haïti-40 ans de la SOFA : Instabilité politique et violences entravent la défense des droits des femmes - AlterPresse

• SOFA : 40 ans de résistance féministe et de transmission en Haïti - AlterPresse

Read more

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Editor’s note: Health issues have prevented me from publishing Haiti Magazine over the past few weeks. Thank you for sticking with us. Our publications will resume their normal schedule shortly. In the meantime, feel free to follow us on our social media accounts, where we remain active (Facebook, Instagram, X).
Etienne Côté-Paluck, Editor-in-Chief

#Raboday #Konpa #Rap #Afrobeat #Reggaeton #Dembow #Dancehall #House #Shatta #Amapiano #Mandelão

Thanks to Natacha and everyone present.

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If there is one thing that unites Haiti, it is soccer, and this year is no exception. From one end of the country to the other, in free zones and territories controlled by armed groups, soccer dominates the summer. All this and more in issue #57 of HAITI WEEKLY by DÈYÈ MÒN ENFO.

Editor’s note : Ayiti pap peri.

Sommaire #57

1. Championships: Competitions Across the Country

2. Clarens Siffroy Celebrates his World Press Photo in Montreal

3. Voodoo - The Bois-Caïman Ceremony Celebrated in Pétion-Ville

4. Music Video of the Week - Invincible by Baky

5. Poetry as a Means of Protest

6. Port-au-Prince: The Ashes of Solino

7. Thousands of Haitians Threatened with Deportation from the U.S.

8. Press reviews

Championships: Competitions Across the Country

Every sr, Haiti lives to the rhythm of amateur and professional chanships. Some highly sought-after players even play for more than one team. Whether on a neighborhood street, in a field, or in a large stadium, players, and sometimes even female players, take to the field for often exciting matches.

On August 10, during our visit to the Sainte-Thérèse stadium in Pétion-Ville, the sun set over one section of the stands. As part of the Marisu Brutus Cup, the Bel-Air neighborhood team won a 1-0 match against Jérémie FC.

Throughout the summer, the Massacre stadium in Cayes-Jacmel hosted numerous competitions. When we visited in July, the Simba team (from the Tessert neighborhood) was playing against the UST team (from downtown Cayes-Jacmel).

In many cases, mystical rituals similar to voodoo are performed to bring a team luck. “After the game, people sometimes talk more about the good spells cast by the bòkò [magicians] than about the tactics used during the game,” says photographer Georges Harry Rouzier, who now lives in Cap-Haïtien.

Several professional players in Port-au-Prince participate in these popular tournaments outside of the regular season, sometimes earning up to to 25,000 gourdes per game, one player told us.

Offers have even come from neighborhoods controlled by armed groups, where matches are organized as well.

“I had to refuse,” our contact confides.

On August 10, part of the Dèyè Mòn Enfo team was invited to perform at the final of the Jean-Baptiste neighborhood championship in Canapé-Vert (Port-au-Prince), alongside DJ Tyenomix (aka Gadon Blan aka DJ ECP)on the turntables. The mixtape from the evening will soon be available here. (Video: Jean Elie Fortiné / Dèyè Mòn Enfo)

Clarens Siffroy Celebrates his World Press Photo in Montreal

This spring, our close collaborator, Clarens Siffroy, won the World Press Photo award for North and Central America. He flew to Montreal to present his photographs to the public.

The World Press Photo Montreal exhibition is taking place at Marché Bonsecours until October 17.

Voodoo - The Bois-Caïman Ceremony Celebrated in Pétion-Ville

This year, a new national holiday was declared on August 14 to commemorate the 1791 voodoo ceremony that launched the Haitian Revolution.

The event was celebrated across the country, especially within voodoo communities. In Pétion-Ville, several lakou came together to honor this foundational act of the nation.

Music Video of the Week

Invincible - Baky

Several music videos were released at the start of the cultural season, but Baky's video for his song Invincible stands out. It features polished production, combining choreography, photographic aesthetics, and an amapiano beat.

“When you think I'm down, that's when I'm strongest,” Baky sings in the chorus. It’s an anthem to inner strength in the face of adversity.

Poetry as a Means of Protest

Artist Ricardo Boucher gathered young people gathered in Port-au-Prince for a poetry and slam workshop aimed at denouncing the living conditions in a crisis-stricken society.

The event, titled Revenons à la voix active (Let's return to the active voice), concluded with an outdoor performance in the street in front of the École nationale République de Colombie, which has now been converted into a displacement camp.

Several of the dozen participants now live in this Solino camp. The young people recited their verses one after the other and then came together in a circle to form a choral poem. They called on the state and its leaders to fulfill their minimum obligations in terms of health and safety.

Port-au-Prince: The Ashes of Solino

After a few weeks of calm, Jimmy Chérizier, leader of the Viv Ansanm criminal coalition, called on the residents of Solino to return to their homes. The neighborhood had long resisted before falling into the hands of armed groups last November.

The announcement was met with caution. Amateur videos reveal the extent of the devastation in this working-class neighborhood, which is now nearly deserted. The Haitian National Police have issued a warning advising against travel to the area because they still do not control it.

Armed groups depend largely on extorting businesses for income, so a neighborhood without economic activity is not very profitable for them.

The situation in Pacot remains relatively stable, although there have been recent attacks near Avenue N. The police and self-defense brigades repelled them.

Thousands of Haitians Threatened with Deportation from the U.S.

Even though their countries of origin—notably Afghanistan and Haiti—remain marked by insecurity and instability, beneficiaries of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) now face deportation. Part of our team collaborated on this report for The Guardian.

At a Glance - Patron saint's day in Torbek

This spring, the small town of Torbeck in the South department celebrated its patron saint's day, and our photographer was there to capture the festive atmosphere.

DÈYÈ MÒN ENFO’s team

Photojournalists: Francillon Laguerre, Sonson Thelusma, Andoo Lafond, Milot Andris, Patrick Payin, Ketlain Difficile, Steeve Saint Fleur, Clarens Siffroy
Community manager: Steven Andris
Editorial board: Etienne Côté-Paluck, Jean Elie Fortiné, Jean-Paul Saint-Fleur
Interns: Wilky Andris, Donley Jean Simon
Special collaboration: Stéphanie Tourillon-Gingras, Mateo Fortin Lubin
Media partners: Centre à la Une, J-COM, Nord-Est Info
Institutional partners: Kay Fanm, Mouka.ht

How Does Your Contribution Help?

Your monthly support helps to finance the production and pay the salaries of the DÈYÈ MÒN ENFO staff in the communities of Cité-Soleil, Port-au-Prince and Cayes-Jacmel. In addition, donations are regularly distributed for medical expenses, school fees and other emergencies in these communities.

Press Reviews

Press Review - Music

• Septentrional célèbre 77 ans, dit merci et prépare l’avenir – Le Nouvelliste

• « Nothing To Lose – Still Nothing To Lose » : un premier et double album percutant pour Toby Anbakè – Le Nouvelliste

• Nemours Jean-Baptiste, un révolutionnaire, selon son chanteur Carlo Glaudin – Le Nouvelliste

• « Notre-Dame » du Big Band Bossa Combo, une chanson qui transcende le temps – Le Nouvelliste

• Perspective | Konpa et valorisation de l’identité noire dans la société haïtienne – Ayibopost

• L'orchestre Tropicana et la musique haïtienne – Le Nouvelliste

• Tabou Combo : les Rolling Stones de notre musique – Le Nouvelliste

Press Review - Performing Arts (music)

• IBESR et Haïti Jazz initient des enfants vivant des camps de déplacés à la création musicale – Le National

• Black Parents signera un nouvel album pour son grand retour sur scène – Le National

• Ouanaminthe : en hommage aux 70 ans du Compas, Disip allume la flamme – Le Nouvelliste

Press Review - Performing Arts

• Une délégation haïtienne participe à la 15e édition du CARIFESTA – Le National

• Héritage en partage : danser la mémoire d’Haïti – Le National

• Quand Le Balcon accueille le péristyle d'Érol Josué à Montréal – Le National

• Daniel Marcelin, invité d'honneur au festival Quatre Chemins – Le Nouvelliste

• Haïti - Japon : Haïti à l’Exposition Universelle Osaka 2025 – HaitiLibre

• Des jeunes déplacés initiés à la poésie – Le Nouvelliste

Press Review - Visual Arts

• Photographers and attendees in community at Haiti’s FestiFoto 2025: ‘Life here does not stop’ – The Haitian Times

• Festival de photographie et d’art contemporain de Montréal: Phalonne Pierre Louis se confie – Le National

• Kolektif Fotograf Ayisyen clôture la première édition d’Imayiti Festifoto – Le Nouvelliste

• Vers la première édition du Festival de photographie et d’art contemporain de Montréal – Le Nouvelliste

Press Review - Cinema

• Lakaywood 2025 dans la fière cité du roi Christophe, un festival de cinéma haïtien en pleine ascension – Le Nouvelliste

• Guerre et Paix : deux visions de la pratique cinéphilique en Haïti – Le Nouvelliste

• Quand le cinéma devient acte écologique : 10 ans de Cinécolo-Haïti – Le Nouvelliste

Press Review - Patrimoine

• Douce Makos et Petit-Goâve, un destin intimement lié – Le National

• 22-23 août 1791 : La nuit où le volcan de la liberté explose à Saint-Domingue – Le Nouvelliste

• 14 août : jour férié national en reconnaissance à la cérémonie du Bois Caïman – Le National

• Bois Caiman : 234 ans après – Le National

• Haïti/Bois-Caïman 2025 : Mémoire et patrimoine à l’honneur – AlterPresse

Press Review - Literature

• René Depestre dans tous nos rêves – Le Nouvelliste

• Yanick Lahens et ses « Passagères de nuit » – Le Nouvelliste

• Rodney Saint-Éloi, pour l’amour du monde – Le Nouvelliste

• Wiki Loves Littérature Haïtienne 2025 : Port-au-Prince célèbre la mémoire et le savoir – Le National

Press Review - Gender and Women's Rights

presented by KAY FANM

• Haïti : Réparer l’adolescence brisée par les violences des gangs et l’exil intérieur – AlterPresse

• Haïti - Insécurité : Les femmes et les filles sont les plus touchées par la violence – HaitiLibre

• Les sages femmes aux premiers rangs de la crise en Haïti – Mus’Elles

• De Cap-Haïtien à Limbé, la littérature au féminin trace sa route – Le Nouvelliste

• Agression sexuelle à Rimouski en 2000 | Luck Mervil reconnu coupable – La Presse

• Haïti – Violences sexuelles : La Fondation Toya presse le Conseil présidentiel d’agir pour mettre fin à l’impunité – AlterPresse

• Festival Livres au féminin 2025 dans le Nord d’Haïti, un hommage vibrant aux voix féminines – Le Nouvelliste

• Haïti – VBG : Acteurs et actrices locales de Jérémie s’engagent contre les « ententes à l’amiable » – AlterPresse

• « Femmes, vodou, violences et résistances » aux Ateliers Jérôme à Pétion-Ville – Le Nouvelliste

• Dwa Fanm scandalisée par des exécutions sommaires de jeunes filles dans le bas Artibonite – Le Nouvelliste

• Réforme pénale 2025 en Haïti : Avancées féministes face aux résistances patriarcales – AlterPresse

Read more

When everything is uncertain, love remains steadfast. With his powerful choruses, Durkheim has established himself as one of the leading voices of summer music, as featured in this special edition. All this and more in issue #55 of HAITI WEEKLY by DÈYÈ MÒN ENFO.

Sommaire #56

1. Durkheim's Truths

2. Haiti in Step with the World

3. Music Video of the Week - Yon timoun legliz by Mr. Pass

4. Kenscoff Still Under Pressure

5. Pacot Refuses to Give In

6. New President, Old Habits

7. Press Reviews

Durkheim's Truths

Singer Durkheim has established himself as one of the most popular voices in the country. In his mid-twenties, he just finished perfoming a series of mini-concerts in several major cities outside of Port-au-Prince. We met with him before his final performance in Jacmel.

Originally from Croix-des-Bouquets, a suburb north of Port-au-Prince, he sings about the joys and sorrows of love and friendship, and the ups and downs of romantic relationships.

“It's a choice to reveal the dark side of my life and speak out about things that many people keep to themselves,” he confides. “Whether or not I experienced it, whether or not it hurt me, I use it to share all these emotions. I want to show that even artists can suffer.”

Read our full interview (in French) with him about his career and life in Sherbrooke, Quebec, which was published in La Presse de Montréal.

Durkheim's musical selection:

Haiti in Step with the World

Following a successful year in 2023 with albums by Zafèm and Medjy, compas has regained momentum this year, particularly due to the success of Joé Dwèt Filé. For 70 years, compas has inspired a multitude of styles in the Caribbean and beyond. With over 100 million views on YouTube, the song “4 Kampé” has resonated in Haiti, France, and beyond. Perhaps it has finally achieved the international recognition the genre has long deserved.

Without a doubt, the most popular song in Haiti this summer is Voye dlo, a collaboration between Yani Martelly, Tonymix, and three guest singers.

With its frenetic rhythms, raboday has been less prominent in the charts this year. The crisis, which does not lend itself well to the jerky, intense percussion of the genre, is undoubtedly a factor, though some tracks have still made their mark.

The influence of Africa remains strong, with Afro-pop and amapiano continuing to lead the way. These styles often blend with compas, resulting in popular fusions.

The diaspora also influences music production. For example, Durkheim and Troubleboy discuss the cost of living, and Loji Baby recounts his encounters with immigration police.

The national crisis is the focus of many songs that describe a population caught between leaders accused of corruption and armed groups capable of paralyzing both cities and the economy.

Music Video of the Week

Yon timoun legliz - Mr. Pass

Singer Mr. Pass has released an equally provocative song accompanied by a very daring music video. In the song, he tells the story of a “church girl” who is ready for all kinds of bedroom adventures, even inviting a friend to join her.

Accompanied by a catchy tune, he repeats the words of the young woman he met and brought to his hotel, where she “sang into the microphone” as if she were in a choir:

Kenscoff Still Under Pressure

Our team observed that the the town of Kenscoff and its neighbor Furcy remain on high alert. The authorities are still in control of the center, but on Friday morning, armed groups broke through the lines further up the road to Furcy, attacking and setting fire to two armored vehicles belonging to the Multinational Security Mission. Kenyan police officers were injured.

As of late last Thursday morning, police had regained control of most of the area, though tension remained in the Teleco sector. The police were also patrolling certain areas of Furcy where the police station had recently been set on fire.

“The situation would quickly be under control with one or two helicopters” said a police officer at the scene.

On August 3, a few hundred meters away, eight people, including a child and an Irish national, were kidnapped from an orphanage in Kenscoff. They are still being held by their captors.

Five UNICEF employees, including a French national, were released in Port-au-Prince after spending three weeks in captivity. The employees had been kidnapped while distributing medicine in a high-risk area. According to a source familiar with the case, their relatives paid a ransom of several thousand dollars. This is believed to be the first kidnapping of UN employees in Haiti.

Pacot Refuses to Give In

The Pacot neighborhood in Port-au-Prince is holding firm against attacks. As we reported, local brigades and police have regained control of the area around the Prince Hotel on Avenue N, a contested sector since late July.

However, police operations and self-defense groups have been active in recent days, and several drones have exploded near 4th Street. On Monday afternoon, drones exploded again in the vicinity.

Recently, more shopkeepers have appeared in the Pacot and Bas-Turgeau neighborhoods, at the Tifou intersection in Bois-Verna, and in certain areas of Champ-de-Mars. This is a sign of a slight return to normalcy, despite ongoing tensions.

New President, Old Habits

Last Thursday, in front of the Villa d'Accueil in Port-au-Prince, some protesters covered their faces from the cameras while showing support for Laurent St-Cyr, the new president of the Presidential Transition Council and businessman.

“I was just wiping my face,” one of them assured us.

But the message was clear when the photos circulated: matching T-shirts and printed signs... According to several critics, this type of staging is reminiscent of old political tactics where money is used to manufacture popular mobilization.

At that moment, a lavish ceremony was taking place at the unofficial center of presidential power. There were carefully selected guests, chauffeurs in the parking lot, and glasses of champagne—all in a country in the midst of a historic crisis.

As usual, the reshuffling has begun with preparations for a new Council of Ministers and the appointment of a new Director General of Police. Soon, no doubt, there will be new directors throughout the state apparatus as well. The new team in power seems eager to put its people in place quickly.

At a Glance : Regards d’ailleurs in Les Cayes

Following stops in Cap-Haïtien and Jacmel, the Théâtre Créole company presented the fourth edition of its Regard d'ailleurs festival in Les Cayes in the spring.

In closing, the concert-theater production Âme et lit, led by musician Darlin Johancy Michel and several actors and actresses, explored the crisis facing the country. The event, which took place at the Antistress club, concluded five days of workshops and performances, uniting artists and audiences on the same stage.

DÈYÈ MÒN ENFO’s team

Photojournalists: Francillon Laguerre, Sonson Thelusma, Andoo Lafond, Milot Andris, Patrick Payin, Steevy Andris, Ketlain Difficile
Community manager: Steven Andris
Editorial board: Etienne Côté-Paluck, Jean Elie Fortiné, Jean-Paul Saint-Fleur
Interns: Wilky Andris, Donley Jean Simon
Special collaboration: Stéphanie Tourillon-Gingras, Mateo Fortin Lubin
Media partners: Centre à la Une, J-COM, Nord-Est Info
Institutional partners: Kay Fanm, Mouka.ht

How Does Your Contribution Help?

Your monthly support helps to finance the production and pay the salaries of the DÈYÈ MÒN ENFO staff in the communities of Cité-Soleil, Port-au-Prince and Cayes-Jacmel. In addition, donations are regularly distributed for medical expenses, school fees and other emergencies in these communities.

Press Reviews

Press Review - Music

• Plus de 100 millions de vues pour « 4 Kampé » – Le Nouvelliste

• 70 ans de compas : « Merci Nemours », dit Lionel Benjamin – Le Nouvelliste

• Destinoble Barrateau : le maître oublié derrière les débuts de Nemours Jean-Baptiste et la naissance du compas direct – Le Nouvelliste

• Infinity : Gabel vise l’infini avec son septième album – Le National

Press Review - Performing Arts (music)

• Kreyòl La et Vayb défient la météo – Le Nouvelliste

• Beau clap de fin pour Haïti en Folie à Montréal – Le Nouvelliste

• Compas : 70 ans d’histoire célébrés sur la Place Boyer – Le Nouvelliste

• 70 ans du compas : Port-au-Prince danse avec T-Vice – Le Nouvelliste

• Septen célèbre ses 77 ans au Cap-Haïtien – Le Nouvelliste

• Festival Haïti en folie : Boukan Ginen et le regard du troisième œil – Leoir

Press Review - Visual Arts

• Clarens Siffroy décroche son « Visa pour l'image » – Le Nouvelli

Press Review - Culture

• Port-au-Prince : le bain collectif en piscine, une nouvelle pratique de loisirs – Le National

• Handgod Abraham n'est plus à la tête de Wikimédia Haïti – Le National

Press Review - Literature

• Entre stéréotypes et silences : critique du roman Les Villages de Dieu d’Émmelie Prophète et sa représentation des marges haïtiennes – Le Nouvelliste

• Lancement officiel des « Vendredis de la DNL » – Le Nouvelliste

• Écrire pour se choisir : le combat intime de Zafia – Le Nouvelliste

Press Review - Gender and Women's Rights

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Welcome to the base of the majestic Saut-Mathurine Falls, the tallest in Haiti. All this and more in issue #55 of HAITI WEEKLY by DÈYÈ MÒN ENFO.

Editor's note: We are pleased to announce the addition of a new team member. Steeven Andris, who is based in Jacmel, is joining us as an online community manager. He will help strengthen the social media presence of DÈYÈ MÒN ENFO and HAÏTI MAGAZINE. Welcome to the team, Steevy!

Summary #55

1. Discovering Saut-Mathurine

2. When Master Photographers Train the Next Generation in the South

3. Music Video of the Week: Voye Dlo by Yani Martelly

4. The Reality of Street Children, at the Theater in Jacmel

5. Fire at the Oloffson Hotel: the End of a Symbol

6. The Front Lines of Resistance in Pacot and Kenscoff

7. Press Reviews

Discovering Saut-Mathurine

Although all regions of Haiti are full of impressive waterfalls, none can match the power of Saut-Mathurine Falls, the country’s highest. Located in Camp-Perrin (South), the falls reach a height of 27 meters (89 feet). A series of pools and waterfalls precede them, offering an unforgettable natural spectacle.

The flow rate of the waterfall varies depending on rainfall and the operation of the hydroelectric dam located upstream. During rainy weather, the water sometimes spreads out over several meters.

This crystal-clear water is perfect for swimming. Like many other springs across the country, this site is steeped in voodoo practices and serves as a place of worship and relaxation.

When Master Photographers Train the Next Generation in the South

For six weeks, our director of photography, Jean Elie Fortiné, participated in an intensive training course in Les Cayes alongside 13 photographers from the Grand Sud and Port-au-Prince. The course was led by three giants of Haitian photography: Pierre Michel Jean, Josué Azor, and Réginald “Ray Pa Klè” Louissaint of the KD2 collective.

Participants crisscrossed the region with their mentors, refining their vision and perfecting their craft, from Île-à-Vache to Saut-Mathurine via the Cayes Botanical Garden.

The Port-au-Prince Centre d’Art organized this training program, which enabled experienced photographers to deepen their knowledge in an atmosphere of sharing and creativity.

Music Video of the Week

Voye dlo - Yani Martelly feat. Tonymix, Florence El Luche & Isemylee

Six years after the huge success of Gen Bagay, Yani Martelly is back with Voye dlo, which is already proving to be the hit of the 2025 summer 2025 in Haiti.

This light and catchy track is taking over the streets, public transportation, grocery stores, and DJ parties. Martelly, the son of former president and singer Michel Martelly, has teamed up with two singers, Florence El Luche and Isemylee, as well as popular producer TonyMix.

“Tomorrow is a day off, tonight is a sleepless “night”[in English],” he announces at the beginning of the song, before launching into a chorus full of double entendres mixing sensual allusions with summer euphoria. “I'm going to throw water, I'm going to splash water, then we'll go swimming.”

The Reality of Street Children, at the Theater in Jacmel

In anticipation of its first edition, the Festival des Îles qui Marchent (July 19-20) presented the play Le bal de l’incontinence, directed by Ar Guens Jean Mary, at the Alliance Française in Jacmel in June.

Djevens Fransaint’s text tells the story of a family whose daughter befriends a young man living on the streets. Though initially suspicious, the mother eventually accepts the friendship and gradually integrates the boy into family life.

However, the father is fiercely opposed to it. He locks his daughter in the house to prevent her from going out, which plunges the family into a dramatic spiral that leads to a tragic end.

With sensitivity and dramatic tension, the play explores how marginalized children are viewed. A large portion of Jacmel’s theater community—including actors, technicians, and volunteers—mobilized to bring this powerful text to the stage.

Fire at the Oloffson Hotel: the End of a Symbol

Members of our team collaborated with the British daily newspaper The Guardian to pay tribute to the Oloffson Hotel. The hotel burned down in early July amid a conflict zone between Bas-Peu-de-Chose and Carrefour-Feuilles, just a stone's throw from Pacot.

The Oloffson, a legendary venue in Haitian cultural life, has now become a symbol of a capital city torn apart by armed conflict, where cultural landmarks are crumbling one by one.

The Front Lines of Resistance in Pacot and Kenscoff

After our office in Port-au-Prince was hastily closed due to armed violence three months ago, we were able to return last week. The resumption of regional flights also allowed us to repatriate part of our team that had been stranded in Jacmel.

Resistance groups have grown stronger in recent weeks in the Pacot neighborhood and surrounding areas. According to our sources, donations of weapons and money have bolstered local defense capabilities.

Al Jazeera Live News with Imran Khan, Al Jazeera, June 28, 2025

Last Tuesday, armed criminal groups took over the Prince Hotel and its surroundings. Despite interventions by the police and self-defense brigades, this area is reportedly still in their hands.

24/60 with Madeleine Blais-Morin, RDI, July 3, 2025

On Saturday, armed men fired shots on Babiole Street and fled, pursued by members of the brigades and the police. Dozens of shots were fired. An elderly person died in an inner courtyard where the attackers had taken refuge. Three other people are reportedly missing and possibly kidnapped.

Early Monday morning, a dozen drones exploded over the capital, shaking the entire city.

Fighting continues further up the mountain in Kenscoff and Furcy. A recent counteroffensive by Haitian forces reportedly allowed them to regain ground for the first time by using a helicopter in a security operation. However, the situation remains unclear, and it is uncertain which areas are actually controlled by the authorities outside the center of the commune.

At A Glance: Tropicana at a Country Fair

The legendary Orchestre Tropicana d'Haïti performed at an intimate country festival in the north. Our colleague, Ketlain Difficile, was there and captured this warm musical moment.

DÈYÈ MÒN ENFO’s team

Photojournalists: Francillon Laguerre, Sonson Thelusma, Andoo Lafond, Milot Andris, Patrick Payin, Steevy Andris, Ketlain Difficile
Community manager: Steven Andris
Editorial board: Etienne Côté-Paluck, Jean Elie Fortiné, Jean-Paul Saint-Fleur
Interns: Wilky Andris, Donley Jean Simon
Special collaboration: Stéphanie Tourillon-Gingras, Mateo Fortin Lubin
Media partners: Centre à la Une, J-COM, Nord-Est Info
Institutional partners: Kay Fanm, Mouka.ht

How Does Your Contribution Help?

Your monthly support helps to finance the production and pay the salaries of the DÈYÈ MÒN ENFO staff in the communities of Cité-Soleil, Port-au-Prince and Cayes-Jacmel. In addition, donations are regularly distributed for medical expenses, school fees and other emergencies in these communities.

Press Reviews

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DÈYÈ MÒN ENFO organized a media education campaign in a number of schools and media outlets in the South-East. All this and more in issue #54 of HAITI WEEKLY by DÈYÈ MÒN ENFO.

Editor’s note: We’re pleased to present to you the fruits of our abour in the Jacmel region over the last few weeks in this special edition. However, our mission doesn't stop there. A regular edition of the newsletter will arrive in your inbox very soon.

Summary #54

1. Enfomasyon Verifye : Against Manipulation, the Youth of the South-East Get Informed

2. Jacmel: Young Champions Thrill the Stadium

3. Marigot and Cayes-Jacmel: Students March for a Greener Future

4. Press Reviews

Enfomasyon Verifye : Against Manipulation, the Youth of the South-East Get Informed

For just over a month this spring, the DÈYÈ MÒN ENFO team collaborated with UNESCO as part of a campaign in the South-East department of Haiti.

This included training sessions at schools, a major conference for journalists' association members, and media and online awareness campaigns.

The ENFOMASYON VERIFYE - Pa pran manti pou verite campaign was first launched at La Dignité school in Marigot. Two sessions were devoted to analyzing two pieces of fake news: one from abroad about Haiti and one of local origin. These cases served as an introduction to the tools and techniques necessary to distinguish fake news from quality journalism.

There was a marked interest in the issue of women’s representation in the media, and the exhanges were rich. A significant portion of the training addressed how men often influence this representation due to to their significant presence in newsrooms. Additionally, tools to combat violence against women and girls were provided.

Then, the public high schools of Cayes-Jacmel and Jacmel welcomed the Dèyè Mòn Enfo team. In Cayes-Jacmel, students from NS2 and NS3 classes gathered at Lycée Wolson-Chancy for a session marked by heated debates about misleading images and digital tools and applications that are useful for journalists to fact-check.

The presentation to the NS3 class at Jacmel's Lycée Pinchinat also provoked lively discussion. The question of gender and the ethics of journalism also sparked lively discussions here. This public boys’ school has been waiting for years to renovate its buildings, which are considered structurally unsafe. Consequently, some courses, including the DÈYÈ MÒN ENFO course, are held in tents.

Two other training sessions were also held at the Excelsior school in Cayes-Jacmel and in the community of Tessert, also in Cayes-Jacmel, where Dèyè Mòn Enfo is headquartered in the South-East.

On May 10, a major conference-masterclass entitled Le photojournalisme pour contrer la désinformation (Photojournalism to Counter Misinformation) was organized for members of journalists’ associations in Jacmel and the surrounding area. The event brought together approximately thirty journalists at the offices of our partner, Jakmèl Eksprèsyon.

In addition, an online campaign reached over 50,000 people in the Sud-Est department, whose capital is Jacmel.

The in-school training sessions and conference were organized by the Dèyè Mòn Enfo team: Berline Thelmonis, Samara Sénat, Andoo Lafond, Jean Elie Fortiné and Etienne Côté-Paluck. Special thanks to the Jakmèl Ekspresyon team and Ange-Carmel and her staff for the food served at the conference. Thanks also to all the participating schools. Thanks to the Morne-Pyero Institute for providing the campaign’s educational tools. Finally, thanks to Violine Thelusma and the entire UNESCO Haiti team for trusting the training team.

We would also like to thank our partner, Canal 1ère TV Média, for the following report on the event:

Jacmel: Young Champions Thrill the Stadium

Soccer (foutbòl) teams from Jacmel's schools gathered at the Jacques Khawly stadium for one last match before the end-of-year exams.

Lycée Pinchinat of Jacmel took first place, beating ICOSA 2-0 in the final. Lycée Célie-Lamour won the girl’s competition.

The pre-match and half-time entertainment included dance and acrobatic performances by local troupes. Former MP and businessman Jacky Khawly presented medals and trophies.

Marigot and Cayes-Jacmel: Students March for a Greener Future

On June 5, students from La Dignité school walked for the environment from their school in Marigot to the Massacre soccer field in Cayes-Jacmel.

Signs read:

“A good environment, a good life”.

“The environment is my pride”.

“A good environment for good food”.

The students walked along the seafront road for much of the journey, accompanied by their teachers. They particularly stressed the importance of preserving coastal areas.

DÈYÈ MÒN ENFO’s team

Photojournalists: Francillon Laguerre, Sonson Thelusma, Andoo Lafond, Milot Andris, Patrick Payin, Steevy Andris, Ketlain Difficile
Editorial board: Etienne Côté-Paluck, Jean Elie Fortiné, Jean-Paul Saint-Fleur
Interns: Wilky Andris, Donley Jean Simon
Special collaboration: Stéphanie Tourillon-Gingras, Mateo Fortin Lubin
Media partners: Centre à la Une, J-COM, Nord-Est Info
Institutional partners: Kay Fanm, Mouka.ht

How Does Your Contribution Help?

Your monthly support helps to finance the production and pay the salaries of the DÈYÈ MÒN ENFO staff in the communities of Cité-Soleil, Port-au-Prince and Cayes-Jacmel. In addition, donations are regularly distributed for medical expenses, school fees and other emergencies in these communities.

Press Reviews

Press Review - Music

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Last Sunday, the country solemnly celebrated Flag Day at a time when it is experiencing one of the worst crises in its history. In the North and South-East, traditional parades and youth bands took to the streets to commemorate this milestone in the history of national liberation. This and more in HAITI WEEKLY #53 by DÈYÈ MÒN ENFO.

Editor’s note: We are now displaced. Due to the intensification of armed conflict in the are in recent weeks, we were forced to clear out our apartment and the DÈYÈ MÒN ENFO office in the Pacot district of Port-au-Prince. This has slowed down the production of this issue, but rest assured, we will soon offer you a little musical bonus to make up for it.

Summary #53

1. North and South Commemorate the Flag

2. The Ouanaminthe Canal in L'actualité Magazine

3. Rara Bands Take Over the Night

4. Music Video of the Week - M ap chache chimen m by Gwotèt, Ange Carla et Opak

5. Running Under the Southern Clouds

6. Port-au-Prince Surrounded, Mirebalais Threatened

7. Press Reviews

North and South Commemorate the Fla

The tradition is deeply rooted and symbolism remains strong. On May 18, 1803, during a revolutionary congress, Jean-Jacques Dessalines removed the white stripe from the French flag and Catherine Flon sewed the remaining two stripes back together. Every year, the holiday is celebrated across the country with masses, parades, and school band performances.

Tradition dictates that the President will travel to Arcahaie, the site of the historic congress. However, Bendgy Tilias, the Secretary of State for Communication, told Magik9: “Some regions, such as Cap-Haïtien, are better equipped to host such an event in the current context.”

On Sunday, a delegation of four Transitional Presidential Council members, accompanied by the Prime Minister, flew by helicopter from Port-au-Prince to Cap-Haïtien to attend official ceremonies.

Initially, demonstrators - including striking teachers who have not been paid by the state for months- occupied the entrance to the Cap-Haïtien cathedral, where a mass was being held in the presence of the leaders. Later, booing accompanied the speeches at the official dinner held at the town hall, which was located just outside the cathedral.

Nearly four years after the start of the security crisis, the situation in the country has become so dire that holding expensive ceremonies far from the capital seemed inappropriate to some.

A little later, the parade, which was mainly made up of schoolchildren and young people, passed without incident through the streets of Cap-Haïtien a little later, much to the delight of the public. A three-wheeled vehicle, which is very popular for public transportation in the North, served as a float.

Thirty kilometers south of Port-au-Prince, Cayes-Jacmel took advantage of the beautiful morning weather to hold a traditional mass, followed by a parade featuring music and dance.

The Ouanaminthe Canal in L'actualité Magazine

For farmers and the Haitian population seeking solutions to the country's security crisis, the Ouanaminthe canal represents more than just a construction project: it symbolizes economic recovery and food sovereignty.

With the support of the Fonds québécois pour le journalisme international, part of the Dèyè Mòn Enfo team travelled to Ouanaminthe for nearly two weeks last year to follow the project’s progress. We would like to thank all the volunteers working on the Ouanaminthe canal who welcomed us with open arms.

The report published in the June issue of L'actualité magazine is available online and at newsstands.

Rara Bands Take Over the Night

In the weeks following Carnival, Rara brass bands took to the streets of the country, especially at night. These festive parades, which were often organized in the various communes, culminated over the Easter weekend.

The Resif festival in Les Cayes hosted several of these nocturnal groups, providing a lively stage for this popular tradition.

Music Video of the Week

M ap chache chimen m - Gwotèt feat. Ange Carla x Opak MNG

In recent weeks, a track by young rapper Gwotèt and singer Ange Carla has deeply touched the hearts of Haitian youth.

The song is accompanied by a meticulously produced video clip that aptly illustrates the reality of young people in the capital city and throughout the country. It is a vibrant call to “follow your path”, despite the hardships of life in a crisis-stricken city.

“Even if the wind stopped blowing, or the sun stopped rising, we'd keep running until our lives soared. And if one day the running stopped, we would walk, until, at our backs, our wings spread.”

Running Under the Southern Clouds

The sixth edition of the Cayes Marathon took place last month under cloudy skies, just a few days after floods affected the entire region. As in previous years, the race started in Cavaillon and finished in downtown Les Cayes, located in the southern department.

Adelson Désirin and Jésumène Colin won the 21-kilometer (half-marathon) event for the men and women, respectively. The event attracted over 150 participants from across the country.

A 10-kilometer school run was also organized for children.

Port-au-Prince Surrounded, Mirebalais Threatened

The crisis in Port-au-Prince continues, with ongoing fighting in Pacot and Kenscoff, as well as in Mirebalais, which is localed farther afield. The Péligre hydroelectric power station, located some forty kilometers north of the capital in the Mirebalais region, has been at a standstill for over a week, plunging the entire metropolitan area into darkness.

Local associations in Mirebalais have reportedly taken responsibility for sabotaging the power station. They are demanding increased intervention by law enforcement to combat armed groups.

Despite a few arrests and some strategic victories for the authorities, armed criminal groups still control the vast majority of the territories they this year.

At A Glance - Jazz Resonates in Port-au-Prince Despite Adversity

Despite the challenging circumstances and security threats, the Festival de Jazz de Port-au-Prince managed to host two days of musical celebrations at the Hôtel Karibe in April.

Singer Gardyn Mercier on stage in the courtyard of the Hotel Karibe. Video: Françoise Ponticq

DÈYÈ MÒN ENFO’s team

Photojournalists: Francillon Laguerre, Sonson Thelusma, Andoo Lafond, Milot Andris, Patrick Payin
Editorial board: Etienne Côté-Paluck, Jean Elie Fortiné, Jean-Paul Saint-Fleur
Interns: Wilky Andris, Donley Jean Simon
Special collaboration: Stéphanie Tourillon-Gingras, Ketlain Difficile, François Ponticq, Réginald “Raypaklè” Louissaint, Mateo Fortin Lubin
Media partners: Centre à la Une, J-COM, Nord-Est Info
Institutional partners: Kay Fanm, Mouka.ht

How Does Your Contribution Help?

Your monthly support helps to finance the production and pay the salaries of the DÈYÈ MÒN ENFO staff in the communities of Cité-Soleil, Port-au-Prince and Cayes-Jacmel. In addition, donations are regularly distributed for medical expenses, school fees and other emergencies in these communities.

Press Reviews

Press Review - Music

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The international section of Les Cayes airport was inaugurated with great fanfare at the beginning of March. A number of dignitaries travelled to the airport for the occasion, but many questions remain unanswered, according to locals who have been dreaming of a direct link with the outside world for decades. This and more in HAITI WEEKLY #52 by DÈYÈ MÒN ENFO.

Editor’s note : Producing a media outlet in Haiti, especially one with a socio-cultural vocation, is becoming more complex by the day. Unable to return to Port-au-Prince, a large part of our team was forced to stay in the Grand Sud, without knowing for how long.

Summary #52

1. Les Cayes International Airport: Between Hope and Cynicism

2. Ayida: An Open-Air Stage in the Streets of Les Cayes

3. Music Video of the Week - Ma muse by Domec Brusly and Roody Roodboy

4. Clarens Siffroy Wins World Press Photo Award

5. Mirebalais Attacked, Saut-d'Eau Lost

6. Port-au-Prince Residents Stranded

Les Cayes International Airport: Between Hope and Cynicism

The Antoine-Simon International Airport in Les Cayes was inaugurated with great fanfare on March 6 in the presence of the President of the Transitional Presidential Council, several ministers and dignitaries. The facility, which already functions as a regional airport, now houses immigration and customs office. According to the authorities, it will be able to accommodate 80 passenger planes, up from 30, and receive flights from abroad.

The transformation of the regional airport into an international airport has long been a dream of the people of the Grand Sud. The project will make the region less dependent on the capital, where the country's main airport is located. This initiative, driven by a desire for decentralization, has gained in popularity since the capital has been in a state of war and all roads leading to the South have been blocked.

But almost a month after its inauguration, no international flight has landed there. The flight from Columbia announced for March 28th did not take place. At the inauguration, it was revealed that a contract signed with Vorbe & Fils had extended the original runway from 500 metres to 1,850 metres. Two days before the end of his mandate, Leslie Voltaire, outgoing President of the Transitional Presidential Council, also promised the return of electricity to Les Cayes, which, like several other cities, has been without power for several years. He also spoke of his dream of creating an industrial park to process local products.

But skepticism remains. A real control tower is still missing, we were reminded. "Nothing serious is being done. It was Voltaire who wanted to inaugurate it before the end of his term of office," said an airport employee during our visit.

Ayida: An Open-Air Stage in the Streets of Les Cayes

The Tempokata theater troupe took to the streets of Les Cayes on March 23 to present Ayida, an allegorical play about the suffering of the Haitian people and the failure of its elites.

A woman dressed in the colors of the Haitian flag symbolizes a country torn between politicians and the media in search of personal interests. “It's a summary of what the country is going through right now,” said one of the actors in the play, which has about fifteen performers.

The play is based on poems by Jean Verra Charles and directed by him.

Music Video of the Week

Ma muse - Domec Brusly ft. Roody Roodboy

Young singer Domec Brusly scored his first big hit with Ma muse, a compas-sounding love song with troubadour influences, released in December. In the last two weeks, the song has taken off again with a remix and music video in collaboration with Roody Roodboy.

This new version has more than one million views, more than double the number of the original. Originally from Côte-de-Fer, Domec Brusly has announced that he is currently working on his long-awaited debut album.

Clarens Siffroy Wins World Press Photo Award

Photojournalist Siffroy Clarens, a contributor to HAÏTI MAGAZINE and AFP affiliate for the past year, has won the World Press Photo award for North and Central America. His ten-photo report documents the crisis in Port-au-Prince with sensitivity and humanity. He will receive the award in Amsterdam on May 13.

Mirebalais Attacked, Saut-d'Eau Lost

Dozens, if not hundreds, of armed men took to the streets of Mirebalais on Monday morning. They freed about 500 prisoners, mostly pre-trial detainees, before being repelled by the forces of law and order and locally trained vigilante groups. Several armed attackers were killed.

“There were so many of them that killing five or ten didn't make much difference,” explains our contributor Sadrax Ulysse, editor-in-chief of Centre à la UNE, HAÏTI MAGAZINE's media partner.

“The whole team is safe,” he said by phone last Monday night, after being forced to flee his own home because it was too close to the fighting.

The Centre department, north-east of Port-au-Prince, has been relatively spared from major offensives by armed criminal groups, unlike neighboring Artibonite, where Haitian police and Kenyan troops have been mobilized for several years.

According to the latest reports, police officers in Saut-d'Eau, the site of one of the most important Vodou pilgrimages, abandoned the town to armed groups on Thursday morning. For several days, the police had been complaining about the lack of reinforcements. Faced with the strength of the criminal groups, they had to give in and leave the commune to them.

Port-au-Prince Residents Stranded

The noose continues to tighten around Port-au-Prince. Although the attack on the Christ-Roi district was repelled, clashes continue there. The advance of armed groups beyond Carrefour-Feuilles also continues. Gunfire was reported on Avenue Christophe, home to the Humanities Department of the Université d'État d'Haïti and other academic institutions. The entire Bas-Peu-de-Chose district is now a conflict zone.

The Baryajou district has been emptied of its inhabitants in recent days, and the violence has moved closer to Croix-des-Prés, which is also largely deserted. With each new offensive, brigades from the Canapé-Vert district block the road to Pétion-Ville.

Surrounded on all sides, the inhabitants of the capital have found themselves trapped several times in the past month. The Bourdon road, which runs alongside Christ-Roi, is now the only passable exit to the highlands. All other roads are now impassable, especially when the self-defense groups in Canapé-Vert close their access to Pétion-Ville.

Since March 1, law enforcement agencies have been using new equipment in their fight against armed groups, including explosive drones. A new security unit, partly controlled by the Prime Minister's Office, is using these so-called “kamikaze” drones in a number of conflict zones.

The attacks targeted Village-de-Dieu, the stronghold of Johnson “Izo” André, and lower Delmas, the territory of Jimmy “Barbecue” Chérizier. The latter even declared in a video that he was planning to obtain similar weapons to retaliate.

Violence also intensified in Kenscoff, where a Kenyan policeman from the multinational force was shot and wounded. Hopes of reopening the last road linking Port-au-Prince to the rest of the country are fading as it becomes increasingly impassable.

DÈYÈ MÒN ENFO’s team

Photojournalists: Francillon Laguerre, Sonson Thelusma, Andoo Lafond, Milot Andris, Patrick Payin
Editorial board: Etienne Côté-Paluck, Jean Elie Fortiné, Jean-Paul Saint-Fleur
Interns: Wilky Andris, Donley Jean Simon
Special collaboration: Siffroy Clarens, Sadrax Ulysse, Stéphanie Tourillon-Gingras, Mateo Fortin Lubin
Media partners: Centre à la Une, J-COM, Nord-Est Info
Institutional partners: Kay Fanm, Mouka.ht

Special thanks to the Fonds québécois pour le journalisme international (FQJI) for its support.

How Does Your Contribution Help?

Your monthly support helps to finance the production and pay the salaries of the DÈYÈ MÒN ENFO staff in the communities of Cité-Soleil, Port-au-Prince and Cayes-Jacmel. In addition, donations are regularly distributed for medical expenses, school fees and other emergencies in these communities.

Revues de presse

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