30615: Karshan: (reply) Jacmel film festival and two personal stories (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: MKarshan@aol.com

There are numerous festivals and fairs going on in Haiti at any given time
ranging from art, music, agriculture, environment, health, technology, books,
historic tributes, and so on and so on.

Fairs and festivals are economic and social development!

For one, these events are educational for the general public and get a lot
of publicity so even those who can't attend get to learn about the events and
the various subjects via the radio, television or in print or by word of
mouth.

Further, these events generate a lot of work whether it be from being one  of
the actual artists or musicians, etc. or by being the producer, stage
builder, doing the publicity, graphic design, putting up posters, advertisers
including the radio and television stations and print press, the staff who 
design,
produce and staff the events, and the various vendors who are often able  to
set up a table of their wares or food as well profit from these events.   And
the hotels and restaurants and street vendors and taxis and drivers and tap
taps all make money during these events. That's why the private sector supports
 these events as well. It gives them advertising and they get could  possibly
business via these events. And it is good for the private  sector to support
community, educational, technology and cultural  events.

Foreigners often attend these events bringing even more money into the
region and educating the foreigner as well who could possibly bring the
information back to his/her country.

And, an added perk is that these events present a wonderful opportunity to
see friends, network, meet people one ordinarily wouldn't have access  to, or
have even known about, and so on.

I could write volumes on the dynamics and positive aspects of all these
fairs and festivals. The Jacmel Film Festival, for example, is extraordinary! 
It
draws folks from around the world, it shares Haitian culture with Haitians and
 foreigners and shares foreign films with Haitians, and guess what --
attendance  is free and is not only localized in Jacmel, they try to spread it 
around
as  well. It is an amazing accomplishment. And, Haitian filmmakers get to
meet  foreign filmmakers and each other!

And, these festivals and fairs draw tourists who bring in money and
publicize Haiti for future tourists and writers and photographers to come.

These festivals and fairs in effect showcase all that is beautiful and
triumphant and victorious and miraculous about Haiti. And, monies can  be 
raised
for non-profits as well when they sell crafts at tables set up at  fairs and
festivals.

And, don't forget that each town in Haiti has a particular fet (birthday)
day in which they honor a particular saint so there are always towns partying
around the country as well! These events draw relatives from afar who live in
Port-au-Prince or abroad to come back home and participate in a big town
party.

I hear Mike Spinelli's pain when he talks about illness, hunger and death  in
Haiti. In fact, I don't know how anyone can afford to feed their families
there given the current cost of living. And, with increased poverty has come
increased illness and infectious diseases. But let me tell you, it is easier to
draw people out to a festival revolving around music or art and get some
educational materials to them that way regarding AIDS, or agricultural
development, or water, etc. than to advertise an event of all gloom and doom, 
which no
one wants to come to.

Now, two personal stories:

About keeping things in perspective:

I remember during the first coup d'etat I was a fanatical activist in New
York fighting the coup and demanding the return of President Aristide. I had a
radio show on the subject for three years and I lived and breathed Haiti,
perhaps to the detriment of my children. One child in fact was so traumatized 
by
political gatherings that I one took her to Wingate High School for a
"cultural  event" and once the singers were done some men carried a long table 
out on
the  stage for the next portion of the event -- political mobilization. My
five year  old jumped up when she saw the table and said: I'm out of here!

Anyway, the point of the story (other than that cultural events can be good
vehicles for political and community organizing as well) is that I didn't want
 to go out dancing or have fun because there was a brutal and bloody coup
regime  in Haiti. I eventually realized that the Haitians themselves were out
dancing  and having fun in New York and going on with their lives - in addition
to  mobilizing of course! Without these activities, how can one refuel, how can
one  carry one, how can one be part of their community or families, how can
one  create?

Now, a story directly related to a fair/festival in Haiti:

About six years ago on May 1st (which is celebrated in Haiti as  Agriculture
Day) a huge and well organized fair was held in the main park in  downtown
Port-au-Prince and there was an area dedicated to animals  with reptiles in
water, and farm animals.

My friend went down to the fair before me and when he returned I asked him
how it was. He replied that there were many people standing around a large cage
 and asking what kind of animal is that. I asked my friend what kind of
animal  was it, expecting it to be an exotic and foreign animal not known to
Haitians.  He replied that it was a cow!  Oh, come on, I answered. Haitians 
know
what  a cow is. There are cows everywhere. He replied: "Not healthy cows."

I didn't believe him. How could Haitians be so confused about this cow,  even
if it was healthy. I pulled on my jeans and ran down to the fair and  quickly
went to the cage area which was indeed surrounded by inquisitive people  all
marveling at this animal inside the caged area.

I looked at the cow, and lo and behold it was a huge (or may I say  gigantic)
healthy and beefy cow, unlike any I had seen in all my years  traveling
around Haiti.

In fact, in Port-au-Prince, one only sees worn out, thinned out cows who
have walked five days to market and then have to graze in Port-au-Prince a few
days to gain back somebody fat. And in the countryside a lot of the cows are
all  bones.

Not sure how to end this story except to say I found this both a sad and
hopeful moment. I guess in the context of the agricultural fair, the message 
was
that with agricultural development would come more food and healthy animals.

Michelle Karshan















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