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Haiti | 2023 | Painting & Slam
Painting and declaiming biodiversity
In Les Cayes, Haiti, a painter and two slam poets worked with young people to express their connection to the environment through art and to engage in biodiversity conservation.
Painting and declaiming biodiversity
A biodiversity at risk
Haiti is the poorest country in Latin America and the Caribbean, yet it is also one of the most biodiverse in the region. Its diverse ecosystems are home to many endemic animal and plant species. The flora includes between 5,000 and 6,000 species (300 orchid species, 600 fern species, 3 conifer species), of which 36% are endemic. The island also hosts nearly 2,000 animal species, with 75% found nowhere else in the world.
Southern Haiti is one of the country’s richest biodiversity zones. Its forests, coastal, and marine areas are essential to local livelihoods but are under threat from climate change, natural disasters, and human activity.
The town of Les Cayes is no exception, suffering the effects of climate change like the rest of the country. Several natural disasters have severely impacted the area, leading to the establishment of an SOS Children’s Village center.
Artist
Laid Liazid
Laid Liazid
Partners
Patrick Edouarzin, Samytha Therassant, Chouno Lamarre
Patrick Edouarzin, Samytha Therassant, Chouno Lamarre
Participants
SOS Children’s Village Les Cayes, René Rockendy, EcoloJeune, OPEDEC, Les Cayes City Hall
SOS Children’s Village Les Cayes, René Rockendy, EcoloJeune, OPEDEC, Les Cayes City Hall
Agency
AFD Haiti
AFD Haiti
Painting and declaiming
75%
of vertebrates and 36% of plants in Haiti are endemic.
2
artistic disciplines involved
In partnership with the SOS Children’s Village in Les Cayes, Metis invited painter Patrick Edouarzin and slam poets Samytha Therassant and Chouno Lamarre to explore biodiversity issues with young people from the center. Over three days, the artists and participants attended training sessions led by a biodiversity specialist.
Each artist then conducted ten creative workshops, introducing participants to writing and drawing techniques.
At the end of the program, the young people recorded their spoken word performances in a studio, expressing the urgent need to protect biodiversity. They also painted a large-scale mural on a public building, depicting endemic species of the island.
The workshops encouraged participants to rethink environmental challenges. Through sketching, drawing, and slam poetry, they developed a deeper emotional connection to these issues, gained a stronger ecological awareness, and found new ways to express their concerns.
The mayor of Les Cayes inaugurated the mural, now standing in the town’s main square as a lasting reminder of the importance of environmental conservation.
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