Entertainment

For the second time in two years the Ayikodans returned to Miami. The dance group once again exposed the cultural riches deeply buried in the people of Haiti.

Under the leadership of Jean Guy Saintus, the group of incomparable dancers presented an art piece that constitutes of the current European and American dance mixed with traditional African influence. The group has left behind the repetitive kind of dance and has adopted a complex spatial and original combination of moves. There performance comes with well-designed lighting and set pieces.

The performance brought back the reflections of the famous 2010 earthquake and the aftermaths. Anmwey Ayiti Manman was being played for the third year in a row but this year almost unrecognizable. This year's version was more emotional than physical; there was less dancing but more feelings. Pain, betrayal and lack of faith were depicted. This left the audience in agony. But Anmwey Ayiti Manman ended the performance with a clear massage exposing the persistence of the will to live.

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The Haitian president Michel Martelly has received criticism for his move to censor carnival songs from Don Kato and others.

Carnival songs have in the past been performed to denounce bad governance and moon politicians. Carnival songs have also in the past been used to predict the political future of Haiti.

Martelly is now against carnival singers who are against his own governance. In his move Martelly has banned some artists from participating in this year's carnival festival, one of which is the popular musician Don Kato.

Before being a president, Martelly was himself a carnival singer; criticizing every poor government. Now the president is being accused of contradicting himself by trying to censor artist for doing what he did in the past.

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Jeux dangereux or Dangerous Game and Le chauffeur or Driver, are the two Haitian films that were officially selected (category Diaspora) for 23rd Pan-African Film & TV Festival of Ouagadougou (aka FESPACO or Festival panafricain du cinéma et de la télévision de Ouagadougou), 2013 that was held during 23rd February till 2nd March 2013 in Burkina Faso of West Africa. Antoine Boseny directed Jeux dangereux while Le chauffeur's director was Jean-Claude Bourjolly.

The finalists for category Diaspora were selected by the jury members Carlos Aguilar from Panama, Asha Lovelace of Trinidad & Tobago, Tanya Valette from Dominican Republic, Beti Ellerson from United States of America and Arnold Antonin from Haiti. Arnold Antonin is himself a filmmaker who won three Prix Paul Robeson of Best Film award at African Diaspora FESPACO in the years 2007, 2009 and 2011.

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Haitian government officials, both national and local came together to plan for this year's Raras regional competion and ensuing festival which will run during a three-day event in Léogâne.

Raras is street music performed procession-style beginning Easter Week annually. Standard Caribbean instruments are augmented by a Raras trumpet, vaksen. The trumpets are constructed of either metal or bamboo materials. They are played by simultaneously tapping the trumpet and forcing air through it.

Raras began as an outgrowth of the slave revolt while Haiti was being colonized. African and Afro-Creole slaves of Saint Domingue started the Raras tradition, which lasted three days from Good Friday until Easter Monday.

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There has been long standing rumors of rapper Jean Marc Andre separating from rap group Barikad Group. Jean Marc Andre, also known as Da Marco, finally announced at a concert that he will no longer be a part of the biggest Haitian rap group. Da Marco mentioned that he has resigned from the rap band citing personal differences between him and his other band members.

Jean Marc Andre said that he had tendered his resignation to Barikad Group and will no longer be a part of the group. He also ended speculations of whether he would join another group or start a band of his own. Da Marco said that he had joined Master Sun. Da Marco seemed to have been very clear about his decision and also gave away reasons for his decision. He said that his band members were becoming increasingly jealous of his popularity that they were unable to achieve. He mentioned that he had made far more progress over a period of time than any of his band members.

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Toussaint L'Ouverture, modern Haiti's liberator, joined the slave revolt on the island--known then as Saint Domingue--in 1788. A freed slave, who had acquired a fortune, he fought alongside Jean-Jacques Dessalines, Haiti's first president.

Produced by Raoul Peck, the "Toussaint L'Ouverture" film project languished for several years in Hollywood. It finally received the needed funding from Hollywood Unites for Haiti Foundation and was green-lighted. The two-part, three-hour film previewed at Cuba Cinemathique in April 2012. Prior to the screening, the French production was broadcast on French television, where it drew an audience of 3 million.

On the strength of positive reviews, the Embassy of the Republic of Haiti to Cuba and Traveling Caribbean Film submitted it to international film festivals. "Toussaint L'Ouverture" was nominated in several categories in Montréal, Monte Carlos, and Washington, winning The Black Reel Award for Outstanding Foreign Film. It won Best Actor and the Audience Award at the Pan American Film and Arts Festival, and a Best Actor award at the Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival. It also captured Best Diaspora Feature at the Africa Movie Academy Awards.

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Theodore Beaubrun, best known for his portrayal as Languichatte Debordus in the comedy series Languichatte in the 20th Century was born and died in Port-au-Prince, at age 80 in 1998. He was multi-talented in many areas as an author, playwright, actor, director, storyteller, journalist, musician, and composer.

He excelled in the comedy genre, and is considered among the top comic actors in the world, and certainly of his generation. As the character, Languichatte, he has been compared to America's Sherman Hemsley, as George Jefferson on the 70's sit-com The Jeffersons. Beaubrun played alongside co-star, Marie-Andrée Raymond Jeudy, who played the character, Mantoute. Jeudy died recently on January 18, 2013.

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When Carnival season begins in Haiti, the seaside city of Jacmel divides its celebration into two halves. In the daytime, some celebrants meander through the streets dressed up in colorful paper-mache outfits, while others cover their bodies in shiny, black paint and wield ropes as imitation whips. They are addressing Haiti's slave history and the subsequent slave revolt.

Another roving group, the Chaloska, move through the streets in blood-red and black costumes, their faces decorated with over-sized lurid, red lips and monster fangs. They symbolize the 1915 bloody assault carried out on jailed political dissidents by the local police chief.

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The dates and the place for the next Carnival in Haiti has been scheduled. It will take place on February 10, 11 and 12 in the historic Haitian city of Cap-Haitian. Ms. Elza Beaussan who is at the head of the delegation visited Cap-Haitian on December 18, 2012 to begin the preparation for this big event.

After the city of Les Cayes last year, now it is the turn of Cap-Haitian to host the biggest event of the year which is the Carnival. This is part of the decentralization plan for the current government as they are using this annual event to help discover the entire country of Haiti

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The festive Jacmel has yet another annual reason of celebration. With the city's famous traditional festivals' "Festival Film Jakmèl" and "Festival Mizik Jakmèl" unfortunately long gone, the Festival of Friendship is expected to regain the pride of Haiti as a country of rich culture and festivals and be one of the most highly-anticipated happenings in the Caribbean, especially to tourists.

December 5 marked the start of the Festival of Friendship tradition in Jacmel. The official launching of the four-day, four-night affair was done in the city's Hotel Florita gardens. The closing ceremony of the festival on December 9 was done in different parts of the city. The festival paved the way for artists from different parts of the globe to showcase their craft and their talent. Some of the visiting aritsts were from the United States, Canada, France, Switzerland, Republic of Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, and Martinique. Jacmel residents and foreign visitors were able to enjoy several art galleries and displays, as well as dance and music concerts, film showings, and fairs.

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