Children across Haiti's capital are playing drums, bass guitar and piano to drown out the...
Associated PressWoodberson Seide puts his drums away after a practice session at the Plezi Mizik Composition Futures School in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023. Woodberson Seide took his first lesson two years ago as part of the after-school music program founded in 2014 by U.S. nonprofit Music Heals International.Students take a guitar lesson with Hebert Michel at Plezi Mizik Composition Futures School in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023.
To many, Haiti feels hopeless. Children are mostly kept indoors for safety. Their parents worry about gangs recruiting children as young as 8. “It’s very rare ... that you can provide a little bit of peace in such craziness, such a hellish landscape,” said Ann Lee, CEO and co-founder of, a California nonprofit organization that sponsors the program.
Gangs are estimated to control up to 80% of Port-au-Prince and fight over territory daily, with more than 2,400 people reported killed this year. Rapes and kidnappings also have spiked. Families are reluctant to send their children to school, let alone allow them to play outdoors.Woodberson and his family once lived in Canaan, a makeshift community established on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince by people who survived the devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck in 2010.
“God never lets us go a day without food,” she said.On a recent weekday afternoon, Woodberson stood up to play a compas song on the drums. He grabbed the cymbal with his left hand, struck a syncopated beat with his right, stuck out his tongue and rocked to the rhythm while playing. “When I am playing the piano, I release a vibe that I did not know I have in me,” said Ester Ceus, 17. “It makes me feel relaxed.”Students in the program are allowed to choose any instrument. Available are 90 guitars, 62 keyboards, 24 bass guitars, 15 maracas, five ukeleles, two tambourines and a couple of cowbells.
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