partying Port-au-Prince style

Today is Madi Gras - the last (and biggest) night of Carnival celebrations in Port-au-Prince and across the world in cultures with strong Catholic influence. I've promised myself that I will sit tonight's celebrations out in order to catch up on work before the clinic reopens on Thursday. I managed to come down with a really bad cold/cough just before this crazy weekend began and I'm sure that my lack of solid sleep is why it continues to linger. I'm a bit disappointed though - for better or for worse I really enjoy being part of the sounds and energy of the Carnival party.

Carnival definitely has its pros and cons. It's a true celebrations of Haiti's music, food, and arts culture. So much of the discussion about Haiti - both internally and externally - is negative. Haitian society is very segregated by economics, politics and religion. Yet at Carnival time everyone is rubbing shoulders (or at least coming much closer to it) - singing and dancing to the same Kreyol music. It's incredibly impressive to see how people come together to pull off the festivities - from building the stands to coordinating the parades to selling street food everywhere. Carnvial time one of the only periods of the year when I feel free to walk the streets of Port-au-Prince after dark.

On the con side, Carnival is definitely about excess - and in a country with such glaring poverty the contrast is particularly jarring. You inevitably begin to question why the same sort of investment of financial resources and human capital isn't evident when it comes to meeting people's basic needs for food, shelter, employment and education during the 362 other days of the year. We see the birth rate in our clinic double to triple 9 months after the Carnival season - and the HIV transmission rate likely peaks too. There is a lot of drinking that leads to a lot of fighting in the street crowds.

I know many Protestants in Haiti refuse to participate in Carnival. Many others opt out of the street party for other reasons. I'm sure that in a different season of life I might stay away too. For now though you can check out my photos and video from the last two nights of festivities here. The Boston Globe has some impressive photos from Carnival celebrations across the globe here. (Look for the whiter faces on the stand in the upper right hand corner of the photo from Jacmel, Haiti - that's my neighbors!) Bon Kanaval!