#31 - Quatre Chemins Festival: the Art of Dreaming
#31 - Quatre Chemins Festival: the Art of Dreaming
All the news from Haiti this week: Quatre Chemins officially opens, the Dominican Republic turns a blind eye to informal crossings and armed conflict resumes in Cité-Soleil
The 20th edition of the Quatre Chemins Festival opens today in Port-au-Prince, marking two decades of artistic celebration. A creative crossroads where theater, dance and music meet, the Quatre Chemins Festival promises an immersion into the Haitian imagination.
This and more in HAITI WEEKLY #31 by DÈYÈ MÒN ENFO, a collective of journalists and media professionals based in Haiti.
Editor’s note: The last section of this newsletter, with the weekly thematic press reviews, will now be reserved for paying subscribers or those living in Haiti. Please feel free to share in your networks: www.haitimagazine.ca | www.haitiweekly.com
Étienne Côté-Paluck
Summary #31
Official Opening of the Quatre Chemins Festival
Informal Crossings: the Dominican Republic Turns a Blind Eye
Music Video of the Week: Bwa kale by Blaze One
Cite Soleil: Fragile Peace Broken by New Battles
Theater: A father's Monologue in Les Cayes
Press Reviews of the Week
Official Opening of the Quatre Chemins Festival
Preparations for the Quatre Chemins Festival have been in full swing for the past two weeks, culminating in a press conference the day before yesterday in a press conference hosted by Guy Régis Jr, the festival's passionate director and recent resident at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa. Taking place in iconic Port-au-Prince venues such as the Institut français d'Haïti, the Yanvalou cabaret and the Centre d'art, this year's festival, which opens today, embraces the theme of dreams, and invites an exploration of the boundaries between art and nation.
The guest of honor, choreographer and dancer Jeanguy Saintus, embodies the spirit of this edition: to dare to dream and to push back the boundaries of the imaginary.
AlterPresse | Haiti-Culture : The 20th edition of the Festival 4 Chemins from November 20 to December 2, 2023 in Port-au-Prince
Numerous activities were presented in the run-up to the Festival's opening. Earlier last week, the play Goebbels, juifs et footballer, written by Guy Regis Jr and performed by Kenny Laguerre under the direction of Rolando Etienne, had already won over the audience at the Institut français. The play explores Haitian cultural peculiarities with humor.
The play's sole character, a young football enthusiast, laughs at the unusual first names sometimes found in Haiti. From Ti-Ronaldo for the sports fan to Lifètvrè [he was really born] and Libonè [it's early], the imagination seems to run wild when it comes to assigning first names. Let's hope that one day a Creole version will be staged to reach an even wider audience.
A dance performance by the Equality Dance troupe at the Institut Français on Friday and public readings at Yanvalou also made for a week full of emotion and artistic discovery.
Quatre Chemins Festival: "A Place of Energy Par Excellence" . Le Nouvelliste
Festival Quatre Chemins, for a Cohabitation of the World . Le Nouvelliste
Informal Crossings: the Dominican Republic Turns a Blind Eye
Several points on the border between Haiti and the Dominican Republic have become veritable hubs of informal activity. In the Nord-East department, makeshift markets straddle the two countries, escaping the control of the Haitian authorities, who have banned cross-border trade.
North-East mayors step up measures against Dominican product smuggling - Le National
Last Thursday, a joint operation was carried out by the Haitian National Police, Customs and the Mayor's Office, among others. They were only able to identify the presence of an informal market on Dominican territory and in the neutral zone, without being able to intervene directly. Dominican goods were seized on Haitian territory, but the activities of this new informal market could not be interrupted because it was outside their jurisdiction.
This cross-border phenomenon is intensifying under the eyes of the Dominican military. On Thursday, a tractor was even seen building a road to facilitate motorized access to this informal market.
"It is the Dominican authorities who organize these [informal] markets," said Harold Joseph, vice-delegate of the Ouanaminthe district, in recent days.
After unilaterally closing the border crossings on September 15, the neighboring country has asked that they be reopened for trade only, but the Haitians have refused. Instead, the Ouanaminthe authorities are calling for negotiations between the two countries before reopening the border to resolve the many irritations experienced by Haitians and dark-skinned people in the Dominican Republic.
In the heart of the conflict, the construction of the Ouanaminthe canal continues, although some of the work at the junction with the Massacre River has been suspended. According to the organizing committee, the complexity of the site requires an additional investment of US$800,000 to complete the project. Despite visits by high-level government officials and promises made on the ground by three ministers last month, concrete government assistance has yet to materialize.
Much more than a simple structure, this canal embodies the enduring aspirations and challenges of Haitian communities.
Transformed into an emblematic meeting place, this construction site in the North-East attracts hundreds of visitors and tourists daily from all corners of Haiti, playing a unifying role within the country.
Music Video of the Week
Bwa kale - Blaze One ft. I3larisner
In his latest music video, released Saturday, rapper Blaze One openly identifies with the popular Bwa kale vigilante movement.
The chorus of his song of the same name, performed as a duet with I3larisner, paints a bleak picture: "My country is not safe, it's split in two: on one side, the bandits, on the other, Bwa kale". This expression echoes the popular movement that has emerged since April, sometimes brutally targeting individuals suspected of belonging to armed criminal groups. The presence of tires piled up behind the two artists reinforces this unequivocal message.
Blaze One doesn't mince his words, extending his criticism to many sectors of society: "The bourgeoisie, the politicians, the media, those who have betrayed the country, all should suffer Bwa kale", he declares, making no exception in his call for popular justice.
Cite Soleil: Fragile Peace Broken by New Battles
Last week, Cité-Soleil was the scene of macabre events. The death of Iscar Andris, a leader of the G9 collective of armed groups, triggered a series of intense shootings. These clashes lasted until late Monday night and reverberated throughout the community, marking a resurgence of violence in this already troubled area.
AlterPresse | Haiti-Criminality : Tensions rise in Cité Soleil and surrounding area after death of gang
The G9's rival armed group, led by Gabriel Jean-Pierre, appears determined to retake areas of Cité Soleil controlled by Andris’ allies, particularly around Pierre-6.
SOS pou katye Pyèsis, Duvivier ak Fontèn nan Laplèn | Loop Haiti
In the midst of the fighting, Fontaine Hospital, one of the city's last remaining medical care centers, had to evacuate nearly a hundred patients, including infants, due to the proximity of the fighting. Backed by police in armored vehicles, it was a rare operation in a neighborhood often left to its own devices since the police station was abandoned.
The DÈYÈ MÒN ENFO team had also visited the Fontaine Hospital last spring to produce a report that was aired on PBS Newshour:
Cite Soleil: Sudden evacuation of one of the shantytown's last hospitals - Ayibopost
Last Monday also marked the fifth anniversary of the fateful massacre of La Saline, in which at least 70 people lost their lives, according to human rights organizations. In 2018, our contributors Jean Elie Fortiné, Sonson Thélusma and Étienne Côté-Paluck had visited the site to collect testimonies from relatives of the victims and testified to seeing numerous human remains among the smoking rubble.
The La Saline massacre was a key moment in the conflict between armed groups in Port-au-Prince, just before the formation of the G9 coalition. The latter gradually took control of La Saline, forcing the exodus of many of its residents. Today, it controls a large part of the territory of both Port-au-Prince and Cité-Soleil.
“For too long, the Haitian justice system has been in a state of lethargy, and it needs to get its head above water in order to accompany Haitian society in its quest for justice and social justice. Following up on the ULCC reports could be a good start.”
Excerpt from La justice haïtienne face à l'histoire
Le Nouvelliste editorial by Jean Pharès Jérôme (November 17, 2023)
Since 2021, the G9 has managed to isolate its opponents, who are grouped around Gabriel Jean-Pierre in the coastal district of Brooklyn [Brouklin].
The residents of this area, the most densely populated in Cité-Soleil, have long been cut off from the world. Until last fall, living conditions there were dire, with no access to drinking water or electricity. This led to the first cases of cholera in Haiti in two years. Today, the epidemic is re-emerging in several regions of the country.
Earlier this summer, however, a truce between the two factions brought a glimmer of hope. Brooklyn residents were finally able to move around a little more freely. Many of them work in nearby downtown Port-au-Prince.
But the resumption of fighting this week signals the end of that truce. The clashes, which were extremely violent, are said to have left many dead and dozens wounded. However, it remains difficult to make an accurate assessment.
More than 100 dead in Cité Soleil according to one local resident - METROPOLE
According to a recent report by the IOM and the Haitian Civil Protection, more than a thousand people have recently been displaced as a result of these conflicts.
Fortunately, the intensity of the fighting seems to have decreased since the end of last week.
Insecurity in Mariani and Cite Soleil Gaz: APCH and ANAPROSS sound the alarm - L'exclusivité
Theater: A father's Monologue in Les Cayes
On November 11, the Alliance française des Cayes hosted a moving performance of Andrise Pierre's Monologue du père, interpreted by Seïde Dieunika and directed by Eliezer Guérismé. This performance was presented as part of an artistic residency by Vers le Sud.
The winners of the Vers le Sud residency are known . Le Nouvelliste
The play Le chêne endormi [The sleeping oak], from which this monologue is taken, will be presented on Tuesday and Wednesday at the Quatre Chemins Festival in Port-au-Prince. A collaboration between the En lisant Festival and the Brigade d'intervention théâtrale (BIT HAÏTI), this production highlights the talent of Stéphanie François in the lead role. Following the unexpected death of actor Farid Sauvignon, who suffered a seizure last month, Edouard Baptiste will take on the role of the father.
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: Jéthro-Claudel Pierre Jeanty, Josué Azor, Mateo Fortin Lubin, Wilgens Devilas
Media partners: Centre à la Une, J-COM, Nord-Est Info
Institutional partners: Kay Fanm, Mouka.ht
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Your monthly support helps finance production and pay DÈYÈ MÒN ENFO's collaborators in the communes 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 of the Week
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