Carnival

Official launch of the National Carnival 2014, Dimanche Gras

Haiti is just about ready to start the carnival season. The cultural event, which takes the art of reveling to almost religious heights, will operate this year under the theme "Tet Kole Power Yon Ayiti Pi Djanm", translated to "Heads Together for a Stronger Haiti".

The announcement came at the official launch by the carnival committee held at the Ministry of Culture in the country's capital. The 2014 season, slated to run from March 2 to March 4 will continue the recent tradition of being hosted outside of Port-au-Prince. As such, this year's festival will carry marchers through the city of Gonaives.

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The West Indian Carnival, known as the Labor Day Parade, which is held in Crown Heights, Brooklyn every year, is a fun-filled, well-highlighted stage showcasing the wealth of musical genres, interesting sounds and pure talent from Caribbean and South American bands. Each year, dozens of musical acts flock to the carnival that attracts millions and, this year, Haiti's presence was resoundingly hollow, an eventuality, which was foreshadowed after last year's already emaciated Haitian showing.

The festival goers go every year primed to see diverse musical styles coming out of different countries and, since the popularity of the festival has grown so tremendously from its beginnings as a gathering of Caribbean artists, organized by the committee started by Mrs. Jessie Waddell Compton and housed in various enclosed spaces including the Savoy, the lack of any Haitian acts promoting Konpa and other popular forms of Haitian music is a lack the country's music industry can ill afford.

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A collection of Haitian activists, including well-known artists, are petitioning the government to not hold the Carnival of Flowers (COF) on dates July 28th or 29th. The dates they say are an affront to the dignity of Haitians. July 28th signifies the date of the U.S. Occupation, which lasted 19 years. July 29th, a more ominous date, is when Dictator, François Duvalier, began using death squads, the Tonton Macoutes, to hunt down, abduct, and kill citizens, suspected of criticizing his repressive policies.

The activists want to stop COF because it does not make a profit. The money spent on COF would be better applied to holding elections, they contend. But they also equivocate, saying on the one hand, don't hold COF on these dates, but then ask for COF to be cancelled altogether. Yet they suggest the government hold the festivities privately, so as not to upset the rest of the population that mourns not only the 1915 Occupation, but also the current UN Occupation, which has also lasted 19 years.

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As you know, this year, the Kanaval in Haiti will take place in Cap-Haitian. We have some of the best music Carnival and would like for you to listen to them all and make your own judgement. More than ten Kanaval songs have been released so far and we have them all.

Here are the best three Kanaval so far. They are:

Nou pap ka Mate Li - Kanpech -kanaval 2013

Watch more Haiti Kanaval 2013 here.......

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The colorful Caribbean country of Haiti held one of its most important festivals for the year, the Carnival of Flowers, during the last weekend of July. It was generally a success for the Martelly administration in its effort to have a less violent and safer, more secure festival.

In the first day of the festival, thousands and thousands of people crowded the streets of the capital Port-au-Prince to participate in the celebration. It was marked lively colors of costume and festive sounds of music. About 1,500 singers, dancers, and band members made the streets come to life, including the parade of queens in cars and thirteen music floats. The first day of the Carnival of Flowers lasted until three o'clock in the morning when most of the organizers and participants are preparing for the second day of the carnival.

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In the month of July 2012, Haiti had its earth-breaking cultural event that attracted many people both in the Diaspora as well as within. The cultural event was meant to celebrate a carnival of flowers which was intended to promote tourism in Haiti.

The minister for tourism, Stephanie Balmir Villedrouin said that the carnival was a great success of the whole thing. He said that flights to Haiti at that time were full as well as the bus stations. At the same time, hotels were full accommodating all sorts of people. About 65 million Gourdes were spent to facilitate this event. Beginning from July 29 to 31, about one people were in the streets of Port-Au-Prince.

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