As long as there is violence in the country, Haitians will be the ones to lose

“As long as there is violence in the country, Haitians will be the ones to lose.

Big companies will not come to invest,

Tourists won’t come to visit.

As long as there is violence in the country,

Hunger and unemployment will only get worse.

Haitians, let’s admit that

Violence will not get us anywhere…

As long as there is violence in the country, we become targets.

But listen, let’s listen!

Performance by young people from the neighbourhood of Fort National

Haiti is going to move forward.

Let’s put down our weapons

So that we can live without fear,

So that we can rebuild Haiti…”

With standing room only on Friday night, 17 November 2006, 40 young talented Haitian musicians passionately sang these collectively written words to a crowd of over 500 spectators jam-packed into the garden of the Ministry of Culture and Communication during the “For a Violence-Free Haiti” music contest. The contest, co-hosted by the Campaign for the Reduction of Violence in Haiti, Centre Kreyolololo, and the Haitian Ministry of Culture and Communication, was the grand finale to a Campaign initiative that began in August aimed at actively involving young people in the fight against armed violence through the universal language of music.

Believing that young people have a key role to play in violence reduction, the Campaign, together with Centre Kreyolololo, a local organisation, held a 3-week workshop with young musicians from several violence-stricken neighbourhoods of Port-au-Prince, including Cité Soleil, Martissant, and Carrefour-Feuilles. The training focused on music theory and technique, and used discussions and dialogue on the theme of armed violence, its negative impact and consequences as a basis for collective song writing.

Artists from each neighbourhood then joined together to write and record a song to be entered into the final contest in the hopes of winning first prize. Additionally, the entire group together wrote and recorded 2 songs, “Only One Country” and “Violence is not a Profession” both of which were performed during the contest.

The evening drew a crowd from a diverse cross-section of Haitian society, with large numbers of fans coming to support their neighbourhood groups. Raram, a favourite local band, also demonstrated their support via a lively performance.

In total, 7 skilfully written and composed songs were entered into the contest. Faced with the difficult task of choosing the top 3 performances, a 5-member jury awarded first prize (approximately US$ 750) to the group from Carrefour-Feuilles, with the groups from Fort National and Martissant taking 2^nd and 3^rd place, respectively. In addition, each group received a donation of approximately US$ 250 for their lively participation in the contest.

“It is difficult to put into words the positive energy emanated here tonight”, said one spectator. “The power of music and its ability to influence young people and a society is ubiquitous”. “My congratulations to these young men and women and to the Campaign for such a successful and creative initiative” added another.

The Campaign for the Reduction of Violence in Haiti is composed of 16 national and international NGOs working in Haiti, including Oxfam GB. For more information about the Campaign and its activities, visit the Campaign’s website at www.campagnecontreviolence.org.