This month we celebrate our 10 year anniversary !!! Wow. Feels like just yesterday we were putting everything together. We are so grateful to be able to celebrate this milestone and to have created so many great memories along the way. We have so much to look back to. From our workshop parties, birthday celebrations, overcoming challenges together and more, words are too few to describe what celebrating 10 years mean to us. Especially in the times we are living now. Haiti Design Co would not be here without you so join the celebration friends! Visit our instagram page and show us some love by liking our posts, sharing them and commenting your favorite memory of HDC!
Wading through the storm: Louis Henri Mars from Lakou Lapè
“You must also understand the root causes of why Haiti is the way it is and have a clear vision of how to contribute to change. You need to understand the effects of slavery and colonial trauma....Haiti is a very deep and complex country but once you come to understand what is going on you can get to work and have deep purpose and hope in your life in Haiti.”
The Wading through the storm series has been nothing but a breath of inspiration. Seeing how so many Haitians are deciding to stand tall in the middle of the storm and take action reminds us all of the strength that lies within us all to not only face difficulties but create new and beautiful things from them.
We had the pleasure to virtually sit down and be inspired by Louis Henri Mars, the heart behind Lakou Lapè, a community engaged in conflict transformation through dialogue and mutual understanding. We left this interview inspired and motivated to do our best within our circle of influence.
How did Lakou lapè come to existence? What is the story behind all of this?
Lakou Lapè is a community of people from various walks of Haitian society, engaged in conflict transformation and peace building through dialogue. It is organized as a Community Association legally recognized by the Ministry of Social Affairs. Lakou Lapè was formed as a result of the peacebuilding activities in Haiti of Irish NGOs, The Glencree Center for Peace and Reconciliation (Glencree) and Concern Worldwide (CWW) between 2006 and 2011 with funding from the European Union (EU). In 2006 those organizations started a dialogue process modeled on the peace process in Ireland in the disadvantaged neighborhood of Saint Martin. One of the lessons that came out from those dialogues was that violence in the neighborhood had external actors identified by residents as the Private Sector and the Political Sector of Haiti. As I was friends with the Deputy Director of Concern in those days and she knew that I had spent 20 years running businesses and owning businesses in Haiti she asked me to connect the dialogue process happening in St martin to the private sector which I did. In 2007 following a very successful mixed sector retreat we came to understand that it was possible to create “community” between different sectors of society through dialogue. 5 years later, after multiple exchanges and experiences together, including the food riots in 2008, the 2010 earthquake, Lakou Lapè was born. From Saint Martin, the dialogue extended to Bel Air, Martissant, Cite soley, the political sector, young people, other towns and areas such as Canaan, Miragoane and Archaie
What has been the most touching story for you during your job?
Over the years the most important moment of understanding, the day the light came on, was when rich people from the business community and poor people from different sectors of the hood of Saint Martin, including gang members , were able to come to see each other as valid human beings, come into “common humanity” through a process of getting to know each other deeply over the course of a weekend. This is what has fueled our quest for peace since then.
What do you do when you feel discouraged?
When I feel discouraged, I go for a walk in my neighborhood. I breathe, I inhale, I feel the air come into my lungs, the breeze on my skin. I look at the flowers, at the trees, I try to name them. I look at people in the street, how they walk, the expression on their faces, at the diversity of God’s beauty all around me. The blue sky, the clouds. I breath and I see how much of a wonderful world God has created and I am part of it still. It’s a form of full awareness meditation. It never fails to put me back on track and back to work.
This work requires so much mental and emotional energy. How do you refuel and rest ?
Besides meditation (not enough of it) I pray (not often enough). I am learning to pray non formally, just by breathing, just by “being”. I go for walks; I do yoga as often as I can although it’s not yet a real discipline for me. I watch a lot of soccer on tv (too much). I go to concerts, and art exhibitions (even in the hardest of kidnapping times). I try to travel out of the country as much as I can to get out of the craziness at every opportunity. I love old metal pieces, so I accumulate junk metal in my home and in my yard. I promised myself to make metal sculptures out of them but have not gotten round to it yet. I also very much try to keep contact with my family which is dispersed in the States and in Europe.
As someone making a direct impact on the country, what encouragement would you give people who feel hopeless about Haiti right now?
You must focus on your circle of influence and not on your circle of concern. You must look at the small victories around you. You will be surprised at how you are influencing things and people in ever larger circles. Take a step back and enjoy the people. Those you have impacted and those impacted by others. Both the “good” and the “bad”. People are key to Haiti. Getting them to work as a team regardless of color, social background, ethnic origin, economic status, cultural and spiritual anchoring is, for me the goal. When you look at English soccer teams sometime there is only one Englishman in the team, all the other players come from diverse nationalities, yet they play as a team. That is how the Haitians should be playing also. They can’t even see that need yet. There is “work” to be done to get there.
You must also understand the root causes of why Haiti is the way it is and have a clear vision of how to contribute to change. You need to understand the effects of slavery and colonial trauma. The transmission of trauma and colonial heritage. For that you must get away from the ersatz of cheap journalism or books written by former marine corps colonels or French colonists and their spiritual descendants. Haiti is a very deep and complex country but once you come to understand what is going on you can get to work and have deep purpose and hope in your life in Haiti.
we are more than grateful to louis henry for taking the time to pour his heart and knowledge out. we hope you finish reading this feeling inspired and empowered to make a difference in your community. do not forget to check out lakou lapè on all platforms where they are present and encourage how you can.
Introducing… The VALÈ SERIES
What comes to your mind when we talk about Value ? In the practical sense of the word, to value something means to cherish it and to acknowledge its importance. We can recognize the beauty in something but not cherish it enough…not give it the respect it deserves. Many of us Haitians feel like this when it comes to our heritage. Whether we talk about our food, our art, our people or our language, we cannot help but feel like many things in Haïti are treasures many cannot seem to see. Could it be that the reason for this is that we do not Value them enough?
The series Valè aims to do just that: Diving into different aspects that we love most about Haitian culture. The people, the history, the oral traditions that make up valè nou.
We had the chance to collaborate with Anne-Marjorie René, an audio-visual storyteller who is dedicated to promoting Haïti through her creations. Let’s read more about what she has to say has she explains why she values small Haitian businesses so much.
PART 1: Valuing Haitian Entrepreneurs
I am Anne Marjorie René, a creative entrepreneur and visual storyteller. I was born and raised in Port-au-Prince but I am a country girl at heart. I come from a lineage of machanns and artisans and I am passionate about storytelling, community building and economic development.
Haitian Valè for me is a combination of things that make our essence. Part of our heritage and identity that we thoughtfully pass down from a generation to another. I value so many things about our culture and the way we function as people. I love how small business owners like to include God’s names and attributes in their business’s names, I love how the traveling street vendors make entertaining songs that they sing out loud to market their products, I love how content most of us are, it is beautiful to see how happy and resourceful we can be with so little while cultivating generosity .
I love to serve my community with my gifts, being able to connect people while creating opportunities for them. I am humbled to tell their stories to the world, to shine light on our true colors and show our bright side.
I believe that entrepreneurship is one of the key tools to foster economic development. Our community revolves around enterprises that meet almost all of our needs and give us the solutions to our problems. Leveraging entrepreneurship will make our community economically viable and it potentially bring stability. Entrepreneurship can easily take Haiti from aid to trade.
I grew up around so many entrepreneurs who impacted my life in a special way.
Frantz Jean-Ba is an artist I met a few years ago at place Saint-Pierre; he makes beautiful paintings that move me. He also has a stand where he sells arts and crafts for other artisans who cannot afford to have their own stand. It’s one of my favorite places to shop for unique gifts. We see each other from time to time and I stop by just to say hi even when I am not buying. Fritzner and Miguelito are my flower pratiks ,they are always one call away and they make me the most beautiful bouquets for me and my loves ones.
Antoinette is a vegetables machann that I have known since forever; she used to be my father’s favorite “Pratik” and now she is mine. I admire her perseverance and courage. One thing I’ve learned about her is that “Will is power “she likes to say “Depi w vle ou kapab” . She had to start over with her business multiple times because she is a single mother who could not afford to let her family down. Now that her kids are older they turned her vegetables basket into a family business.
I am intentional about buying local because I want my money to recirculate and in my community, the small business owners are less likely to leave to go somewhere else . It brings me joy when I am able to encourage local prosperity. At my local market I get to pick my fresh food and I know where it comes from. I am a sucker for handmade things and crafts, buying from my local artisans help them to stay and guarantee their ability to provide for their families.
Click here to watch Anne-Marjorie’s video for the Valè Series honoring Haitian small business owners.
To see more of Anne-Marjorie’s work, you can follow along on instagram- @annmarj0rie
An update from Haiti
Hey friends!
Thanks for taking the time to be in this space and support us in the way that you do. I’ve wanted to send an update for a while, but it’s been hard to put words to all the feelings of the situation that continues to cause so much pain and fear in Haiti.
For many it seems the news on July 7th of the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse was a huge shock. I was reading so many headlines in the international news and across social media as if this was a heartbreaking tragedy that was out of the blue. I want to acknowledge the pain and trauma that the former President’s family is experiencing- no one should have to live through that. And simultaneously must say that hundreds of families in Haiti, particularly in Port au Prince- in Village de Dieu, in Martissant, in Delmas 32, know this pain and trauma all too well as it has become the norm of day to day life since 2018, but particularly this year.
Leading up to July 7th, we had experienced on-going peyi lock since the summer of 2018. We had experienced a 200% increase in kidnappings; leaving the house with an uncertainty if you would return became the new norm. We saw the remaining infrastructure of a democracy crumble as the current regime laid a path towards dictatorship. We saw already hurting businesses (ours included) take a devastating hit as the currency was so drastically manipulated last fall. We heard violent threats that were acted out from gang leaders as they expanded their control in many areas. We saw innocent lives such as Evelyne Sincere tragically taken from this earth as kidnappings with no consequence became the norm. We mourn the lives of truth seekers such activist Netty Duclaire and journalist Diego Charles who were not afraid to speak out against the corruption. The physical threat of people speaking out in Haiti is all too real- that’s where we are today.
This all needs to be acknowledged because July 7th was not an isolated event- it was the pot boiling over that has been on the edge for a while.
What I’ve expressed above does not at all encompass the layers of political and international transgressions that contributed to the state of Haiti today, but it does give you an honest sense of what’s been happening in our world.
This space, Haiti Design Co, is meant to be one that uplifts and elevates the beauty and talent of Haiti. Sometimes we have to find a balance between doing that and being honest with what’s going on. Over the years in the wake of a natural disaster or political turmoil we have directed people in this space to buy Haitian made products or donate to a specific project of impact in Haiti. And with a heavy sigh, here we are again. How many more of those messages can we share? It’s all been said.
We try our best to stay focused on what we CAN do- creating jobs, holistic employee support, business start up, promoting Haitian made. Yet…. Many times lately it feels futile.
There is so much around us that can make us feel as if we are drowning- so much uncertainty and elements out of our control. But what I know to be true, to be real- is the impact in our little community from these jobs created. I know there’s a lot we can’t fix, but there is a whole lot of good when we focus on what we can fix.
There continue to be light carriers along the way- local business owners who refuse to give up. Those warriors pressing on against all odds- building, growing, and investing in Haiti based businesses and services. Those who refused to let their joy and vision be stolen from the situation and push forward to invest in the impact they can have around them. And also the customers- you amazing beings showing up to support Haiti made and keeping us working during these dark days.
So today I want to thank those heros (well mostly Sheros really). Thank you for giving us inspiration.
Ou pa janm te bag vag 🖤
Below I’m going to link some of my favorite local Haitian-made businesses that I encourage you to support! Another big support to us would be you joining HDC Fam, our monthly contributors that support our holistic employee programs. You can donate once or join HDC Fam below.
Keep carrying the light forward friends! Pa lage!
-Chandler
Co-founder of HDC
Haiti-Made Brands We Love
Pascale Theard: Leather goods, sandals, home decor
TiSakSuk: Hand painted apparel
Deux Mains: Sandals, handbags, jewelrys
2nd Story Goods: Jewelry, homewares, accessories
Atelier Calla: Horn & Wood Jewelry
Onaturell: Natural skin & hair care products and services
Caribbean Craft: Hand crafted home decor
Avanti Coffee: Craft roasted, Haiti grown coffee
Gift of Hope: Jewelry & accessories
Rosie’s Boutique: Gifts, jewelry, accessories
Haiti Mama: Jewelry, accessories, subscription box