Flag Day in Cite Soleil, Haiti

"Another Haiti is possible"

Raising the Haitian flag at Place Fierte, where a flag hasn't flown since 2005

New, patriotic graffiti at Place Fierte.  Art by Snake

A prideful and festive day in Cite Soleil

Rasha  <3

wheels at rest

cite soleil

New Street Art in the Cite

thanks to the collaborative efforts of Michael Zuckerman, Samantha Yarock, Jerry Rosembert and Snake, cite soleil has some spiffy new street art (mixed media: wheat-paste & spray graffiti).  more to come!  :)

Education is the key to life

January 12th, many houses crumbled.  Cite Soleil is still standing.

Hope Art!

I was contacted a while back by a rad chick named Melissa Schilling, aka "Mimi".   Inspired to bring some joy and positive energy to the children of Port-au-Prince, She started up a project called Hope Art.  Her idea was to bring art supplies to the children living in tent cities and create a week of whimsy using art as a form of stress relief and self-expression.  AWEsome!    Last week she came to Cite Soleil to do some fun activities with the kids at one of the least-supported schools in my neighborhood.  The day consisted of, first, story time w/ "Where the Wild Things Are", in both French and Creole for full comprehension, followed by a fun art class.  With new art sets donated by Hope Art, the kids drew all sorts of monsters with colored pencils and markers and then brought their drawings to life with watercolor paints.  Mimi also distributed hand sanitizer and some adorable handmade sundresses that had been donated to Hope Art for little girls in Haiti.  The coolest thing is that the kids' artwork will be displayed in an exhibit in some swanky gallery in San Francisco!  Mimi plans to visit the school again in April.  :)    AND, now that the school has art supplies, I will be art classes [with a positive message] at the school every Friday!    Thank you Hope Art Project!  :)

12 Janvye

it was 2 years ago today when a ruthless 7.0 earthquake struck haiti.  i was not here at the time, but i remember that day, and the sorrow that filled my chest as i read the awful news and saw the horrendous images that appeared on my computer screen.  today we commemorate those who perished during that catastrophic event… all 300,000 of them.  

In cite soleil, soley leve organized a silent morning march from the wharf to norway, where we then filled a bus that took about 100 people to the mass grave in titanyen.  there, they planted a cross made of bamboo, placed a wreath of flowers on it and sang.  meanwhile, back in central cite soleil, a bunch of us were busy blowing up hundreds of balloons with helium for the balloon launch that took place at the public plaza in the afternoon.  some 400 people gathered there, balloons in hand, to reflect, to observe a moment of silence and to release their balloons into the air at the exact time the earthquake had hit 2 years earlier.  

letting go and moving forward.  full of purpose. 

all aboard the CATALINA CHERIE!

in the words of my good friend, sabina, .... "Does your country have a boat on wheels that goes around selling snowcones only if you talk to a man in a helmet via the old payphones glued to its side? ... I didn't think so."


 well, we do!... and no, we don't live in NYC, San Fran or burning man (although would make a killer art car).  ;)

check him out...  he lives in Cite Soleil and goes around selling "FRESCO" (shave ice/snow cones) in the Catalina Cherie, a lovely boat rigged up w/ telephones to make your order (if you speak to him directly, he'll just ignore you).  he always sports a football helmet and big headphones, which are connected to the phone lines.  




classic!    zo bagay.  

Sun City Cribs

Welcome to my home in Bwa Nef, Cite Soleil, where i've been living now for the last  5 months.  :) 

I needed to upgrade from my initial temporary shelter, which was essentially 4 blue, plastic tarp walls, one door and a tin roof.  I had pitched my tent on the rubbly floor inside to sleep.  Needless to say, it was as hot as hell in there.  I had nowhere nice to chill during the day because it was too hot inside, and i had no yard or personal space outside.  Plus, there are so few trees in Cite Soleil that it's nearly impossible to escape the fierce, haitian sun.  

cozy, eh?

So, with all this heavy in my mind, one day, I spotted some trees [!] that were popping up over a small fenced in area.  On tippy-toes, I peeked over the fence to look inside and I saw a little shady yard w/ a little, rusty tin shack in it.  A woman and child were sitting in the yard.  I said hello and that I really liked her spot and then expressed to her that I wished I could live there.  She said, "Really?  Ok, then!".  So I replied, "But if I were to move in here, where would you then live?", to which she replied that she would just find another place and to come back tomorrow to talk.  And that is exactly what I did.  Within the week, I had my very own shanty house and shaded yard for the price of $250 for the year (and I was being generous)!  

cooking station

It was/is definitely an undertaking, but I'm one who loves these types of projects.  I painted over the rusty scrap metal walls, started replacing the dilapidated and dangerous scrap metal fencing with woven coconut palm fronds, had a new front door built, and got some free scrap wood to bang together some simple furnishings.  It sure has been a process, but I'm now living quite comfortably.  

composting bucket

There is electricity most of the time so I have a 2-burner electric stove for cooking and an oscillating fan for staying cool at night.  I now have 2 beds (a double for me and a single guest bed).  I use a simple bucket composting method for a toilet.  And I had a private water line run into my yard (it's all about who you know), so no more hauling water for me!  For bathing, i use the simple, yet refreshing, bucket bath method in an enclosed area outside.  I've also organized the rubble in the yard and hauled in some good soil to make a vegetable garden.  Life is shaping up for me in Sun City.  

Next upgrades will be a kiddie pool and a hammock!     :)  

i have a big bed!  :)

I've also recently placed my guest bed on Couchsurfing and hope to host some adventurous spirits in Cite Soleil soon and show them that it's nothing like what they've probably heard.  It has its days, for sure, but I like my life here.  Feel free to visit!

lakay se lakay [home is home]

ah!  bucket bath w/ peppermint bronners!

front gate

i'm back!?

seriously, it has been so long since i've posted, and i only keep putting it off because i really just don't know where to begin.  catching up….. since my last post…  a lot has been going on!  

spent about a month in the states from early august to early september… family, friends, love & my first burning man.  vacation well spent.  :)

snake (soley leve's graffiti artist) tagging his way thru the cite

back in haiti, things are rocking & rolling in Cite Soleil.  Soley Leve (the rising sun movement) has been getting lots of attention and has found some financial support!  this means that not only can we achieve a lot more regarding community development, but also that i will have a stipend to cover my living expenses, allowing me to stick around a while longer!  you see… just go after your dreams, do what you really love, and things generally work out for the best.  love it!  

soley leve truck brings the sound & the party

So life in the Cite is pretty good… there has been some violence in my hood since being back, but things seem to be stabilizing now.  Each day this week we've been holding community action days in different neighborhoods to revive the movement in a big way.  The events have been a big success… every day we load up the Soley Leve truck (yes, we have a truck now!) w/ a big sound system, bringing the party to the street where the action is happening… envision crowds of people dancing w/ brooms, shovels and paintbrushes in hand.  It makes getting dirty a lot of fun!  Monday is a Haitian national holiday commemorating Dessaline's death.  There will be a big march through the Cite, followed by a big party in Plas Fyete, the public plaza.  i love my life.

Here's a nice excerpt from the book i'm reading now (Just & Lasting Change: When Communities Own Their Futures, by Daniel and Carl Taylor), which pretty much sums up what i'm doing here in Haiti: 

Go to the People.

Live with the People, 

Learn from the People.

Plan with the People, 

Work with the People.

Start with what they  know, 

Build on what they have.

Teach by showing, learn by doing.

Not a showcase, but a pattern.

Not piecemeal, but integrated.

Not odds and ends, but a system.

Not to conform, but to transform.

Not relief, but release.

~Jimmy Yen

a student of the world, I'm learning every day.  we all have something to offer.  let's help each other out.  

love, light, peace and joy!   will post again soon!  :)

revolution baby

painting the town of la reference

According to modern economic standards, Haiti can be perceived as the most helpless and dependent population of the Western hemisphere. There were 4,000 NGOs working here before the earthquake, which leaped to 10,000 on the ground after. $10 billion have been pledged to lift this country out of misery but 18 months have passed and it’s a mystery where all of that money has gone. …or is it (into the pockets of aid workers, perhaps?)?

Port-au-Prince residents, when questioned about the lack of traction on the entire movement, as well as at the individual level, bear the same explanation: “We don’t have money. We don’t have the means for change.” And that's the problem: The mentality is that money is the ultimate solution as well as the universal impediment.

However, despite these realities, a quiet revolution is taking place in Cité Soleil, which is probably the most disenfranchised community in all of Haiti. Sure, they are poor. They say so themselves. But poverty is a relative term. In their case, they are poor because they have always counted the things that they don’t have. But if they count up all that they do have, regarding resources, they will see that they are, in fact, rich. The most amazingly refreshing thing is that THEY GET IT. They finally understand that NGOs can’t and won’t save them. They understand that money is not ever going to come on its own. And they’re finally starting to understand the value of their own heads, hands and hearts. It’s so exciting to work alongside a motivated group of young Haitians without being viewed, personally, as a piggy bank.

new street sign for la reference

So we had initially named the little movement in our community of La Reference, “Pwojè Soley Leve [The Rising Sun Project]” but we now realize that we are not alone. This movement is so much bigger, extending far outside the limits of our street. There are other groups just like ours who have self mobilized to actively put forth a positive image of Cité Soleil.
   

mural at la difference

One is a group called La Difference, who has successfully transformed an area of 4 blocks into a beautiful oasis of cleanliness & security.
 

sunset near the wharf

Another is the Cité Soleil fishing cooperative (OPECS) who, in addition to fishing, organizes voluntary beach clean-ups and works together to maintain clean public toilets, etc.
  
 

CSA share

Then there is a farming cooperative (REMISOV)in the rural part of the Cité who has reclaimed the land once run by the Haitian American Sugar Company to grow organic food crops while creating their own micro financing system.


And the list of groups volunteering to make a difference for their community and rule their own destinies keeps growing. Yesssss….


So my mighty sidekick, Sabina, and I have been working to connect the dots between them so that they realize that the entirety of Cité Soleil can and will change, and soon, if they just combine their efforts and continue on this path. We’ve been having meetings and they are getting organized. This is now the movement we are calling “Rising Sun”. Could it be a revolution? I love this shit.

Twoutye: The Bottom of Haiti

I’m pretty sure I’ve now officially seen the worst that it gets in Haiti. The dump. Although I know that there is plenty of dumping going on throughout this island nation, I had no idea that an official dumpsite actually existed. In fact, It does… in an area called Twoutye, which is in part of Cite Soleil, where I now live. My friend, Sabina, was accompanying a photographer who is interested in third-world sanitation out there, so I took the opportunity to go along for a visit.

the only water source in twoutye

 This dump is where they throw anything and everything, including human waste and, I wouldn’t doubt, bodies that have perished under cholera, bullets or otherwise. It’s anything but sanitary; not at all contained. And right alongside this putrid mess is a population of about 320 people, living in ramshackle homes of scrap metal and plastic tarps. There are no toilet facilities to be found and there is one well that serves as the only water source for the community. Some of these people are said to have lived there before the site became a dump and others have come afterwards. Regardless of origin, the dump is everybody’s business.

The meager houses appear to be floating in a sea of both muck and plastic bottles of which the families collect and sort for a refund from a recycling company. I asked one of the young boys who had been digging around in the trash heaps how long he and his family had lived there. He replied, “About one year” and then explained that they had come to make some money. He said that they used to live in 19, an area in Cite Soleil with some of the worst gang violence. These people are at the bottom of the bottom. Recycling is great and all, but nobody should have to live in such severely wretched conditions. They receive about 3 gourdes per pound of sorted plastic bottles.

a makeshift house & plastic collection

The Rising Sun Project

Quite a bit has happened this past month.  I spent the first two weeks of May translating for a permaculture design course, which was hosted by Grassroots United in Port-au-Prince.  I went into that gig expecting to fly home to Ohio right afterwards but it’s now June and I’m still here.  And for who knows how long.  So much came out of that course that I find it hard to even begin to explain but, in a nutshell: new lifelong friends & working partners, a new permaculture guru, a second permaculture certificate, a crash-course on super-adobe construction and, to top it off, a new life project [or two]. 

To make a long story short, I was inspired by one of the projects presented at the end of the course and I’ve kinda made myself a part of it.  The project is taking place in Cité Soleil, which is a part of Port-au-Prince that has a global reputation for its level of poverty and gang violence.  And although violence indeed exists in certain avoidable areas here, in actuality, it’s a beautiful place to be.  The people are at least as friendly and beautiful as in other parts of Haiti and the sense of community is unparalleled.  The big idea of the project is to transform one of the “worst places in the world” into a functional, autonomous ecosystem by working with leaders in the community to break the cycle of misery by applying the basic permaculture principles.  What that basically means is to start seeing the problems as solutions and to start valuing each and every thing, animal and person as a resource.  One underlying principal of the project is to do everything without money and just START SOMETHING POSITIVE with what you have.  The other pieces will fall into place. 

That said, it’s no simple task to change the mentality of a community.   However, it makes so much sense with the way it is presented that people are getting it.  We’ve got a solid group of guys that have taken it upon themselves to change the image and reputation of their neighborhood.  After all, it’s the people who make a community, not the other way around.  This group of guys is going out each and every morning to clean the street.  They’re cleaning up the market place.  They’re planting trees and gardens.  And they’re spreading the word.  The project is catching on like wildfire and has already created quite a buzz throughout the city and we’ve been approached by several folks/orgs that want to help.

So, needless to say, I’ve moved right into the zone; a section called Bwa Nèf.  I’m living in one of the temporary shelters with walls of shiny blue tarps, provided by Samaritan’s Purse.  I’ve set up my tent inside and, though I still need to work out a way to poop & shower, it’s not so bad.  I also bought a purple bicycle.  I must say, I’ve never lived quite like this before but I’m excited about where this is all going.  There are a lot of details that I fail to mention but the possibilities are limitless. 

As for a project name, it has been a challenge but we realize that we do need one.  We’re working in Cité Soleil, which means “Sun City”, so the name “Rising Sun Project” came up and we all agreed that it could work.  So, there it is:  Pwoje Soley Leve (in Creole), or “The Rising Sun Project”.  Give some feedback, please.   

Cité Soleil.  That’s where you’ll find me… I think at least until August.  Woohoo!  :)