Open Air Cinema's Screening of Haitian Election Media in Camp Accra, Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Tonight we returned to Camp Accra in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, this time to screen election media in advance of the elections on Sunday. The presidential candidates canceled their second debate session, and so lieu of screening the second debate, we showed programming where local Haitians voiced their opinions about the election and the candidates. In addition to screening the coverage, we periodically paused the programming to allow the audience to respond to the issues at hand. Many audience members were excited to share their stories and opinions, and we found that the issues were relevant to their everyday lives. The audience members seemed to be most concerned about rebuilding their country, their homes, and their lives in the wake of the earthquake that changed Haiti forever more than a year ago.
Tonight's second screening at camp Accra proved to be one of our largest events during the project, as camp residents remembered our screening last week, and were excited to be involved in additional dialogue surrounding the elections. We also screened another episode of the Haitian comedian Jessifra, and the audience erupted in laughter as they were entertained by one of their favorite comedians. Ironically, the Jessifra video was a skit centered around Jessifra running for president of Haiti! The video fit perfectly with the theme of the evening's programming, and provided a moment of laughter and joy for camp residents who are struggling to rebuild their lives. We have one more day of screenings tomorrow evening, and so we'll keep you posted on how things go. Below are some images from tonight's events.
Tonight's second screening at camp Accra proved to be one of our largest events during the project, as camp residents remembered our screening last week, and were excited to be involved in additional dialogue surrounding the elections. We also screened another episode of the Haitian comedian Jessifra, and the audience erupted in laughter as they were entertained by one of their favorite comedians. Ironically, the Jessifra video was a skit centered around Jessifra running for president of Haiti! The video fit perfectly with the theme of the evening's programming, and provided a moment of laughter and joy for camp residents who are struggling to rebuild their lives. We have one more day of screenings tomorrow evening, and so we'll keep you posted on how things go. Below are some images from tonight's events.