Media Library - Haiti Observer Blog

The Port-au-Prince district of Bel Air is one of the poorest in the city, afflicted with violence everywhere, traumatizing its inhabitants. It has a history of violence, in particular events surrounding Lavalas leader Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

Soon after assuming the office of the presidency, Aristide was the object of a coup d'etat. He sought refuge in both the U.S. and Africa before returning in 2011. The Lavalas party is strong in Bel Air, and protests were staged, calling for Aristide's return. The government of Haiti sent the Haitian National Police (HNP) on more than one occasion to quell uprisings. What usually ensued was police brutality with large-scale massacres.
In 2005 another rebellion exploded in the streets of Bel Air and local officials feared violence would break out at polling stations on Election Day.

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The non-profit Haiti Jazz, in collaboration with Caracoli and Haiti Music, came together to launch the new media library in downtown Port-au-Prince recently. The House of Music (kay mizik la in Créole) was built as an archival storage space to house collections of Haiti's music history, its recordings, documented history, and music artifacts.

The European Union (EU) has subsidized the project with a five million gourdes gift. The motivation to create the media library was to develop awareness, knowledge, and appreciation of Haiti's cultural contribution to music arts. The EU's Cultural Secretary, Leandro Medeot, on hand at the launch, commented on the importance of developing and carrying forward the artistic and social influences of Haitian music. The House of Music will provide a forum for music industry artists, musicologists, and technology specialists to gather, share, explore, and define the evolution and impact of Haitian music on the cultural landscape.

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