Workshop La Montagne - January 2008

01-28-08

We left from the historic seaside city of Jacmel for the town of Terre Rouge in the mountainous region of La Montagne that reaches about 500 meters above sea level. The climate in Terre Rouge is warm on most days but cool at night and in the early mornings. The color of the soil is rich red resembling red clay.

We made the journey sitting in the back of a pickup truck full of food and art supplies, driving uphill on a bumpy and winding road with the scenic backdrop of the Caribbean Sea and the city left behind.

We were on our way to meet 27 students between the ages of 6 through 12 who attend a local school called L’école Presbyteriale de Saint Pierre et Saint Paul, along with some of their school teachers, parents and other members of the community.

Welcome

We arrived at the location for the workshop by mid morning, the home of a respected and loved elder, Mr. Mathieu Agella. Mr. Agella’s home is a “lakou” (a set of connected yards and homes that make up a compound) positioned amidst a small forest of trees and plants that Mr. Agella and his family maintain. Mr. Agella grew up in La Montagne and is a horticulturalist, a coffee grower and a carpenter. Mr. Agella explained that if he ever cuts down a tree he replaces it immediately. He is an example of an endangered set of values and knowledge held by the “peyizan” of Haiti that, amongst other things, holds a strong belief in cultivation and maintenance of the local ecological system.

Mr. Agella welcomed us with open arms, along with members of his family, teachers, parents and other members of the community in attendance.

The children on he other hand sat in rows in the middle of the main yard dressed in their school uniforms with serious looks on their faces. The director of the school informed us that the children had prepared welcoming songs for us and that they had been waiting all morning to finally perform and so we all agreed that it was best to let the children sing before we made any introductions. We were also excited to hear the children sing! The first song, sung in a flowing rhythm, went like this:

“Mesye dam, Mesye dam se bonjou n’ape di nou, se bonjou n’ape di nou, se bonjou n’ape di nou.
Nou vini, nou vini, pou n’ aprann fè bèl bagay, pou aprann fè bèl bagay, pou n’ aprann fè bèl bagay.
Nou kontan, nou kontan, nou tout pra l’ travay ansanm, nou tout pra l’ travay ansanm, nou tout pra l’ travay ansanm.
Mesye dam mesye dam lala lala lala lala…”

“Ladies and Gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen, we are saying good morning to you, we are saying good morning to you, we are saying good morning to you.
We come, we come to learn how to make beautiful things, to learn how to make beautiful things, to learn how to make beautiful things.
We are happy, we are happy that we will work together, we will work together, and we will work together.
Ladies and Gentlemen and gentlemen, lala lala lala lala lala….”

After the singing, we introduced the project, answered questions, engaged in some discussion and set up for the drawing/painting session. The children started to relax and had fun as we took their pictures and showed them pictures of past workshops in other communities.

Workshop

We conducted two phases of drawings with the children. For the first phase we blindfolded the children and they drew with two crayons each. The intent of this exercise was to try to have them use solely their imaginations rather than draw objects strictly as they saw them in the immediate surroundings. At first, some of the children were apprehensive about being blindfolded. Some voiced the concern that they would not be able to do a good job if they could not see, but after a little bit of encouragement, the children worked diligently on their drawings; although some peeked at times and roared with laughter when they were caught!

The second drawings consisted of a freestyle exercise using acrylic, pencil, markers and crayons. As a constraint however, we asked the children to think of a place that they loved in Terre Rouge as they drew.

We were very impressed with the results. For instance, we noticed how the children influenced each other if they stood side by side. As a result, some of the drawings were very similar as if two artists were working in tandem on a series of paintings with a singular theme.

In addition to solo drawings, Hervé worked on a large painting with a number of children. This collaborative work used acrylic and red earth as mediums.

After the drawing sessions we took a lunch break and ate traditional rice and beans, a beef dish called Tasso Boeuf and salad. We ate with the children and talked with them informally and got to know them on a personal level.

After lunch the children disappeared and returned with gift baskets for us and sang for us while a few of them played drums on plastic buckets. The farewell song went like this:

“Elèv nan Sen Pyè jodi a n’ap fete, n’ap parèt pou nou fè kè visitè yo kontan.
Elèv nan Sen Pyè yo n’ap monte, n’ap desann n’ap parèt sa nou pote
Mwen menm Rosita ki soti nan banbou se pou m’ fè madam Yanick kado”

“Students of Saint Pierre, today we are celebrating; we are showing up to make the visitors happy
Students of Saint Pierre we are going up, we are going down; we are showing what we have brought
Me (name of kid), who came from (part of the county the kid is from) I have brought a gift for (one of us)”

After the song we said warm goodbyes and promised to return. We also scheduled meetings with the director of the school and other community leaders to plan our next visit.

Results/Vision

On this visit we established the beginning of what we aim to be a long-term relationship with the children we met and the community of Terre Rouge. Through discussions and the artistic process we started to learn about the area, to learn about some of the problems that the children and the community face as well as about the positive aspects of the community. Our goal is to work with these children (and others along the way) and with the community in a collaborative manner, provide assistance and conduct workshops to help these children become leaders for change in their communities as well as to help these children achieve immediate goals that can help them succeed as individuals and contributing citizens. We cannot wait to return soon!