Haiti - Carnival of Les Cayes : Very serious accusations of Mirlande Manigat

Mirlande Manigat has made ​​serious accusations, this weekend on a radio of the capital, on the reasons which led the Government to choose the city of Les Cayes to hold the national carnival, on the mafioso origin of its funding and finally decried the poor quality of our National Carnival, preferring to promote the Carnival of Trinidad ! Surprising statements and accusations from a personality that so far, was respected in the country...

"...I do not like make accusations that I'm not sure Why the carnival in Les Cayes ? Because there is a large-scale money laundering, which is made in Les Cayes, the agent comes by boat, cash [...] why they [the government] makes the carnival in Les Cayes ? This is because of that ! That is not decentralization! [...] Since I was a teenager, I did not go to the Carnival, this is not something that... I was watching the floats. I lived four years in Trinidad, there, it's a 'bèl ti bagay' it is the creativity, is the beauty, this does not prevent people dance and drink, but there are ideas... I do not know the Rio Carnival but people who know both carnivals say that unfortunately there is not enough promotion for the Carnival of Trinidad.

I am not against a Carnival of this type, however, one thing that I notice is that we have decided to do it in Les Cayes, why not in the Gonaïves or in Cap Haitien why Les Cayes ? Does Les Cayes have an infrastructure to organize in such a short time the Carnival ? Above all, what is most important to me is the degree of dissatisfaction of the people of Port-au-Prince..."

Reacting strongly to the accusations, Jean Gabriel Fortuné, the Departmental Delegate of South requires that Mrs. Manigat deny her statement "...I'm surprised really that a personality like Mrs. Manigat, who is respected in the country, makes a sensational statement, but also misleading.

For the truth, I tell you that the Government Martelly-Conille has not yet spend any money in Les Cayes within the framework of Carnival, there are preparations that are made​​, we make them on credit, it is at the expense of Fortuné they are made [...] works are carried out in collaboration with the traders of the city of Les Cayes [...] so we ask to Mrs. Manigat, to deny the statement that she made [...]

If it was this kind of money, Fortuné would not be in there, because it is me who has the habit to denounce this kind of thing for 15 years in the country. So far, the Carnival Committee has not received any money and the funds we have constituted​​, we have constituted​​ them from loan we made with traders, ranging from 20.000 to 200.000 gourdes, and even that money is not spent, because the committee is not yet fully structured..."

SOURCE: Haiti Libre

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UWI’s Jouvay Ayiti inspired by earthquake in Haiti

There are no costumes on display at the launch of Jouvay Ayiti, a J’Ouvert band presented by the Department of Creative and Festival Arts (DCFA). Instead, guests were told they would be making their own mas. Emcee Marvin George explained that Jouvay Ayiti was more than just a mud band; it was an attempt to have participants engage ideas about Haiti, and through the creative process, arrive at new understandings.

He told the guests at the St Augustine venue, who had braved heavy rains on the night of February 10 to support the venture, that the idea for Jouvay Ayiti was inspired by the earthquake that devastated the island in 2010. He said more than 50 Haitian students had been adopted into the St Augustine campus community, following the disaster. George said Haiti was important to the heritage of the region and calledthe island “the Mudder of civilisation,” making a pun on the J'Ouvert theme.

A Guyanese traditional masquerade, made of recycled materials,
portraying Fowl Cock, at the launch of Jouvay Ayiti.
This year’s Old Yard event, (formerly Viey la Cou),
 on February 27 from noon,
also at the DCFA, will feature elements of Guyanese Carnival.
 Photos: Gillian Moore

He said in keeping with T&T and Haitian Carnival traditions, all costumes should make a personal statement and be crafted from recycled, found and natural materials. He also cautioned that J’Ouvert mud should complement, not mar, the designs. Guests were treated to several cultural presentations, including performances by singers Baby Pink and Amrika Matroo and sailor mas. Haitian Rara dancers also performed.

They will be featured in the upcoming theatrical production, Here is my Ass Now Try to Whip It, opening on March 25 at UWI's Learning Resource Centre. A traditional Guyanese Fowl Cock, fashioned from bamboo and chicken feed bags, also made an appearance. George noted that this year’s Old Yard event (formerly Viey la Cou), to be staged at the DCFA on February 27 from 12 noon, would highlight Guyanese traditional Carnival traditions.

For further information on Jouvay Ayiti,
contact Marissa Brooks at 663-2222 or marissa.brooks@sta.uwi.edu

source Gillian Moore 

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