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Projects
Falla BoucanSTATUS: implemented December 2006 / now completed Young Canadian and Haitian artists and youth leaders creating and learning together NEED: The future of Haiti is going to depend to a great degree on the capacity of young people to find new ways to engage in development. The visual, literary and performing arts represent a strong and vibrant force in Haiti, but they have not been used to enlist youth in shaping the future of the country. The arts and culture are a significant resource that must be brought into the mainstream of development in this struggling nation. RESPONSE: Yéle Haiti has formed a partnership with TOHU, a Montreal-based NGO that is on the cutting edge of enlisting the arts and culture to develop new models of sustainable development. The first result of that partnership was a joint initiative that brought together 22 young Canadians and Haitians – a combination of young artists and youth leaders – for a week-long forum in Jacmel, Haiti, from November 24 to December 1, 2006. This cultural exchange had three outcomes. It was an opportunity for young artists to discuss the potential of artistic initiatives in the service of development. Second, there was a soul-searching dialogue between the two cultures that helped the participating young people discover more about their own self-worth. The final result was that together they designed and built a giant but fleeting sculpture that was burned in a ceremony as part of a concert by Wyclef Jean for an estimated 40,000 people on the beach in Jacmel on December 1 – marking the official end of both YéleFest and the Film Festival Jakmèl 2006. Known as a “falla,” this sculpture was built on a platform suspended above the ocean at the end of a specially constructed pier. The young Haitians and Canadians had painstakingly built this short-lived artwork so that it would easily ignite after being completed, using recycled material and featuring paper mache masks that are a local Jacmel tradition for Carnaval (they are traditionally burnt at the end of Carnaval to ward off evil spirits). It took a week to design and build, and the final assembly of the sculpture took place during the day on December 1. The “falla boucan,” as it came to be known, adding the Creole word for grilling over an open fire to the title, was completed just hours before the concert began. At the midpoint of his performance, Wyclef invited the 22 young artists to the stage and in a short ceremony the falla boucan was set ablaze. Fireworks set around the base were the first to ignite, followed by the spectacular blaze that enveloped the artwork. ANNOUNCEMENT: Yéle Haiti is proud to announce that the Right Honorable Michaëlle Jean, Governor General of Canada, has become patron of the ongoing cultural co-operation between Yéle Haiti and TOHU. Partners: Sponsors: Photo: detail of the short-lived artwork that was built on a pier on the beach in Jacmel, Haiti. |
