Zhovie theater company performs for internally displaced persons (IDP) in the camp Cineas in Port-au-Prince

The street theater Zhovie played the show "Zonbi Lage" for IDP Cineas camp Monday 10 January 2011. The play which depicts the great myths of Haitian culture, with references to voodoo in particular, recalls the earthquake of January 12, 2010. It was preceded by a choir with children from the camp which took over the repertoire of traditional songs of Haiti.

"This theater performance is very important for us to camp Cineas said Lutner Delismé, the coordinator of the camp where 18,000 people live. It reminds us what happened January 12, 2010 while allowing us to entertain a little. This play is especially significant as it is the only activity carried out on site to commemorate the first anniversary of the earthquake. "

Founded in 2004, Zhovie is a troupe of street theater with 14 actors and three percussionists. His show "Lage Zonbi" evokes the earthquake of January 12, 2010 through excerpts of texts of the Haitian writer Frankétienne, UNESCO Artist for Peace. The play reveals the voodoo divinities like Baron Samedi, master of the dead, or a character such as the zombi, enslaved undead.

Six representations have been held in IDP camps of Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas by Zhovie company following the earthquake of January 12, 2010. In addition to an essential equipment support, art and culture can indeed help Haitians to overcome the trauma they have suffered. They restore a sense of normality despite the still precarious living conditions in the camps. Art and culture are also elements of social cohesion and an important form of moral support to the displaced is estimated by UNESCO. Culture also gives a strong sense of identity and belonging, both of which are factors of recovery in difficult circumstances.

The project of "Plays in the IDP camps in Port-au-Prince" was funded by a grant from the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism (JOKB) of the Republic of Korea and organized with the support of UNESCO.

• Source:UNESCO Office in Port-au-Prince
• 11-01-2011