Carnival of Flower

The sights to be seen at the Carnival of Flowers included the street theater pieces, which consisted of the parading of the body of Jean-Jacques Dessalines, convincingly played by an actor, through the streets of Port-au-Prince. There was also the sight of the many, varying colorful costumes, worn by dancers who shimmied along to the vibrant rhythm of the musicians playing lively Haitian beats. Also a spectacle of its own kind, were the protestors who set out to criticize the President's decision to hold the carnival this year.

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Good Demen Haiti (GDH) is an arts organization dedicated to improving the lives of at-risk youth. Its activity is creation of personal, household, and business products made from recycled plastic.

This year GDH is making costumes and accessories for the Carnival of Flowers. House artist, Gumo Lormeus, will instruct how to create flowers from recycled plastic bottles in a five-step process.

GDH's purpose is to keep at-risk youth off the streets of Port-au-Prince and teach them life skills.

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Good Demen Haiti (GDH), established in 2004, is a program for at-risk youth. A volunteer arts organization, it seeks to keep kids off the streets.

Artist Gumo Lormeus teaches the teens how to create art objects from recyclables. This year they will make costumes for the Carnival of Flowers, using plastic bottles. The order from the Ministry of Tourism is for 400 whistles, 200 dresses, and 200 hats. GDH also produces products for public and private consumption.

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The Ministry of Tourism (MOT) has contracted with volunteer group, Good Demen Haiti (GDH), to provide Carnival costumes for 2013. The members, at-risk youth, design and assemble dresses, hats, and accessories from recycled plastic bottles.

Group leader, Gumo Lormeus, teaches how to deconstruct plastic bottles and create plastic flowers in a five-step process.

MOT has put in an order for 400 whistles and 200-each hats and dresses, to be made from plastic materials.

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Carnival of Flower 2013. Though security at the 2013 Carnival of Flowers was tight, with more than half of the nation's police (60%) being in attendance to keep the peace. The heavily criticized Carnival, so put to question for everything from its cost to the day it commenced, July 28, the same day in 1915 when Haiti's occupation by the US began, was the idea of President Michel Martelly, who had hosted the mid-year festival in his former life as a singer.

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From a report issued by Michaelange Gédéon, the West region's director of police, thirty-something year old, Jean Noel Cerisier, a patron of the Carnival of Flowers, died on the first day of festivities after he was crushed by a float from which he had fallen. The musical group, Ambiance was playing on the float from which the young man fell.

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The second annual Carnival des Fleurs or Carnival of Flowers was staged from Sunday, July 28, through Monday, July 29 and finally culminated on Tuesday the 29th of July. During the three days of festivities, the streets of downtown Port-au-Prince were awash with party-goers who were having too much of a good time to even allow the rain to stop them. Women, adorned in fine feathers, laces, glitter and brightly colored makeup danced along with men in everything from regular clothes to costumes as gaily flourished as their female partners.

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The Carnival of Flowers 2013 could have been nicknamed the Carnival of Injuries. Illnesses, liquor and bad choices that led to altercations, saw a reported 800 or so people being injured, including four children, during the three day span of activities marking the 2nd annual Carnival since its revival, with one fatality tarnishing the festivities after a man, said to be in his thirties, fell off a float and was fatally injured.

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Government of Haiti (GOH) is hosting the 2013 Carnival of Flowers (COF) in Port-au-Prince and other locales for three days.

Naysayers complain COF will not make a profit because vendors cheat the tax collector and out-of-state performers spend their money elsewhere.

GOH contends COF will create jobs and lift hopes of Haitians dashed by 2010's earthquake. GOH will subsidize COF at $1.6 million USD. Ministry of Culture says COF is an opportunity to display floral species that are part of Les Cayes Botanical Garden.

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President Martelly wants to highlight Haiti's reforestation program, "Year of the Environment" by using the theme for 2013's Carnival of Flowers (COF). It will serve a dual function: to raise consciousness of ordinary citizens of how important greening Haiti is to its infrastructure, and connect it to nationalist pride Haitians feel during this celebration.

COF will display a myriad of floral species on its floats and costumes, to the delight of parade-goers.

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