Photographer Journal: Gonaives

Showing posts with label Gonaives. Show all posts

Saturday, February 12, 2022

The vaksen plays a repeating rhythm

“The vaksen: All rara music centers around a large set of cylindrical bamboo trumpets called vaksen. These impressive woodwind instruments may also be made of metal, making them more boisterous brass instruments. The vaksen plays a repeating rhythm in a monotonous, trance-like way, generally at a tempo fast enough to move one’s body to“ haitianmusic.net -

Tuesday, February 8, 2022

Colorful Celebrations

“In Haitian tradition, rara, a brilliant and colorful music festival, takes place throughout this holy week. This genre is said to have begun in the 1700s, most likely in the latter part of the century, when French colonization was still strong but African-Haitian sugar plantation workers were riling up. In order to gain independence, Haitian slaves fought literally (during the Haitian Revolution) and culturally (through new art, music, and dance forms)”haitianmusic.net

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Cherish the journey more than the destination

Extraordinary moments happen in an instant when traveling on the road, unexpected cinematic landscape begging to be captured, the accidental discoveries, be flexible and alert while exploring everything the road has to offer. Road trips are about the unexpected.

Monday, December 12, 2016

24 hours in Gonaives

Most of the writing orientation participants were still waiting by the time we reached College Elim of Gonaives. We left Thomassin at about 6:45am, an hour and a half behind schedule and because it was Saturday morning there wasn't the usual traffic heading down to Petion Ville. We usually have (home made) breakfast, courtesy of my very good friend JE Milcé who is an excellent chef and Gouter Aux Voyages writer—Once you leave Port-Au-Prince and get on the Rte National heading North, there isn't any place on the road to grab something to eat. By the time we reached Cote Des Arcadins we were all starving but fortunately, we weren't too far from St Marc where we made a stop at a very good friend restaurant and about an hour later we got back on the road heading toward Gonaives.

Saturday, June 18, 2016

Hide out in Gonaives, Hotel Room number four

Je te cherche - Je te cherche toi qui m'échappe encore sans que jamais tu n'es été mien Je te cherche dans les regards des inconnus qui me sourient, dans les regards durs de mépris Et même dans les yeux des enfants j'essaie de trouver ton reflet, un signe de toi Une ombre visiteuse dont la durée est sans importance J'essaie de me faire une idée de ton innocence je te cherche dans les bois je te cherche dans ma solitude, dans ma folie Avec mes peines, avec mes douleurs et cette passion qui s'incruste en moi Avec mes deboires, avec mes silences et mes mots, Je te cherche parce que c'est tout que j'ai de grand qui me reste... un peu de rien, et toute ma folie. Nice Eliazar

Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Food story shoot in the L'Artibonite for Le National

This on going project was well received and approved right away. Gouter Aux Voyages involves traveling across Haiti with a writer, Jean Euphele Milcé, who happens to be a very good friend of mine.The Newspaper agreed to pay all the traveling expenses + salary and at the end of the year or next January, all the articles and photos will be publish in a book. We get to decide which part of the Country we'll travel to and when we go. Gouter Aux Voyages is an excellent platform to promote Haiti different regions, its local products and specially the food culture.

Saturday, March 5, 2016

Post card from the L'Artibonite,Haiti - Savane Désolé

"Our job as a photographer is to make an interesting image of whatever we decide to immortalize. There is no such thing as a boring subject, just boring ways of photographing it. An interesting subject also demands an interesting or unique view point." Nevada Wier - I had spend the whole day in Gonaives a while back shooting an assignment for a non profit that provides free meals to the needy. Certain assignments we reluctantly accept because it feels our subject privacy is being violated. To be desperate and dependent upon relief food to survive and have a stranger shooting pictures must not be very pleasant. It was getting late and we hit the road as soon as I was done. About a mile outside of the city, the sun came out for just a few seconds and I only shot 3 frames since the car was moving.The photograph above is one of them.

Sunday, April 27, 2014

The Sacred Mapou

Souvenance is one of a group of Lakous in the Gonaives region that are known for their adherence to specific African traditions in Voodoo. Souvenance celebrates the Iwas from Daome (the Kingdom of Dahomey is now Bennin)