Tuesday, July 26, 2016 - Day Four - Visit to Croix Des Bouquets, Back to Sakala, and Walkabout in Cité Soleil
Katie Dennison reports:
To start our fourth day in Haiti, we chowed down to a hearty
breakfast of oatmeal and fresh fruit. Shortly after eating, our van pulled up
and we all piled in excited to visit an area within Port-au-Prince called Croix
Des Bouquets. Croix Des Bouquets is
famous for its metalwork made of steel oil drums that are burned to remove
paint then hand stamped and shaped into art pieces. Beautiful and unique wall
art, bracelets, and figures representing different aspects of Haitian culture
are a few examples.
Before touring the different metal artisans stores, we
visited a voodoo artist named Jean Baptiste Jean Joseph who creates voodoo
flags which are essentially beaded tapestries depicting voodoo spirits. Each
voodoo flag takes up to three months to create and are sold for hundreds, and
in some cases thousands of dollars. Each piece was authentic and depicted a
distinct aspect of Haitian voodoo culture, which challenged many mainstream US
ideas about voodoo. Some of us bought smaller items like key chains and coin
purses while others splurged on larger tapestries and paintings. We said
goodbye and mesi (thank you in
Creole) and decided to continue exploring the metalwork the area is known for. After
observing artisans at work we toured shops and purchased merchandise. After an
hour of roaming around the area we sought respite on a bench where local
children greeted us with smiles and Quenepe (a local fruit that is similar to a
Lychee).
Once we parted ways with the locals we returned to the van
and made our way to Sakala. We arrived at Sakala and the kids quickly
recognized us. We naturally broke off into different groups, playing sports
like soccer and volleyball while others played singing and hand games. The
language barrier did not stop us from communicating and playing games in the
blistering heat. To say the least, our second day at Sakala was full of
laughter, smiles, and sweat. Before leaving Sakala, the volleyball coach,
Davidson, gave us a tour of Cite Solei during which we were exposed to the
living conditions of the city residents. We waded through streets filled with
trash and filthy water that paralleled a canal full of putrid smelling rotting
garbage. We were disgusted, shocked, and overwhelmed with the living conditions
in Cite Soleil. Davidson also introduced us to some of the local families who
lived in tiny cement houses that surrounded the canal. The families were shy
but thankful for our visit as, we hope, our presence reminds them of our
solidarity.
We returned to Sakala for one last volleyball game before
leaving for the guesthouse. At the Wall’s we ate dinner and had a group
discussion reflecting upon the themes that we had recognized during our time in
Haiti so far. We also discussed the most important interaction or moment we had
during the day. We all agreed that throughout the day we were challenged to get
comfortable with being uncomfortable with regards to heat and humidity, as well
as understanding some of the complex ideas that Haitians have about their
country.
But perhaps, Peter best summarized Haitian progress as being
equal parts big and small.
