Theater classes for gang-displaced Haitian children living in refugee camps

PORT-AU-PRINCE — Christelle Joassaint, a 12-year-old girl and beneficiary of the innovative Teyat Kwape Vyolans (Curbing Violence Theater) project run by the Haiti Theater Intervention Brigade (BIT-Haiti), now lives in a camp for people displaced by violence, far from her home and school. Like other victims of gang violence, her life and that of her parents have been disrupted. They are currently staying in shelters not designed for long-term habitation. These children, deprived of leisure, must adapt to their new environment.

The BIT-Haiti project provides children with adaptive training to help them cope emotionally and physically with the effects of gang violence. The organization, founded in 2011, offers acting workshops to children living in two makeshift camps for those displaced by violence through its Teyat Kwape Vyolans program. These workshops entertain the children, encourage critical thinking, foster social connections and instill hope amid Haiti’s multidimensional crisis, which includes significant acts of gang violence affecting children’s mental health.

To initiate the program, 11 teenagers were selected to participate intensively in 10 days of training and theatrical activities led by renowned Haitian actresses Stephanie François and Jenny Cadet.

Christelle eagerly participated. She was thrilled to meet other children and make friends. “This program helped me learn how to express myself and behave in society,” she said.

From May 14 to 24, these children learned to express themselves using their body parts and emotions. BIT-Haiti is committed to encouraging resilience in these traumatized children through the project. “Choosing theater with this objective is one of the best ways for these displaced children to be heard and to express their reality,” Angy Desravines, the project’s communications manager, told The Haitian Times.

“It is, therefore, urgent to implement artistic and cultural initiatives to restore hope and promote resilience among these adolescents,” Desravines said. “Adolescents are particularly affected by this [escalating gang violence], as they are at an age where they need entertainment and leisure,” she adds.

The initiative currently reaches displaced children in refugee camps at Lycée Marie Jeanne, a public high school, and Ecole Nationale Colbert Lochard, a public elementary school. The beneficiaries, both boys and girls, are aged 12 to 16 and may or may not be enrolled in school.

The “Teyat Kwape Vyolans” initiative has been supported by Haiti’s Ministry of Culture and Communication (MCC), the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the UN Development Program (UNDP), the Commission for the Consolidation of Peace and the Tamise Cultural Association. Officials say they hope to do much more than art training to provide more comprehensive care to refugee children. 

The idea of meeting these children arose from observing the precarious conditions in which displaced people live in refugee camps, explained the BIT-Haiti officials. Besides the losses caused by violence, displaced individuals in these temporary camps lack access to drinking water, live in overcrowded conditions, face exposure to dermatological diseases, among others, and have no access to entertainment or hobbies.

Children are among the most victims of gang violence in Haiti

The situation in Haiti has become increasingly tense since the escalation of gang violence in February. Many more people have had to flee their homes due to gang attacks in their neighborhoods. More children are exposed to violence and have dropped out of school. They are deprived of entertainment activities. Living in makeshift spaces, the displaced face numerous problems that further worsen their situation.

As of January, UNICEF reported that 314,000 people were displaced by violence in Haiti, particularly in the Port-au-Prince and Artibonite areas, with over 54% (at least 170,000) being children. Between March 8 and April 9 this year, around 95,000 people, including more than 19,300 children, fled their homes in the Haitian capital, according to the Save the Children organization, which cites the latest data from the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Between January and March, at least 82 children were reported killed or injured by gang violence, a 55% increase compared to the last quarter of 2023, marking the most violent period on record for children in the country, according to a UN report.

In this climate of gang violence, children are also victims of recruitment by armed groups. Save the Children reported in a press release on May 8 that 30% to 50% of armed gangs operating in Haiti include children in their ranks. Many of these children were forced to join, while others did so voluntarily to survive.

“If permanent support in displacement camps is not prioritized and scaled up, it will create a breeding ground for gangs to lure the most vulnerable children into recruitment,” said Roberto Jules, Save the Children’s Food and Livelihood Advisor in Haiti. He has called on world leaders to help protect the most marginalized children in Haiti.

These Haitian children have big dream

The BIT-Haiti project takes shape and place in this context of gang violence and an escalating climate of insecurity. It presents an opportunity for children to externalize their aspirations to the world.

Marvenson Gervin, 13, is delighted to participate. He believes the Teyat Kwape Vyolans program will help him and other children in their daily struggles and future. Like  Christelle, Marvenson fled gang violence in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area with his family. “This project will help me, especially in how to behave and express myself in public,” says Marvenson, who aspires to become a great actor.

“I want to become a great artist like Tonton Dezirab and Tonton Bicha,” he added. Corven “Tonton Dezirab” Rosier and Daniel “Tonton Bicha” Fils-Aimé are renowned Haitian actor-comedians who have significantly impacted Haitian contemporary theater, comedy and screenplay.

On May 24, at the end of their training, the 11 teenagers staged a show for an audience primarily composed of people living in the camps. Directed by François and Cadet, the show, titled “Laviwonndede Lavi” (Life in Circles), is a plea for increased support for these adolescents, who are victims of gang violence and a lack of care from the state and other actors, explained the organizers. 

The policy for supporting gang victims often neglects children, who are particularly the most vulnerable. “We hope this marks the beginning of hope for each of them,” said Desravines.

The post Theater classes for gang-displaced Haitian children living in refugee camps appeared first on The Haitian Times.

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Theater classes for gang-displaced Haitian children living in refugee camps was first posted on May 30, 2024 at 7:30 am.