Subscribe to RSS“Asking the earth to be still”: Carefour des Brosses
Photo by S. Wojtkowiak; from Flickr
Instead there was something else, there was crying, or chanting, or crying as a chorus or praying, it’s hard to describe, it was buried just below the crickets. It must have been the people down the hill mourning or something. I was so tired that I was dreaming awake before finally sinking in this world of voices and pain.
Port-au-Prince - The other day I asked Emmanuel about the singing. He told me that in the camps they do sing every night; I hadn’t been dreaming.
I want to go there and record this. This would really help us to know and understand the camps better. It is at night that people cry and gather; during the day they are busy surviving.
Emmanuel is staying at a camp that hasn’t had ANY help yet. It’s at Carefour des Brosses, out of town. Emmanuel tells me they sing every night, and that I could come. He would talk to the head of the organization they created (U.D.Ha.C, Belange Ignare) to see if it would be all right. There are 3,500 people in this camp.
The problem is security. A white guy with a nice camera out at night is a tad risky here.
But I feel the singing would be so beautiful, and would help the donations and bring some attention to these camps. Since this is about music, I remembered my old friend Sarasvati who always protected me and my guitars/sitars while on tour; with the satellite modem pointing at the stars, it was easy to “skype” her to ask for protection.
I had been careful to talk and joke with the guys at the door of the Canadian Embassy so they would get to know me. Today, I asked them to let me out at night and TO LET ME BACK IN when I came back. “Pa ni problem,” they said.
Emmanuel and Johnny picked me up with a driver. We started to cross the city. Things are very busy here at night, there are a lot off people sleeping on the sidewalks.
At one point we had to go back to take another way because a street was full of people sleeping on the ground. There are candles everywhere, and these smoky, busy, streets seem from another world. We also came across a local police road block; teenagers with AK47’s always make me a little nervous.
There were no lights in the camps, but I took out my super duper low light camera and fast lens. We also bought candles to give to people, so I would have light to film a little.
We walked through the camp, bent under the makeshift “tents” and up to a bigger tent holding about 50 people. The wounded and the sick lie down, while the others stand up. The group had started singing already, so we distribute the candles, and I somehow found my way to the center without walking on anybody.
I didn’t want to shoot a music video, move around, put my lens in peoples faces; I wanted to be as invisible as possible. The group started to sing, and the magic began:
They sing their souls out, asking that the earth not to tremble again. They clap their hands so they can heal, shout out their prayers that help will reach them soon. They regain hope from the harmony of their voices melting together as one powerful call. People of Haiti, you are so strong and so beautiful.
Related: Gospel singing in Camp Petionville
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21 Comments
2010-01-22
10:39:24
ce message pour te dire, Nico, que je suis en pensées avec toi, et tout particulièrement avec tout le peuple d'Haïti. Je ne te connais qu'à travers ce que ta maman m'a dit de toi, lors de nos séjours à Madagascar, et je t'envoie mes amitiés.
2010-01-22
10:49:31
Nico,
How sad this blog is. The singing is heart wrenching.
Linda
2010-01-22
10:56:19
immense émotions magnifique bravos mon gars
2010-01-22
11:17:22
bravo nico nous sommes impressionés tu arrives a sortir un diamant de cette misère tu nous montre la force la foi la puissance d'amour de ce peuple continu dans cette voie montre nous encore des choses fortes et positives
2010-01-22
11:55:17
How beautiful are the voices and the melody. Despite the suffering there is something to be envied there. Once again Nico your courage and curiosity have uncovered another layer of truth.
2010-01-22
12:05:27
Beautiful Nico!!
2010-01-22
12:13:47
Unreal Nico
2010-01-22
14:10:23
Thank you for this video and blog Nico. Beautiful.
You risk your safety so that we can see this.
Thank you again.
2010-01-22
14:21:23
MAXIMUM RESPECT ! - Nico !
for your big courage !
you risc a lot !
keep on going !
take care my friend!
Wolf
2010-01-22
15:33:32
sharing to my group~ EVERYONE MUST pay attention!!!!!!!!!!!
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SAVEourHOME/
2010-01-22
15:57:37
Nico,
Bravo pour tous ces reportages d'une grande dignité et d'une intense émotion.
On vous souhaite encore encore beaucoup de courage.
Mylène
2010-01-22
16:57:51
j'aime le positivisme et l'humanisme que tu sais aller chercher dans toutes les situations, bravo, c'est d'une grande émotion...
sophie
2010-01-22
17:57:25
Way to go Nico - stories of inspiration. This is such a good thing to do.
2010-01-22
18:17:16
You've been in this setting before but I'm sure this time it has a whole different meaning. Be strong, be helpfull and positive. Good luck I can't wait to see and read more of our brothers' and sisters' suffering and strength.
2010-01-22
22:40:52
thank you for braving the night filming and showing us the life there.. I wonder what their songs are about? Can you give a translation next time? thanks..
2010-01-23
08:15:11
bravo a toi et a ton équipe !!
tes images et celle des nombreux media
présent on touché le coeur des gents.
la chaine du bonheur a récolté jeudi plus
de 25 millons de promesses de dons.
courage pour la suite , soi prudent et reste loin
des AK 44 con !!
seb
2010-01-23
19:49:01
Nico, I think back to you and Kyra with us having your racette at our house last fall and you telling us about this new job with the Red Cross.....and now it is so real.
Stay strong and safe. Your contribution to help us all really understand and appreciate the realities of the situation is enormous.
Our love Roy & Ann.
2010-01-24
21:22:44
Thank you for sharing this with the world
2010-01-25
03:10:08
Salut Nico !
Un grand merci pour ces infos "dans le vif".
De tout coeur avec toi et tout les Haïtiens pour surmonter cette épreuve !
A bientôt.
Dany
2010-01-25
21:04:15
Amazing Nico. Thanks.
2010-02-16
15:16:01
[...] be able to tell the stories of the Haitian people, and also a great responsibility. The beauty and strength of my fellow humans never stopped to amaze me throughout my travels, something I hadn’t [...]