#57 - The Country in the Rhythm of Championships

Soccer fever sweeps the nation, Clarens Siffroy celebrates his World Press Photo award in Montreal, Bois-Caïman in Pétion-Ville, Baky unbeatable, poetry as a form of protest, and the ashes of Solino

Jean Elie FORTINE

Etienne COTE-PALUCK

, and

Jean-Paul SAINT FLEUR

Sep 05, 2025

∙ Paid

A Mario Brutus Cup match in Pétion-Ville. Photo: Jean Elie Fortiné / Dèyè Mòn Enfo

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

Championships: Competitions Across the Country
Clarens Siffroy Celebrates his World Press Photo in Montreal
Voodoo - The Bois-Caïman Ceremony Celebrated in Pétion-Ville
Music Video of the Week - Invincible by Baky
Poetry as a Means of Protest
Port-au-Prince: The Ashes of Solino
Thousands of Haitians Threatened with Deportation from the U.S.
Press reviews

Championships: Competitions Across the Country

Match at the Sainte-Thérèse stadium. Photo : Etienne Côté-Paluck / Dèyè Mòn Enfo

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.

The sun sets over the stands at Sainte-Thérèse Stadium. Photo: Jean Elie Fortiné / Dèyè Mòn Enfo

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.

Bel-Air FC against Jérémie FC at Sainte-Thérèse Stadium. Photo: Jean Elie Fortiné / Dèyè Mòn Enfo

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).

A player outplays his opponent at the Massacre stadium in Cayes-Jacmel. Photo: Jean Elie Fortiné / Dèyè Mòn Enfo

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.

Match at Sainte-Thérèse Stadium in Pétion-Ville. Photo: Etienne Côté-Paluck / Dèyè Mòn Enfo

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.

The match at Sainte-Thérèse Stadium in Pétion-Ville. Photos: Jean Elie Fortiné / Dèyè Mòn Enfo

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)

The match in Cayes-Jacmel. Photos: Jean Elie Fortiné / Dèyè Mòn Enfo

Clarens Siffroy Celebrates his World Press Photo in Montreal

Clarens Siffroy during a visit to the World Press Photo Montreal exhibition. Photo: Jade Bourdages / Déyè Mòn Enfo

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.

Extensive interview with Clarens Siffroy in Montreal newspaper La Presse, after part of the Dèyè Mòn Enfo team followed him around for two days in the Haitian capital.

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

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

Voodoo procession on August 14 to mark the anniversary of the Bois Caïman ceremony. Photo: Jean Elie Fortiné / Dèyè Mòn Enfo

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

“Long live voodoo” read one of the signs. Photo: Jean Elie Fortiné / Dèyè Mòn Enfo

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.

Photo: Jean Elie Fortiné / Dèyè Mòn Enfo

Photos: Jean Elie Fortiné / Dèyè Mòn Enfo

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

Handover ceremony to Vladimir Paraison, new Director General of the Haitian National Police, in early August. Photo: Jean Elie Fortiné / Dèyè Mòn Enfo

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.

World Food Programme helicopter over Port-au-Prince. Photo: Jean Elie Fortiné / Dèyè Mòn Enfo

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.

Members of the transitional presidential council. Photo: Jean Elie Fortiné / Dèyè Mòn Enfo

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

A new head of the Port-au-Prince Public Prosecutor's Office was appointed a few days after a strike by lawyers. Photo: Jean Elie Fortiné / Dèyè Mòn Enfo

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.