The Carnival of Jacmel, Haiti

Carnival is a celebratory theatric form that provides people with a chance to release any pent up emotions. It allows participants and observers to escape the struggles of everyday life, break free from inhibitions and rejoice. 

Here we see some Haitian woman doing just that! Heavily influenced by African festivals,
they parade around the city dancing and singing in beads and vibrant colors.

          Similar traditions date back centuries. In Egypt they ceremonialized the festival of Isis and Osiris, the Greeks celebrated Bacchanalia, and so on. Current carnivals can be traced back to the Roman celebration called Saturnalia, in which slaves could exchange roles with their masters and enjoyed a taste of freedom. With the rise of Christianity this event was transformed into a festivity of indulgence before the period of Lent, a forty-day period of sacrifice, commemorated by banquets and masquerades in the Middle Ages. European colonists brought carnival traditions with them to Latin America and the Caribbean in the eighteenth century. The colonist made carnival the one time of year when their African slaves were free to celebrate. Though colonists tried to suppress African traditions from being present during carnival, they quickly shaped the event into something new. Many of these African traditions are what we commonly see and think of as carnival today. The circling parades, performance of skits, and the colorful beaded and feathered costumes all stem from African tradition. 

Unique To Jacmel, Haiti

           As the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere with a history of political instability and violence, Haiti definitely needs the carnival to raise the hopes and spirits of its citizens. Jacmel Carnival is very different from most Caribbean carnivals. Its a much smaller event that is town-run rather than being government funded. This may sound like a disadvantage, but it actually helps preserve the authenticity of the event by keeping it free of government control. 

          While all carnivals have some similarities with common traditions and aesthetics, what stands out the most in the Jacmel Carnival are the ornate Paper Maché Carnival Masks as seen above. Made into likenesses of everything form the literal and commonplace to the abstract and spiritual, they seem to represent a passage through time from a lost distant past to the pressing present. Jacmel is an artsy seaside village, and these masks are a product of its natives. They seem to be three dimensional representations of the paintings these artists are known for: usually a colorful, and idealistic depiction of a past Haiti where lush lands harbor animals both foreign and native. These fun yet ceremonial masks enrich Haiti's humble carnival valued both as a spectacle and business opportunity. Many artist make their living solely by the sales of their masks during carnival. 

Carried ropes represent being bound to slavery, yet
 they wear horns to symbolize their fight for freedom

              The Jacmel Carnival is full of symbolic imagery both mocking their oppressors and celebrating their freedom. To the right we see an image from the carnival commenting on slavery. Due to carnival's unrestrained demonstration, its no wonder its commonly used for political protest and representation.

Here we see satirical versions of the once President Jean Vilburn Guillaume Sam and Chief of Police Charles Oscar Etienne. They were responsible for hundreds of deaths of wrongly imprisoned political prisoners. After which the people of Haiti revolted and killed them both. These characters often seen in the carnival now serve as a warning to any future persecutors.

Turmoil in the Carnival

          Carnival has always been faced with some resistance. It is raw lawless, artistic, and emotional expression and that scares a lot of people, especially the government. While the opposition never seems to end, the good news is that neither does the carnival tradition. Unfortunately, in current times practicers of traditional carnival aren't just in conflict with non-supporters, but often feel conflicted within themselves. As the carnival becomes more increasingly popular, it becomes a tourist destination. It becomes an event consumed by making and spending money. Even Haiti, the poorest of carnival nations, has balconies for rent during the carnival which creates a sense of superiority and completely defeats the original concept of a day of equality. On the other hand, the income from tourism greatly benefits the economy, especially in places like Haiti that are so much in need. 

          This year marks, not only a tragic chapter in Jacmel Carnival, but a tragic time for all of Haiti. On January twelfth of this year, a devastating earthquake hit Haiti with a magnitude 7.0 M_w that left an estimated 230,000 dead and hundreds of thousands more injured and homeless. Combined with the  hundreds of thousands of buildings that that were destroyed or severally damaged, the carnival this year was canceled and instead was replaced by players and memorial sessions for all the victims of te earthquake. The following is a video that shows clips of previous Jacmel Carnivals along with this year's procession, and illustrates just how effected the citizens of Jacmel are through the interview a local artists that lost his lively hood due to this catastrophe.

Works Cited

  

           Associated Press. "Haiti raises earthquake toll to 230,000." washingtonpost.com. N.p., 10 Feb. 2010. Web. 26 Sept. 2010. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/09/AR2010020904447.html>.

           Basu, Moni. "Haitians cancel Carnival celebration." Featured Articles From The CNN. N.p., 10 Feb. 2010. Web. 26 Sept. 2010. <http://articles.cnn.com/2010-02-10/worldhaiti.carnival.celebration_1_carnival-haitians-earthquake?_s=PM:WORLD>.

           CaribPress. "Memoirs of Haitiâs Jacmel Carnivalâ”A Pictorial and Oral History." allvoices.com. N.p., 15 Mar. 2010. Web. 26 Sept. 2010. <http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/5413334-memoirs-of-haitis-jacmel-carnivala-pictorial-and-oral-history>.

           "Caribbean Photos - National Geographic." Travel & Cultures -- National Geographic. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Sept. 2010. <http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/countries/caribbean-photos/#/haiti_3015_600x450.jpg>.

           Coates, James. "Carnival in Jacmel, Haiti: Sleepy Caribean Town Explodes with Parades, Hatian Art & Masks ." Suite101.com: Online Magazine and Writers' Network. N.p., 18 Feb. 2009. Web. 26 Sept. 2010. <http://www.suite101.com/content/carnival-in-jacmel-haiti-a96816>.

Danticat, Edwidge. After the Dance: a Walk through Carnival in Jacmel, Haiti. New York: Crown Journeys, 2002. Print.

          Felner, Mira, and Claudia Orenstein. The World of Theatre: Tradition and Innovation. Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 2006. Print.

          Haitian Information Bureau. "Carnival in Haiti." Hartford Web Publishing. N.p., 10 Feb. 1996. Web. 26 Sept. 2010. <http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/43a/345.html>.

              Melindayiti. "Art and Jacmel." Konbit Pou Ayiti. 10 Dec. 2007. Web. 26 Sept. 2010. <http://www.konpay.org/node/97>. 

Morone, Frankie. "U.S. Occupation of Haiti (1915)." Pikliz.com. N.p., 2 May 2006. Web. 1 Oct. 2010.http://pikliz.fotki.com/very_old_pictures/us_occupation_of_haiti/vilbrun_guillaume_sam.html>.