The Koute Ayiti (Listen to Haiti) caravan was created to travel to the different provinces affected by the earthquake. Aid is mainly concentrated in Port-au-Prince, and for this reason several international organizations (CDAC, the Red Cross, Oxfam, UNICEF,…), supported by the Haitian government, have put in place this itinerant project, so that no area is left out.

The caravan has toured the country from 12 July to 6 August with the goal to spread vital messages and information to support reconstruction and development. Koute Ayiti has been staged by a very experienced company named “Konesans Fanmi se Lepwa Timoun” (Family Knowledge is Children’s Hope). This theatre company has been around for many years and has repeatedly reached all corners of the country. It’s made up of teams of social workers and doctors who then provide the HIV test to whoever requests it.

The caravan concept is twofold: the day starts with a public debate, where population, government and humanitarian operators meet and discuss serious issues. Then, a show including dances, songs and comedy sketches takes over to entertain the audience. This show, as main goal, reiterates important information while entertaining. Topics covered include AIDS prevention, alcohol, family violence, etc.

This edition of the caravan project ended in Port-au-Prince, on the famous square of Champs de Mars, which has been turned into a huge tent camp right opposite the Presidential Palace. It is here that we met with them, on 6 August. All sketches are in Creole and evoke all the topics mentioned above. It should also be noted that the presenter has a crucial role: actually, after the sketch, he resumes the issues which were covered and interacts with the audience to ensure that the message gets across and is well understood by everybody!

A very good initiative, where laughs and education mix together… to be discovered here:

(We will soon translate sketches from Creole to allow a better understanding the nature of the messages. So we invite you to watch this space from time to time… and we will also inform you via our facebook page)