Friday, July 23, 2010

We are live from the Food for Souls Tour showcase in Petit Goave (Tigwav, in Creole), Haiti. The show is underway, and the crowd is a happy one. They're participating, loving the opening that Michou and Welele performed for them, she on the guitar, he on the drum. We visited the team's camp site earlier. It's waterfront and appears safe, although we heard the "hotel" grounds they're staying in is actually a house of ill repute, if you know what we mean. A FastForward Haiti team member told us the owner and chief pimp was nearby, watching the team's men for interest. That type of activity is off-limits in the Sinema Anba Zetwal (SAZ) world, though. The crew's just happy to have a safe and dry place to camp in.

We had an animated ride from Port au Prince to Tigoave, care of Claudi and the Food for Souls tour's three emcees for the weekend: Maritza, Steve and Gregory. We spoke about life in general, what we knew (or didn't know) about Tigoave, and the beautiful scenery that was just outside our truck windows.

We saw a man selling a rooster on the side of the road in Carrefour. The animal's right leg shook as he was presented to the potential buyer. After a "no sale," the rooster's owner placed a dirty sport sock over its head. Commerce on Haiti streets can be a little harsh.

On our way to the Sinema anba Zetwal location we passed a funeral procession. It was like what you can imagine seeing in New Orleans, complete with brass band and mourners walking woefully behind the hearse that holds the coffin. Except instead of a hearse, a Suburban did the dead the honors on this late afternoon. The mourners were in their best black outfits. We took no photos out of respect, of course.

The people of Petit Goave are a lot more easy going compared to residents of the capital. Tatiana from FastForward Haiti tells us that people from the provinces tend to be more laid back than those live in Port au Prince. The children we met were boisterous and unafraid to say hello. No begging and not a lot of staring, just a flash of amazement every time we showed them their photo on our digital camera. We met a great group of girls through the fence. They posed for our camera like pros, first one then the next. We were happy to run into them during the screenings later that night.

Read more: BLOG DAY 2: Tigoave Screenings Begin

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Welcome to the latest recounting of our work and adventures in Haiti. We have the pleasure of having Green Family Foundation (GFF) founder Mrs. Dorothea Green and her lifelong friend, Boston Consignment owner Sheila Roy, with us. For this trip, we are again teamed with FastForward Haiti for a series of Sinema Anba Zetwal (SAZ) screenings. This month's screenings will be held in Petit Goave from Friday July 23 to Sunday July 25, 2010. Petit Goave is located about 40 miles southwest of Port au Prince and is almost exactly where the epicentre of the January 2010 earthquake struck.

Our team arrived at the Port au Prince airport Tuesday evening, roughly an hour after our scheduled time. Disembarking was great; we were met at the tarmac by Marie Marc from the consul and our logistics consultant, Becker. Immigration was a breeze: no line, no wait. Then came the luggage fracas. A full plane, a lot of luggage, and one small conveyor belt can try even the most patient traveler.

Read more: BLOG: Green Family Foundation in Petit Goave, Haiti for Sinema Anba Zetwal

Prime Minister of Haiti Jean-Max Bellerive and former United States President Bill Clinton put out a joint letter today, on the six-month anniversary of the Haiti earthquake. The men are co-chairs of the Interim Haiti Reconstruction Commission. Bellerive and Clinton urged international governments to honor the $5.3 billion pledges they made in March; only 10% of which has been collected. Read more here.

The Vancouver Sun covered the story of two Haitians who went to get help for their headaches. Instead of prescribing them medicine, they were referred to Dr. Reine Lebel, a doctor who works with Doctors Without Borders. What he concluded is that music and poetry helped his patients most.
Learn more about this.