During the covid-19 pandemic, THELAR Management Group and Macaya Foundation, in partnership with New Level Group Realty hosted virtually the third annual Haitian Creative and Cultural Industries Symposium (HCCIS) on Saturday, April 24, 2021. This symposium targets Haitian students, established professional and emerging Haitian artists of all arts disciplines, non-profit arts organizations, media personalities, cultural journalists, professionals and entrepreneurs of the arts sector, government representatives and lawmakers.
The theme of the third edition was: “Arts: Engine of Social Change”. While Haitians are living one of the darkest moments of the history of their country: the nation is terrorized by an incessant political crisis, several massacres in the poorest neighborhoods of Port-au-Prince, institutionalization of the criminality and daily kidnappings; This year, the symposium addressed the role of arts to stimulate civic responsibility, civic engagement, moral and patriotic values, and short, mid and long-term solutions to guaranty the future for Haitians.
There were three sessions lead by Guerda Nicolas, PhD, psychologist, and professor at University of Miami; Roosevelt Saillant “BIC”, singer, songwriter and music producer; the international multi-awards filmmaker, Arnold Antonin; And the Communication Strategist and Community Organizer, Farah Larrieux. Participants also took part in a live survey on the state of the arts sector in Haiti; A survey provided by the CARICOM. “It is not easy to host an event online. It requires a lot of planning, a dedicated production team and appropriate procedures to guide and assist speakers and participants with the technology. Over 75 people registered for the symposium and over 50 people attended the three virtual sessions from Haiti, Canada, France and from the U.S. Beside challenges some participants had to enter the sessions, we can say the symposium was a success. Participants were happy with the level of presentations and conversations, based on the feedbacks we got”, said Farah Larrieux, producer of the symposium.
The sessions will be soon available on YouTube and social media. The organizers intend to continue building on the momentum of the symposium to stimulate strategic and creative collaborations within the Haitian creative community and the Haitian media for social changes in Haiti.
(Photo: Behind the scenes of the symposium with its organizers)
Le Floridien