Port-au-Prince, September 2, 2025.- The Art Center provided the Office of the Organization of American States (OAS) with an alarming review of the situation of artists in neighbourhoods affected by insecurity. Almost 70% have lost their workspace, more than 80% have no secure place to create. Invited to Panel Magic on September 2, the executive director Allenby Augustin detailed the dramatic consequences of the crisis and advocated for lasting support.
During the opening of the exhibition « Create despite everything: art to repair ties », the Art Center presented the results of a survey conducted in 2025 under the project « Ann Kwape All Fòm Vyolans avèk Lakilti ». The study, carried out with nearly 200 artists and artisans from the communities of Bel-Air, Grand-Rue, Noailles and Carrefour-Feuilles, reveals a worrying observation:
66.9% of artists had to leave their workspace;
68.5% reported losing equipment;
82% do not have a secure place to create;
65.2% consider insecurity and the political crisis as the main obstacles to their activity.
At the microphone of Panel Magic, Allenby Augustin denounced a "cultural asphyxiation" that pushes creators to exercise in precarious conditions, at the cost of their safety and sometimes their mental health.
The artists interviewed call for:
direct financial support (creating funds, microcredit);
access to resources and the market, including via stable digital platforms and distribution channels;
as well as secure and equipped spaces to work.
Beyond the emergency, the Art Center calls for long-term support: continuous training, administrative support and structuring of activities. For Augustine, this is an essential condition for the survival of artistic communities and the reconstruction of the social fabric in a country torn by violence.
W.A.
