Thursday, December 16, 2010 10:35 AM EST
Update on The Student
Jessica Leeder
After a longer-than-expected hiatus in Jamaica, film student Zaka has returned to his native Jacmel.
"I'm trying to enjoy Haiti," he told me last week. "I'm happy to be back. I really missed Haiti."
Since April, Zaka had been filming a group of Haitian artists as part of an international residency program put on by ROKTOWA, an artists' collective in downtown Kingston, Jamaica. Final touches are still being put on the film, which charts the artists' journey from Haiti to Jamaica, where their art production was temporarily interrupted by the drug war that erupted in downtown Kingston at the outset of the summer.
"That was really hard," Zaka reminisced. "I had some problems with the police …," he said, noting that having his dreadlocks (which he removed in order to get a Haitian passport after a lawyer told him he looked too much like a criminal) would have helped him rather than hindering him in Jamaica.
In spite of that hitch, the trip – which included Zaka's first ever airplane ride – was a success.
"I'm happy. I learned lots of stuff. Before that I was naïve. Now I understand how to travel, how to deal with people, how to be professional," he said.
He'll need all of that to overcome his next challenge.
For well over a year, Zaka has slowly been formulating plans to get some post-secondary education abroad. Before the earthquake claimed the life of his best friend and mentor Flo McGarrell, Zaka was considering study at a university in eastern Canada as well as a possible residency term at Vermont Studio Centre, where he could connect with other artists, mentor types and improve his filmmaking skills. In spite of Flo's death, those wheels are still turning, if slowly.
The Vermont residency – where he'll meet many of Flo's friends and family – is next on his list. But to get there, he has to first secure a visa at the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince. Doing so will be no small feat. The instability created by the earthquake seems to have made it more difficult than ever for Haitian students to get U.S. travel visas approved. In Zaka's case, there's no telling what could happen.
Cross your fingers for him (everyone in Vermont has … complete with bitten nails). In a couple of weeks, we'll have a verdict.
(Facebook pic of Roktowa artists; Zaka is fifth from the left, wearing a hat.)
Photo above: Claudel Zaka Chery takes a moment to look around and remember working with friends at the now destroyed FOSAJ art centre where he once worked in Jacmel, Haiti. (Deborah Baic/The Globe and Mail)
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Tuesday, December 14, 2010 9:34 AM EST
Jacmel’s state-of-the-art school breaks ground
Jessica Leeder
Six hundred students in Jacmel are on the verge of becoming the luckiest kids in town.
Ground was finally broken this past week for a new public school, École Nationale Jacob Martin Henriquez, which will serve about 600 students, from kindergarten through Grade 7 when it opens next January. This isn't just any old school though. Sponsored by the U.S.-based Honeywell corporation, the school will have a modern computer lab, library, five classrooms and will be constructed with “sustainable building methods” to withstand future earthquakes and hurricanes. It will also host workshops for Haitian builders to help bring them up to speed on modern building standards and regulations and environmentally friendly tricks to help save money and natural resources.
Part of a $1-million donation Honeywell has put toward relief work in Haiti, the school has been exciting city officials for months (See the video Honeywell made featuring scenes from Jacmel and an interview with its Mayor, Edo Zenny, below.)
Aside from being a generous donation, the Honeywell project is a sign that officials in Jacmel are having some success with their marketing efforts – for months they've been trying to figure out how to attract corporate donors to their city, which is accustomed to being overlooked by aid organizations taking their cues from power brokers in Port-au-Prince.
So why did Honeywell choose Jacmel?
“Because we found a partner in the mayor who was committed and transparent in getting the right work done quickly,” said Tom Buckmaster, president of the company’s corporate citizenship initiative.
That’s clearly not the whole story … but it’s good for the people of Jacmel.
Thursday, December 16, 2010 10:59 AM EST
Update on The Church
Jessica Leeder
Plans for reconstruction of the historic building that houses the congregation of the Eglise Baptiste Stricte have barely budged in recent months.
While architectural drawings were created in the spring, the church has yet to find a major donor to help it reconstruct. In the meantime, Pastor Dieucin Marcelin is tucking away all the donations members can muster, while at the same time trying to keep their outdoor sanctuary intact.
There are more signs of change at the church’s school across town, which was gifted with a crew of cash-for-work people tasked recently with demolishing one of the buildings on site that had partially toppled over. Donated tents used for classrooms now pack the school yard, which should be operational until the end of August if students continue to pay their school fees. But some families have had trouble coming up with the funds post-quake (monthly fees ring in at about 100 to 150 HTG, or about $3), fuelling the pastor’s concerns over whether he’ll be able to make payroll through to the end of the year.
Thursday, December 16, 2010 1:32 PM EST
Update on The Shopkeeper
Jessica Leeder
After two months of rest and relaxation in Miami, Mme. Molver Desire returned to her tiny Jacmel gift shop in the first week of July, complete with a new set of hair extensions and pictures of a new baby grandson. But there was a conspicuous absence of news from the folks at Project Zafen, the microfinance initiative she’s been banking on to finance a small loan.
During their last meeting in the spring, the outlook for Mme. Desire’s loan, which she initially said would use to rebuild her damaged store, was not good. She was not able to show loan officers proof that lending her money would have a community benefit – a critical element of Project Zafen’s criteria. Making matters worse was the arrival of an eviction notice in the mail from her Miami-based landlord. He wanted her to move out of the store, he said, so he could repair the property.
The hunt for a new store space was cut short by Mme. Desire’s trip to Miami. But now that she’s back, the hunt for a new store resumes, as will her wait for word from Project Zafen. Without a loan, it’s not clear whether she’ll be able to keep her store open.
Top Photo: Small business owner Molver Desire, owner of Nini's Gift shop in Jacmel, Haiti, sports hair extensions and a smile after returning from a trip to Miami to see two of her children and a new grandson. (Deborah Baic/The Globe and Mail)
Molver Desire, owner of Nini's Gift shop in Jacmel, Haiti, holds a photo of her new grandson.
Nini's Gift shop in Jacmel, Haiti . The store stayed open while Molver Desire was away in Miami, but her landlord wants her out so he can fix the building.
Thursday, December 16, 2010 11:49 AM EST
Ballots and rebuilding
Jessica Leeder
Although the election has yet to be officially called, Haiti’s politicians are preparing for a potential November vote. That includes Jacmel-born Mayor Edo Zenny, who is going to make good on the “Edo for Senate” graffiti all over town and run for a seat.
No one has officially vowed to run for the mayor’s seat in Jacmel, but deputy mayor Ronald Andris is one of the most obvious candidates for the job.
“It’s important to put Jacmel in good hands,” he said, playing coy about whether he’ll really run: “We have many Jacmelians who want to do something for the city,” he said.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010 9:32 AM EST
Eggs: a mechanic’s best friend
Jessica Leeder
In Haiti, fate has a way of sending you a pretty definitive message every now and then. Anyone who has spent time here probably knows what I mean – if something is meant to be here, it will be. And if it’s not, well, you better have a backup plan.
For Deb and me, the theme of the last week or so has revolved around the notion of backup plans. First our driver/translator quit, meaning we basically could not go anywhere (of any substance) or talk to anyone (and convey anything of substance) until we found a backup. Then, just as we were lining up a backup driver and translator, the original guy called to un-quit. But we’d already hired the backup … so we’ve endured a bit of a juggling act to try to keep everyone happy, including ourselves. Turns out that the new guys – a very professional driver named Venel and a 17-year-old high-school student named Stefane – are quite enjoyable to work with.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010 9:31 AM EST
World Cup as aid
Jessica Leeder
More than tents, sacks of rice and beans or bags full of purified water, what Haitians really needed post-earthquake was, apparently, a good dose of World Cup soccer.
On the days that Brazil and Argentina play the entire country goes crazy – people are glued to outdoor television sets and are mostly oblivious to other forms of life (truck drivers are known to be so oblivious to traffic and highway dangers that some non-government organizations give their drivers game days off to avoid potential accidents).
In town, whenever goals are scored, cheers erupt with such voracity that they can be heard for blocks and blocks across Jacmel; parades of flag-waving motorcycles and SUVs spontaneously erupt.
Not since I arrived here in February have I seen such energy – or such cheer – which has been largely enabled by the 150 televisions the government shipped across the Southeastern Department for public use. “The World Cup saved us,” the mayor’s spokesman, Frantz Magellan Pierre-Louis, told me the other day while sporting a yellow Brazil jersey and sipping an afternoon Prestige on the gritty shores of Jacmel. He had to raise his voice a little so I could hear him – all around the beach hangout were we met, portable radios and full-sized televisions had been rigged up to show the Brazil game, and the volume on each device was turned up as loud as possible, which had the effect of drowning Frantz’s booming voice right out.
All around him, rows of Jacmelians were crowded around the televisions (most of which were set up on the counter of the outdoor liquor stands that dot Jacmel’s beachfront) even though the workday was far from through.
“This month of the World Cub is probably psychologically worth more than one dollar [of aid] per head for each Haitian,” Frantz said. “The earthquake hit, we didn’t have carnival. Carnival is the annual social shot,” he said. “World Cup saved us. I bet you it lowered crime, especially rapes and women abuse because the guys have found something.”
If only the World Cup could last for months.
Photo: Brazilian soccer fans cheer in celebration on the streets of Jacmel, Haiti after Brazil beat Chile, 3 to 0 in the second round of the 2010 World Cup Soccer match.
Photo credit: Deborah Baic/The Globe and Mail
Tuesday, December 14, 2010 9:31 AM EST
Michaelle Jean's next gig is a homecoming
Jessica Leeder
It’s safe to say that most Haitians in these parts likely have no idea that Michaëlle Jean, Canada’s Governor-General, has been appointed as a United Nations special envoy to Haiti. But when the news finally filters down, people are going to be ecstatic. Portraits of her will be painted. Banners to congratulate her will be hung. I won’t be surprised if a parade is staged.
Ms. Jean is worshipped like a goddess in Haiti. And in Jacmel, her childhood vacation city, the story of her rise to represent the monarchy in Canada is told over and over to school children like an aspirational fairy tale. In fact, since the earthquake, much of the population here has attributed the Canadian aid flowing into Haiti has Ms. Jean’s doing, regardless of whether the project in question was truly related to her efforts.
I’ve had the benefit, in recent months, of seeing Ms. Jean up close in Haiti and speaking with her in Ottawa. On both occasions, she was her usual graceful, articulate self. In Haiti, however, something special seemed to come alight in her, and the pain she felt at having to leave the country at the end of her visit in March was obvious. As her helicopter lifted off in Jacmel, tears streamed down her face. In her, the earthquake ignited a reorientation toward the Haitian cause. Her dedication to improving the future of her birth country seems now to be at its most fierce. Although many Canadians will be sad to see her leave Rideau Hall, in this UN posting she has won a homecoming of sorts. I’d say it’s a perfect fit.
P.S. Our hunt for Jackson via the folks at the tent city on Rue de la Comedie is starting to bear fruit ... albeit strange fruit. We had a phone call from him this morning to say that he’s still living there, but just last night one of his friends from the camp assured us that he and his family had rather abruptly moved out. So we’re in the midst of figuring out what’s really going on. We’re supposed to meet him Friday to get the real story.
Photo: Governor General Michaelle Jean hugs Maile Alphonse during her visit to Jacmel, Haiti last March. Ms. Alphonse lost her mother in the earthquake, who was the godmother of Ms. Jean's daughter Marie-Eden. (Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press)
Tuesday, December 14, 2010 9:30 AM EST
The hunt for Jackson
Jessica Leeder
It’s been more than two weeks since I arrived back in Jacmel and I’ve about settled back in. The apartment issues have basically been resolved (cockroach death count up to six now; frog eviction count is at one) and our culinary inventiveness is on the verge of growing (our friend Moro Baruk instructed us on how to make homemade yogurt and cheese…which Deb and I vowed to attempt just as soon as we have time). The searing daytime heat and stifling humidity make me grateful not to have a thermometer. I’d rather not know just how hot it is as we trek from interview to interview, drenching yet another set of clothing. It sounds like a gross process – in fact, I'm sure our interview subjects are disgusted by the sweat dripping onto my notepads as I jot down their quotes – but in truth, it’s lots of fun. I know we’re into the swing of things when the days start to blend together and we stumble into people we know and stories we ought to be telling as we chase after what we set out for.
We were well into that rhythm today as we zoomed between morning interviews at the United Nations base and a distribution of solar lights at one of the remaining camps for the internally displaced. We decided to visit the tent city we’ve been profiling as our final stop of the day. Although it’s only a block from our apartment we hadn’t visited yet and were shocked at what we found: one of the buildings hemming the site had been fully demolished (it’s a former Internet café that pancaked); inside the tent city itself, there were fewer tents and almost nobody that we recognized.
Most notably, Midi Jackson and his family were gone. You’ll remember him as the voice of the camp in all of the documentaries we’ve done. Since day one, he was one of the unofficial leaders of the pack there – the kind of man who was always working to improve conditions even when his comrades had no energy left.
So why did Jackson leave and where did he go? Back home along with about half the people who were living in the camp, according to the people remaining there. When we went to the place we think he lives we couldn’t find him though, and nobody was willing to help us. Tired and thirsty, we abandoned the effort for the day.
Tomorrow, the hunt for Jackson continues.
Photo: Midi Jackson at the Abri Pwovizwa Shelter Camp in Jacmel, Haiti in this April 15, 2010 file photo. (Deborah Baic/The Globe and Mail)
Tuesday, December 14, 2010 9:30 AM EST
Fi-fi quits for $38
Jessica Leeder
The maid my landlords helped me to hire when I began to set up house here last week spent one whole day in my employ before she called to say she wasn’t coming back to work. The reason wasn’t very clear at the outset, so I went to the shop owned by my landlords for some advice on what went wrong. After coming to my apartment to inspect what Fi-fi had purchased with the money I gave her – a couple of pots and enough food for one chicken dinner – my landlord smiled and looked me in the eye. Then she inspected the wad of change the maid had left and did some quick mental math.
“She stole from you,” my landlord said, grinning. Her tally of my losses adds up to about $38 US dollars.
Apparently Fi-fi thought she would gain more with that $38 than with a full-time job.
Alas, I think fending for myself will be less of a headache – eventually.
Jacmel has only one grocery store, if it can be called that, and it's not always evident where one ought to go to find food. At the market, called St. Cyr, you never know from one day to the next if shelves will be empty or full, so you have to visit often and locals tend to hoard certain products (such as jarred jam) for fear they’ll never again be replenished. There is no produce (that can easily be bought on the street) or meat (street) but they do usually have a good selection of canned goods, eggs and if you’re lucky, the occasional Hershey’s bar or bottle of red wine. Parts of it aren’t that different from North American groceries: there’s an entire aisle with a mind-boggling selection of juice (huge supply right now of V8 and Sunny-D) and another whole aisle of sliced white bread, potato chips, pasta, and Kraft Dinner. But if you need milk, you buy powdered or canned; there is yogurt, but given that it’s not refrigerated, I’m not sure I can muster the bravery to try it.
Project Jacmel blog Contributors
Jessica Leeder
Jessica Leeder is a national writer for The Globe and Mail and has undertaken two reporting trips to Afghanistan before going to Haiti. Since joining The Globe in 2007, Ms. Leeder has been based out of the newspaper's Toronto office, where she writes news and features for the foreign and national desks. She was educated at the University of Western Ontario and Columbia University School of Journalism and has worked for several newspapers across North America, including the Toronto Star and the Dallas Morning News, where she was named Star Investigative Reporter of 2005 by the Texas Headliners' Foundation and won the Texas Associated Press Managing Editors' award for investigative reporting.
Philippe Devos
Philippe Devos, The Globe's deputy foreign editor, was in Jacmel, Haiti to lay the ground work for the second phase of Project Jacmel, working to connect the people of Jacmel more intimately with The Globe audience, so readers can share in the rebuilding of their lives
