Creole Choir of Cuba

IU’s Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies announces a new community outreach event:

On Monday, September 26, at 4:00 p.m. at the Monroe County Public Library, The Creole Choir of Cuba will conduct a musical demonstration, to be followed by a Q&A session regarding culture, history, music, and art in Cuba and Haiti.

The Choir’s music celebrates the history of their Haitian descendants enslaved in the Caribbean from West Africa, combining music passed down from their families since the early 19th century with modern Haitian sounds and rhythms.

This event is free and the public is welcome and encouraged to attend. For more information on the group, please visit http://188.65.113.241/~creolech/.

***
The Creole Choir of Cuba also performs twice at the Lotus World Music Festival, Sept 23-24, 2011. For tickets and more information, please visit: http://lotusfest.org/creole-choir-of-cuba.

N a wè!

HAITI FILM FESTIVAL (MAY 2012)

Oye, oye, oye! Planning is underway for HFF ’12, scheduled for May 2012 to commemorate Haitian Flag Day.

This year we are pleased to announce a collaboration between Bloomington and Indianapolis Haiti advocacy groups, to bring you more venues and greater access to the filmmakers in 2012!

Please contact Kat at bloomington4haiti@gmail.com for more information on the festival, how to donate, and how to submit your film for consideration.

Thank you for your support!

Haiti Film Festival schedule (January 23-24, 2011)

La Casa and Bloomington for Haiti present

Haiti Film Festival
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Buskirk-Chumley Theater, 114 E Kirkwood Ave, Bloomington IN

All proceeds support Haiti relief efforts.

Festival Schedule

1:00pm Doors open

1:30pm Welcome remarks

1:40pm Poto Mitan: Haitian Women, Pillars of the Global Economy (2009, 50 minutes, dir. Mark Schuller and Renée Bergan)
2:40pm Q&A with Co-Producer/Co-Director/Director of Photography/Editor Renée Bergan

Told through the lives of five courageous Haitian women workers, Poto Mitan personalizes global struggles for fair employment. Each woman’s personal story explains neoliberal globalization, how it is gendered, and how it impacts Haiti. Poto Mitan focuses on women’s subjugation, worker exploitation, poverty, and resistance. Initiated by the subjects themselves, Poto Mitan aims to inspire solidarity and activism to end injustice in the global economy. (A 2010 update film will be shown at 5:15pm.) Learn more at www.potomitan.net.

3:05pm A selection of films by students of the Ciné Institute, Jacmel, Haiti (2010, 43 minutes)*

*Please note: Although every effort has been made to select films adaptable to any audience, due to the nature of these films some scenes may not be suitable for all viewers.

“Ciné Institute Students Efforts”
“A Day in the Life of Ciné Institute”
“Student Lesly Décembre reports from a makeshift refugee camp in Jacmel”
“DR Arrives”
“Stories of Heroes”
“Carnival Mask Artisans”
“Silent March”
“Crying Man”
“Scouts After the Earthquake”
“Chana”
“Look at Me”
“We are the World_Thank You”

The Ciné Institute is a fully-funded professional film school providing Haitian youth with film education, training, and micro enterprise opportunities. The Ciné Institute seeks to empower its students to create a vibrant Afro-Francophone film industry targeting audiences in Haiti, its diaspora, and beyond. After the earthquake, Ciné students quickly mobilized to document the stories of people in their community. For more information on the student filmmakers, please visit www.cineinstitute.com.

4:00pm Brief intermission

4:15pm When the Ground Stopped Shaking (2010, 42 minutes, dir. Jace Freeman)*
www.whentheground.com / www.themovingpictureboys.com

“When the Ground Stopped Shaking is a film about the beauty and frailty of human life. It is a film about solidarity and the belief that all of the world’s children are of the same family. It is a film about hope and faith. Faith that even when the very foundation of your life may give way under your feet, a persevering heart can never be shaken.” –Jace Freeman

*Please note: This film contains medical scenes that may be upsetting to some viewers.

5:07pm Trailers and videos (16 minutes)

“The Country Club” (2010, 2:04, trailer, dir. Jace Freeman)

The Country Club is a powerful new film about daily life in an internally displaced persons (IDP) camp run by Sean Penn in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Learn more at www.thecountryclubfilm.com.

“Haiti’s Heroes” (2010, 3:22, trailer, dir. Ciné Institute students)*

Haiti’s Heroes is an intimate portrait of Dr. Dubique Kobel and his team who operate a Partners in Health medical clinic in the largest refugee camp of post-quake Haiti. His journey began the day of the earthquake, when he, his wife, and childhood friends set up a tent in their neighborhood to treat victims. View the complete short film online at www.abundancefound.org/film-and-music.

“Poto Mitan Update” (2010, 10:22, dir. Mark Schuller and Renée Bergan)*

The filmmakers return to Port-au-Prince to learn how the women featured in Poto Mitan have fared since the 2010 earthquake.

*Please note: These films contain a few brief images that may be disturbing to some viewers.

5:30pm Brief intermission

5:40pm Strange Things: Children of Haiti (2010, 73 minutes, dir. Alexandria Hammond)
7:00pm Q&A with Director/Producer/Camera operator/Editor Alexandria Hammond

Strange Things follows three teenage boys from Cap-Haïtien – Denick, a prolific and charming 14 year old; Nickenson, a tough but sensitive 16 year old; and Antoine, an energetic paint-thinner abuser – who reflect on their country and their lives, while sharing a common dream of education, government assistance, and social acceptance. For more information, visit www.strangethingsmovie.com.

Information booths by:
IU Creole Institute www.indiana.edu/~creole
Imagine Haitian www.imaginehaitian.org
Fountains of Hope International fountainsofhope.org
Cultural Cannibals culturalcannibals.com
Lifeline Christian Mission www.lifeline.org
St Malachy Haiti Committee www.saintmalachyparish.org/special/haiti/haiti_home.html
Global Gifts www.globalgiftsindy.org
Hoosiers for Haiti https://donate.pih.org/page/outreach/view/earthquake_group/Hoosiers
Lifeline Christian Mission www.lifeline.org
Dr. Doug Harty www.fromtheroof.org
The Timmy Foundation www.indiana.edu/~timmyfc
International Sports Alliance www.internationalsportsalliance.org
The Moving Picture Boys www.themovingpictureboys.com

Special thanks to our sponsors:
La Casa, Provocate-Haiti, Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, Black Film Center/Archive, School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Maurer School of Law, IU Cinema, Nadine Pinede and Erick Janssen, Department of History, School of Education, Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center, Department of Folklore and Ethnomusicology, Creole Institute, Episcopal Campus Ministry, Office of Multicultural Initiatives, Micheline Fleurant

La Casa, CLACS, and Bloomington for Haiti present

“Documentary Filmmaking in Haiti: Directors’ Perspectives”
A brown bag lunch discussion with Directors Alexandria Hammond and Renée Bergan

Monday, January 24, 2011
11:30am-1:00pm
Indiana Memorial Union Walnut Room, 900 E 7th St, Bloomington IN

Join us for an extended Q&A with the directors of two documentaries screening at the Haiti Film Festival at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater :

Poto Mitan: Haitian Women, Pillars of the Global Economy
Renée Bergan, Co-Producer/Co-Director/Director of Photography/Editor
Screening at 1:40pm on Sunday, January 23

Strange Things: Children of Haiti
Alexandria Hammond, Director/Producer/Camera/Editor
Screening at 5:40pm on Sunday, January 23

Ms. Hammond and Ms. Bergan will answer questions about the documentary filmmaking process, their advocacy work in Haiti, and the effects of the 2010 earthquake on the people and groups depicted in their films. Previous knowledge of the films not required.

This event is free and open to the public.

Haiti Film Festival to commemorate earthquake anniversary

Haiti Film Festival to commemorate earthquake anniversary, raise money for organizations

by Kat Forgacs

Bloomington (January 5)-Indiana University’s La Casa and community-based Bloomington for Haiti announce an upcoming film festival to focus on the ongoing social and economic needs of people in Haiti.

The Haiti Film Festival will be held at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater on January 23, 2011 to commemorate the anniversary of the January 12, 2010 earthquake that devastated Port-au-Prince and other communities in Haiti and left 1.5 million people homeless.

The film festival takes place between Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and the start of Black History Month and just two weeks after the anniversary of the earthquake. The impact of the earthquake on the already impoverished nation’s economy and infrastructure continues to be relevant. While the most optimistic Haiti advocates see the aftereffects as an opportunity to rebuild and re-envision the country’s foundations, reconstruction efforts are anticipated to last for decades.

Ticket prices will be $5 for students and seniors, $7.50 general admission. All admission fees to the festival will support organizations in Haiti working on the issues depicted in the films.

The Haiti Film Festival will feature three independent documentaries, including one by an IU alumnus, and a selection of short films from students of the Ciné Institute, Haiti’s only scholarship-based professional film school. Directors from the films will be present for Q&A sessions. During the festival, Indiana-based organizations will staff booths providing information about their service work in Haiti before and since the earthquake.

The first film of the festival will be “Poto Mitan: Haitian Women, Pillars of the Global Economy” (1:30pm, 50 minutes, 2009). Director-Producer Renée Bergan will be present to lead discussion after the film. Shot in 2006-2008, “Poto Mitan” focuses on the lives of several working women and the trials they face as they attempt to support themselves and their families under oppressive conditions. The Haitian Creole term “poto mitan” is used to emphasize the importance of women in the Haitian economy, indicating that women are the “center pillars” of Haitian society. “Poto Mitan” engages with themes of women’s subjugation, worker exploitation, poverty, and resistance in the context of neoliberal globalization. The film was written and narrated by Edwidge Danticat and won the Indie Spec Best Documentary Award at the 2009 Boston International Film Festival.

The Haiti Film Festival will also feature several short documentary films conceptualized, shot, and edited by students of the Ciné Institute in Haiti’s southern city, Jacmel (3:30pm, 35 minutes, 2010). The Ciné Institute is Haiti’s only fully-funded film school that allows Haitian youth to learn documentary and narrative film-making techniques from professional filmmakers. Following the January 12 earthquake, Ciné students immediately picked up their cameras and returned to the field to document the effects of the earthquake on their neighbors and community. Their work offers unprecedented insight into the impact of natural disasters on everyday life. The personal narratives told through these films demonstrate the scale of this event and the determination of its survivors to carry on.

The next film in the festival lineup is “When the Ground Stopped Shaking,” a moving documentary about the effects of the earthquake, directed and edited by IU alumnus Jace Freeman (4:25pm, 42 minutes, 2010). Freeman graduated from IU-Bloomington with a degree in Telecommunications in 2006. A native of Carmel, Indiana, Freeman now resides in Nashville, TN, where he co-founded a human rights-centered film production company, The Moving Picture Boys. “When the Ground Stopped Shaking” premiered in October 2010 as an official selection at the Heartland Film Festival in Indianapolis. The film depicts a community in Grand Goâve, Haiti attempting to rebuild their lives just weeks after the January 12, 2010 earthquake. The intimate footage of this cinema-verité documentary presents a humanizing portrayal of the lives of families displaced by the earthquake and the aid workers sent to help with the relief operations. The film demonstrates how medical personnel and their patients meet challenges with humor and love amidst the chaos of this life-altering event.

The final film of the Haiti Film Festival will be “Strange Things: Children of Haiti” (5:25pm, 72 minutes, 2010). Director-Producer-Editor Alexandra Hammond will lead the discussion after the film. “Strange Things” tells the remarkable story of three orphaned teenage boys in Haiti’s northern city Cap-Haïtien. Following their lives over a period of four years (2006-2009), the film reveals the difficulties encountered by these “sanguine” (“soulless” in Haitian Creole) as they attempt to navigate life as untimely adults. This film addresses the vast divide in opportunities available to Haiti’s underprivileged children versus the privileged few, particularly in the realm of formal education. After the January 12 earthquake, Regine Zamor, Co-Producer and translator of “Strange Things,” created the “Bagay Dwol Haiti Relief Fund” to identify sustainable street children and youth programs and to advocate for public, free, and quality education in Haiti. “Strange Things” was an official selection of the 2010 MoMA Documentary Fortnight Film Festival and the 2010 DocMiami International Film Festival. A TV version of the film called “Children of Haiti,” containing new footage from 2010, will soon be shown on the PBS series “Independent Lens.”

In addition to the film offerings, starting at 2:30pm patrons can interact with several Indiana-based organizations at information booths in the lobby of the theater. These organizations will share information about their ongoing service projects in Haiti before and since the earthquake. Patrons will be able to learn about these projects and how they can get involved. The booths will be available until 6:30pm. Information on the festival can be found online at https://bloomington4haiti.wordpress.com/events.

For more information on the films, please visit:

Poto Mitan: http://www.potomitan.net/
Ciné Institute: http://www.cineinstitute.com
When the Ground Stopped Shaking: http://whentheground.com
Strange Things: http://www.strangethingsmovie.com

Contact:
Kat Forgacs
bloomington4haiti@gmail.com

Provocate-Haiti Art Show: Jan. 7, 2011

Citadel photo taken by Kids Alive orphan Djenifere

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Provocate-Haiti presents “A New Year to Haiti,” a First Friday art and fashion show at the Athenaeum ArtSpace

Indianapolis (December 22)—On January 7, many of Indiana’s top artists and designers will join dozens of Hoosier groups working in Haiti for “A New Year to Haiti,” a First Friday event at the Athenaeum ArtSpace. The event will last from 6:00p.m. to 9:00p.m. Featured will be an exclusive fashion show by renowned Berny Martin of Catou; a display of Amy King’s award-winning photographs of Haiti; an exhibition of art by Haitian street kids and orphans; and original works a dozen artists have contributed to raise funds for Indiana projects and partners in Haiti. DJ Kyle and Artur Silva of Cultural Cannibals, who will provide music, have designed original T-shirts for the event inspired by Toussaint L’Ouverture, leader of Haitian independence 200 years ago. Mass Ave Wine Shoppe will provide food and drinks.

“A New Year to Haiti” is presented by Provocate-Haiti, an Indianapolis-based network of Indiana-Haitian partnerships and initiatives. It is a follow-up to “A Nod to Haiti,” an exhibition of visual art and photographs at the Athenaeum in March organized by Provocate-Haiti Coordinator Amy King. The January 7 event comes almost exactly one year after an earthquake outside Haitian capital Port-au-Prince killed 230,000 people and left more than a million homeless. Since then, things have gotten worse as the country has suffered a killer hurricane and an outbreak of cholera. Thousands of Hoosiers have stepped forward to work with Haitians seeking to rebuild their country. With the exception of Florida, New York, and California, Indiana may have more partnerships with Haitian organizations than any other state. Many of these groups will be present at “A New Year to Haiti” at the Athenaeum.

About Provocate-Haiti: Provocate-Haiti is a sister organization to Provocate, which seeks to stimulate new ideas for solving problems by connecting global and local initiatives, education and entertainment, policy and culture. Led by Amy King, in a half year Provocate-Haiti has set up a monthly series of networking meetings for groups working in Haiti; partnered with the Haitian Association of Indiana to provide language classes in the Haitian language Kreyòl; worked closely with staff members of Sen. Richard Lugar and Rep. Andre Carson to obtain assistance for groups working in Haiti; and organized major events such as the Midwest premiere of Strange Things, a documentary about street children. May 20-28 Provocate-Haiti will partner with the Village Experience to lead a group of Hoosiers to Haiti to establish new projects in the arts and economic development. Provocate-Haiti’s website provides an electronic infrastructure and resource base for all Indiana-Haitian partnerships: http://www.haiti.provocate.org. Learn more about Provocate at http://www.provocate.org.

Says Provocate creator John Clark: “’A New Year to Haiti’ is the right way to commemorate the one year anniversary of the Haitian earthquake. Remember the losses Haitians suffered. Acknowledge the challenges the country faces. Recognize the local groups that have been working so hard to help. And celebrate the fact that all of us have a chance to be part of something special … building a better Haiti.”

Contact:
Amy King, Provocate-Haiti Coordinator
Email: rolaking@hotmail.com
www.haiti.provocate.org

Painting by Kids Alive orphan Wilson

Educa Vision publishes Haiti-related educational materials

The glossary and pronunciation guide from Marc Prou and Mel Schorin’s book Haitian Creole for Health Care / Kreyòl Ayisyen pou Swen Sante (Educa Vision, 2007) is available as a free download from http://www.educavision.com/downloads/haitiancreoleforhealthcare.pdf.

Educa Vision’s free iPhone app for health care workers can be found at http://www.educavision.com/news.php?news_number=4.

Check out Educa Vision’s extensive catalog of educational materials related to Haiti (many in Haitian Creole) at http://www.educavision.com/categories.php.

See also their guided reading lists at http://www.educavision.com/downloads.php.

Learn more about the company founded by Féquière Vilsaint and recent developments at http://www.educavision.com/about.us.php and http://www.educavision.com/news.php.

Events planned for September 2010

Update:
Click the “Haiti Awareness Month” tab for the most up-to-date information!

Stay tuned for more information on events being planned in Bloomington in September to foster awareness of and support for the ongoing needs in Haiti since January’s earthquake.

Confirmed events include a benefit concert, activities with a popular Haitian musician, and a discussion of a local nonprofit organization’s work with reforestation in Haiti. More details to follow.

New events: Pierre Garcon, Lt. Jonathan Fitzgerald, Hoosier Aid benefit concert

Here are some great new events coming up this week and next in Bloomington.

More events and updated information are always available on the Bloomington for Haiti Events page. (See tab, above)

MARCH 28: PUBLIC TALK BY PIERRE GARCON OF THE INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
WHEN: Sunday, Mar. 28, 3-6pm, $10 at the door
WHERE: Alumni Hall, Indiana Memorial Union See street map and See building map
FMI: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=363704143076
CONTACT: cjlotz@indiana.edu

Colts wide receiver Pierre Garcon will speak about his work with the Northwest Haiti Christian Mission to provide food and disaster relief for hundreds of hungry people in Haiti. He will also sign autographs (one per person).

Tickets will be $10 at the door. ALL proceeds will be donated to Pierre Garcon’s Haiti relief fund.
Admission is first come, first serve. Space is limited so please come early.

MARCH 28: UNION BOARD BENEFIT FOR HAITI AND CHILE
WHEN: Sunday, Mar. 28, 7-9pm
WHERE: Alumni Hall, Indiana Memorial Union See street map and See building map
CONTACT: ubice@indiana.edu

Union Board ICE presents: Hope after the Quakes: A Benefit Program for Haiti and Chile

The purpose of this program to raise awareness about helping Haiti and Chile.

It includes performances from: The Henrys, International Folklore Performers, Gumboot Dancers, Full Frontal Comedy, and Voices of Hope.

Haitian Creole Instructor David Tezil will be speaking about the effects of the earthquakes.

All donations are welcomed. There will be a raffle contest and free food.

MARCH 30: LT. JONATHAN FITZGERALD SHARES HIS EXPERIENCES IN HAITI
*NEW LISTING*
WHEN: Tuesday, Mar. 30, 6-7pm, FREE
WHERE: Salvation Army, 111 N. Rogers St, Bloomington See map
FMI: http://corps.salvationarmyindiana.org/bloomington/services/church/earthquake-relief/
CONTACT: (812) 336-4310 or Jonathan_Fitzgerald@usc.salvationarmy.org

In February, Salvation Army officer Lt. Jonathan Fitzgerald served in Haiti as the Salvation Army’s Haiti Relief Command’s Distribution Coordinator.

At 6:00pm on Tuesday March 30, Lt. Fitzgerald will be sharing his photos to document the hope that exists in Haiti today. The event is entitled “Earthquake Relief: Offering Hope in Haiti.” It’s free and open to all who want to see the photographs of endurance and hear the stories of perseverance.

APRIL 2 and 9: KAFE KREYOL / CREOLE CAFE (CONVERSATION HOUR)
WHEN: Fridays, 11:30 am-1 pm, FREE
WHERE: Rachael’s Cafe, 300 E 3rd St See map
CONTACT: bloomington4haiti@gmail.com
Open to anyone interested in learning or speaking Haitian Creole. We also share information about upcoming events and updates from Haiti.

APRIL 10: HOOSIER AID MUSIC FESTIVAL FOR HAITI
*NEW LISTING!*
WHEN: Saturday, Apr. 10, 5pm-2am, $10 for wristband (available in advance or at the door)
WHERE: Multiple venues (see below)
FMI: http://www.chasedelco.com/ and http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=342613117810&ref=ts
CONTACT: Jessica@ChaseDelCo.com

Hoosier Aid Music Festival For Haiti
Pre-party dinner at Brothers Bar and Grill from 5-7 on April 10th, with B97 and all the bands – Come get your posters, cd’s and merch. signed by the bands!

Music from 6pm-2am at the following venues:

The Blue Bird: ZoSo: Led Zepplen Tribute Band
The Video Saloon: Elephant Quiz, Flozart, Jenn Cristy, Sinclair Wheeler
Max’s: Impure Jazz, Fork in Socket, Zion Cross Road, Coyaba
Jakes: DJ’s (TBA)
902’s: Max Allen, Hyryder, Gardendale & Berkley, Space Suit, Twin Cats
Kilroy Sports: King bee and the Stingers, Frosty Mugs, White Roberts, Main Squeeze
Rachel’s Café: On Planets, Turbo Spank, Cinnamon Telegraph, Elephant Quiz
Brothers Bar&Grill: Sure Thing

MORE BANDS AND DJS TO BE ADDED TO THIS LINE UP!

Wristbands ONLY $10

Available at:
Black’s Market (below the Video Saloon-Bloomington)

All Jiffy Treat Locations

Campus Candy (above Urban Outfitters-Bloomington)

You can also buy them the night of April 10th at the door of each venue.

T-shirts available for order!

See http://www.chasedelco.com/ for the latest information.

H-T: Local orthopedic team helps Haitians recover

“Local orthopedic team helps Haitians recover: Bloomington specialists spend 2 weeks treating people hurt in quake”

By Dann Denny
331-4350 | ddenny@heraldt.com
3/25/2010

During his two weeks’ worth of relief work outside the St. Damien Hospital in Tabarre, Haiti, Bloomington orthopedic surgeon Mark Hansen gave up most of the comforts of home.

He, along with three other Bloomington health providers — occupational therapist Kevin Kathman, registered nurse Lori Andersen and anesthesiologist David Willian — slept in tents perched atop a dormitory roof. […]

Story continues at
http://www.heraldtimesonline.com/stories/2010/03/25/news.qp-9207394.sto.

Bloomington Salvation Army officer in Haiti

Lt. Jonathan Fitzgerald of Bloomington has been serving with the Salvation Army in Haiti since February 12. He has primarily been overseeing food and supplies distribution for a temporary settlement of 20,000 in a soccer stadium in Port-au-Prince.

He recently traveled to Fond des Nègres, a 4-hour, 75-mile trip from the capital city, to deliver supplies for the Salvation Army’s Bethel Clinic, a medical facility providing 24-hour emergency care, pre- and post-natal care, an on-site laboratory and pharmacy, and a mobile clinic serving people displaced by January’s earthquake.

Read more about Lt. Fitzgerald’s work in Haiti at http://corps.salvationarmyindiana.org/bloomington/tag/jonathan-fitzgerald/.