Haiti

While Haiti continues its reconstruction efforts two years after a devastating earthquake, ONE DROP is delighted to see that its water-access and sanitation project in the Léogâne region is already contributing to improve the living conditions of the region’s communities. Several thousand people are now benefitting from the positive impacts of the Haiti Project, an initiative carried out in collaboration with OXFAM-Québec, in one of the zones most devastated by the January 2010 earthquake.

By the end of the project in October 2013, 108,000 men, women and children will see their living conditions improved. Concretely, 160 family wells and over 1,500 metres of field irrigation canals have been built and rehabilitated with the goal of improving the yield of the next agricultural campaigns. What is more, two of the six water community centres planned are being rehabilitated. 

In addition to its technical water-access and sanitation component, the Haiti project advances social art as an awareness and mobilization tool. Through the multidisciplinary show “Ayiti pawol Lapli ak Lakansyèl” (Haiti: Words of Rain and Rainbows), ONE DROP plans to reach over 87,500 spectators and raise the consciousness of the Port-au-Prince and Léogâne populations on water issues.

View the press release here.

Atelier TOTO B, ONE DROP, Théâtre des petites lanternes, Oxfam-Québec and their partners are proud to announce the premiere of the “Ayïti Pawol Lapli ak Lakansyèl” show, on October 24, 2011, at the Ritz Kinam 2 in Pétion-Ville. The multidisciplinary show—the cornerstone of the social art and popular education component of ONE DROP’s Project Haiti—draws on Haitian realities to raise spectators’ awareness of water related issues.

“Ayïti Pawol Lapli ak Lakansyèl” is a work with a human dimension that paints a portrait of the Haitian people’s reality and suggests potential solutions for rebuilding the country. The work was produced with the Haitian people’s words collected during a word-gathering exercise performed in the aftermath of the earthquake that shook the country in January 2010.

Combining dance, song, music and circus arts, “Ayïti Pawol Lapli ak Lakansyèl” is a social development project involving ONE DROP, TOTO B, Théâtre des petites lanternes, Artisans du monde, Aubergine and Danse Sara Rénélique. Atelier Toto B is a forum for meetings and artistic and theatrical creations, founded in 2005 by artist, writer and director Dieuvela Étienne to help promote the performing arts, women’s cultural practice and national development. While its name was partly borrowed from the artist, Toto Bissainthe, Toto B also means “band of women.”

Over 275 performances are scheduled during the extensive tour, which will include stops in Léogâne, Port-au-Prince and other Haitian cities.

A magical and meaningful event…

View the press release here.

The sneak preview of the multidisciplinary show “Ayiti pawòl lapli ak lakansyèl”, produced by ONE DROP and Atelier Toto B and directed by Dieuvéla Etienne, took place on August 19, 2011, in Haiti's Minister of Culture and Communication’s gardens.

Following the earthquake of January 12, 2010, ONE DROP wanted to give the Haitian people the opportunity to be heard as part of the popular education component of ONE DROP’s water access and sanitation project. In collaboration with Théâtre des Petites Lanternes, the script of the play “Ayiti pawòl lapli ak lakansyèl” was developed through a word collection initiative conducted in January 2011. The play addresses the themes of the earthquake, water, reconstruction and the beauty of Haiti.

In the context of reconstruction, social arts can play a decisive role in rebuilding social ties through new spaces for dialogue. “Children, the young and not-so-young, men and women—all continue to inspire us with the courage and resilience they have shown in meeting the challenges they faced in 2010. ONE DROP fully supports the people of Haiti,” stated Lili-Anna Pereša, Executive Director of ONE DROP.

ONE DROP’s three-year project in Haiti targets the Léogâne area, which was largely destroyed by the earthquake of January 12, 2010. The scope of damages, especially the vast number of rural dwellers suffering from an alarming lack of access to clean drinking water, convinced ONE DROP to undertake this project in cooperation with its partner in the field, Oxfam-Québec.

Source:
Katherine Adams
Communications Director, ONE DROP
Telephone: +1 514-723-7646, ext. 7029
Email: katherine.adams@onedrop.org 

In February 2011, when visiting Haiti to meet with local partners, Special Projects Manager Marie-Josée DeBlois felt the added value of having citizens involved at the base of the artistic creation process supported by ONE DROP. Spending most of her time in Port-au-Prince and ONE DROP’s intervention area, Léogâne—the epicentre of the January 2010 earthquake—Marie-Josée’s days began early and ended late. First, together with the leader of the OXFAM team and our partner Atelier Toto B, she mapped out the implementation plan for the Haiti Project. Then, it was on to ONE DROP’S social arts and popular education program (a touring, multi-disciplinary show currently in production), where Marie-Josée worked with the co-directors to finalize the performance’s screenplay.

Twenty participants from quake-ravaged Léogâne demonstrated wonderful improvisation skills when asked to perform sketches about water to help inspire the show’s scriptwriters. Several of the scenes acted out by citizens depict local issues so well that they will performed nearly as-is in the show. The audience will therefore identify more with the characters and local solutions they are promoting. “Many participants believe that the new awareness-raising show will attract a huge audience, especially in Léogâne,” says Marie-Josée. “Not only because there aren’t many recreational activities there, but also because Haitians have an artistic soul. After an enjoyable day of discussions, storytelling and sketches, I, too, now see that aspect of their souls.”

In April 2011, as Haiti continues to rebuild itself 15 months after a devastating earthquake, ONE DROP’s social arts and popular education program will introduce a show that’s never been produced quite like this before. In cooperation with Théâtre des petites lanternes, Toto B. and OXFAM Quebec, the words and thoughts of around 300 Haitians will be transformed into a multidisciplinary, educational show that will playfully and artistically promote the value of water, water sanitation and hygiene. The show is aimed at mobilizing the communities so that they can participate in the reconstruction process of their country.

During Théâtre des petites lanternes’s creative process—called the Great Collection of Words—Haitian citizens both in Haiti and in Montreal were asked to share their ideas and words about the situation in Haiti based upon the following themes: the earthquake, water, the reconstruction and my country’s beauty. Through a process called “condensation,” their candid and colourful thoughts were analyzed, as the teams began reading over the deluge of thoughts and emotions while using a guide to help them determine what words could be employed in the first draft of the show’s script.

The show is now in its pre-production stage, and ONE DROP will once again rely on Théâtre des petites lanternes to bring to life this multidisciplinary creation blending the passionate words of the Haitian people with circus magic, rara (one of Haiti’s traditional music) and dance, allowing them to share their vision and contribution for Haiti’s reconstruction.