Key West The Newspaper

by Jeane LaRance…..

I left off last time saying I had barely touched the surface of Haitian life and culture. I could write on this topic for a very long time but my student’s images show much more than I could ever say. Haitian people are proud that’s for sure, no matter where they are on the social ladder. Their culture is strong and very beautiful, this is one of the reasons I return time after time and this is what I hope to convey in my essays as well as in my photography.

I found Edmonde and Eusau Laguerre, a Haitian couple, on the Internet. They teach Creole via Skype, and they are passionate when it comes to teaching non-Haitians about their colorful culture and language. Here is a quote by them, which I find to be so appropriate; “Our hope is that one-day you would learn first hand of the beauty of Haiti that endures to this day—that of its culture and of its people.” I am always surprised when I find information that has the power to squeeze every ounce of doubt from my heart giving me the freedom to express myself about their culture. I think of my first flight to Haiti with the Association Haitienne de Développement Humain, Inc. (AHDH), and Dr. René, co-founder, warning me about the people in Haiti, he said; “The people, they will steal your heart.” He was right. But unlike most people it was not the babies and little children that first captured my heart, it was the elders and how much they reminded me of my own family, the ones I barely remember or saw only in old faded photographs.

Many of the little children I met back then are now young adults and some of them are my students or have already studied with us and moved on with their lives. Some will go to Port au Prince to college, some will stay in LaVallée and a few will move away from Haiti.

I’ve met many people who do not like leaving LaVallée and never will. I remember a time arriving at the Hotel Cap LaMondou in Jacmel, and inviting our drivers, who drove us down from the mountains for R&R, to sit and have a cool drink and some food with us. But without hesitation they said, “No, we just want to go back to LaVallée!” I asked them why they were in a hurry and the one who spoke English said LaValléens don’t like to leave the mountains where the air is fresh and its cool and quiet, not noisy and dusty and hot like Jacmel. So we gave them each a bottle of water and a sandwich and they quickly left. I see this in those far-flung villages in the mountains of LaVallée within the people a strong love for each other and their country and culture and they will do anything to keep it. I admire their resilience, courage and strength.

There were a lot of changes after the earthquake in 2010; some were good and some I think were not so good. For a very long time I was one of the only photographers there and I treated everyone with respect. If they did not want their picture taken I would thank them and move on. After the earthquake Haiti was swarming with media. There were large groups of people coming to Haiti, more than ever before, and they all had cameras! By the end of 2010, people in LaVallée were camera shy and when they saw a camera they quickly turned away or they expected to be paid. So I had to be patient and wait hoping things would settle down. In the meantime my students were photographing everything they could! They finally understood the importance of documenting their families and grandparents and life events! So the students are the ones to show their culture and with the ability to catch the beauty of the moment with family, friends and neighbors in their villages.

I have so loved teaching photography in rural Haiti where life seems so innocent. The things we take for granted here in the US are so precious and we don’t even know it. One day the students and I got so caught up in the beauty of the evening, when the shadows are long and the light is so beautiful, that I didn’t realize the sun would soon be setting and some of the students had miles to walk home in the dark! I was trying to keep the tears back and apologizing, I had no flashlights for them but they started to laugh saying; “Do not worry Madame, we are Haitian, we can see in the dark!” I have learned so much from these young people, we laugh about it and they say, “Who is the professor here?” So you can see why I love my time in Haiti with them.

I will leave you with this and begin the next essay with more about life and culture in LaVallée and images by the young photographers.

In the meantime you can see more of our images on my blog; JLaRance.wordpress.com

 

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All images are property of the photographer, Jeane LaRance and may not be copied or used without permission. More of her work can be viewed on her website.

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To see other parts in this series click here.