#59 - Gardy Girault and Riva Précis Set the Jazz Festival Alight

A look back at the Port-au-Prince Jazz Festival | Mobilization continues for March 8 | Fantom at the top with Nigerian D'Banj and Ugandan Jenndantor | Solino reopens but fear remains palpable

Jean Elie FORTINE, Etienne COTE-PALUCK, and Jean-Paul SAINT FLEUR

Mar 14, 2026

∙ Paid

Photo: Jean Elie Fortiné / Dèyè Mòn Enfo

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

Jazz Is Still Alive
March 8: The Mobilization Continues, in a Different Way
Music Video of the Week - I Am Legend (Remix) by Fantom, D’Banj, and Jenndantor
Solino: The Neighborhood Breathes Easy, But the Threat Remains
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.

Photos: Jean Elie Fortiné / Dèyè Mòn Enfo

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 Précis and tambourine player Francisco “Cisco” Lafrance from the group Pawòl Tanbou. Riva Précis, 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.

The two main organizers of the festival address the crowd. Photo: Jean Elie Fortiné / Dèyè Mòn Enfo

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

Men walking in Solino on March 3. Photo: Siffroy Clarens

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

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