Overview:
The Comédie Sans Frontières d’Haïti (COSAFH) celebrated 33 years of creative ardour and cultural excellence on Feb. 15, 2025, with a theatrical recital at Resort El Rancho in Pétion-Ville. The occasion featured a stirring efficiency of Souvenirs & Dialogues, a poetic work by Haitian author Béleck Georges. Mixing theater, poetry and music, the play explored themes of affection, nostalgia and human relationships.
By Aljany Narcius
PORT-AU-PRINCE — The theater firm Comédie Sans Frontières d’Haïti (COSAFH) celebrated its thirty third anniversary with an evening of creative brilliance at Resort El Rancho in Pétion-Ville. Marking the event, COSAFH—famend for its dedication to Haitian storytelling—introduced Souvenirs & Dialogues, a poetic work by author Béleck Georges, to life earlier than a captivated viewers.
Lots of of spectators, together with college students, writers, poets, actors, filmmakers, and cultural figures, gathered to witness the shifting efficiency. First staged in 2000, the play explores love, nostalgia, and human relationships by way of a seamless mix of poetry, music, and theater.
“Theater transcends borders and profoundly touches the human soul,” stated Béleck Georges, founder and creative director of COSAFH. A journalist, creator, and playwright, Georges can be the communications director of the general public arts college, École Nationale des Arts, higher generally known as ENARTS.
An evening of artistry and emotion
From the second the curtain rose on Feb. 15, the viewers was transported. A younger violinist performed a haunting melody as a singer’s voice stuffed the room, evoking nostalgia and intimacy.
The younger violinist launched the viewers to a world of candy melancholy whereas a girl with regal grace sang an previous music. The haunting melody and the tender, wistful notes evoked recollections of childhood lullabies, ancestral tales, and a time when life felt extra unadorned and intimate.
“The second was suspended,” stated spectator Kerby Lemoine. “The younger violinist’s entrance created an incomparable magic, an virtually sacred silence as if we had been all immersed in recollections of the previous.”
All through the play, three {couples} discover love, ardour, betrayal and longing. Nonetheless, it wasn’t simply the narrative that captivated the viewers; the efficiency was an intricate dance of poetry, motion and music, magnifying uncooked human emotion.
A deep immersion in love and struggling
One of many play’s most placing moments comes within the second act when two actors — a pair taking part in a virtuous girl and a cynical man — interact in an intense trade. On one aspect, the virtuous girl embodies hope, loyalty to values and religion in real love, whereas the cynical man, disillusioned by time and betrayal, defends a bitter and pragmatic view of human relationships.
Sharp exchanges and mounting pressure draw the viewers into the battle between idealism and disenchantment. This confrontation, amplified by a easy but highly effective staging, underscores the stark distinction between innocence and knowledge, between goals and actuality.
“The lighting results had been so highly effective, reflecting the characters’ interior conflicts. “It was as if every character mirrored our personal struggling or expectations in love.”
Actress and spectator Marie Claire Charles.
This dramatic depth is heightened by refined staging, with each element enriching the emotional duel between the 2 characters. “The lighting results had been extremely highly effective, reflecting the characters’ interior conflicts,” stated actress and viewers member Marie Claire Charles after the occasion.
By the interaction of sunshine and shadow, the scene displays the common dilemmas of the human coronary heart. “It felt as if every character echoed our personal struggling or expectations in love,” Charles added, praising the distinctive staging, which attracts the viewers into the stress between hope and disillusionment.
The viewers felt linked to the acts.
The scene between a poet and a prostitute was significantly properly obtained by the viewers. David Pierre, one of many spectators, shared how deeply it resonated with him. “There was an ideal chemistry between the subdued lighting, the background music and the actors’ gestures. It was like a dance of the soul that made us query our personal relationships,” he mirrored.
A tribute to Haitian tradition
Past its emotional depth, the play served as a tribute to Haitian tradition. Folks singers and dancers carried out between scenes, immersing the viewers in Haiti’s wealthy creative heritage. These cultural components deepened the spectators’ connection to the story and the broader world of Haitian theater.
Inventive Director Georges mirrored on the importance of the manufacturing: “Souvenirs & Dialogues on stage isn’t just a play—it’s a journey by way of our historical past, our tradition, our wounds, and our hopes,” he stated. “It displays our collective journey and our love for artwork. It’s a celebration of life and every part it encompasses.”
Every scene of Souvenirs & Dialogues pays homage to Haitian tradition by way of symbolic components and references to the nation’s traditions. The dialogue, infused with poetry, displays the depth of Haitian literature, whereas the costumes and set designs evoke iconic historic durations and places. Some scenes incorporate conventional ceremonies and rhythmic performances, t transporting the viewers to the guts of Haiti’s spirit.
By weaving collectively music, dance and theater, the play turns into a vibrant portrayal of Haitian identification, celebrating each its heritage and dedication.
A standing ovation for an evening to recollect
The viewers responded with enthusiasm, applauding the actors’ performances. Because the occasion concluded, many described the night as enchanting and unforgettable, praising the heartfelt performances and highly effective dialogue.
The actors delivered performances of uncommon depth, their phrases and gestures imbued with deep emotion. One line, spoken by the poet, resonated profoundly:
“I’ve lengthy wept for the love you by no means gave me. But I cherished these tears. And I nonetheless love them. For they’re the fruit of a deep and honest love.”
“The dialogues had been a real catharsis,” stated Marie-Louise Joseph, a visibly moved spectator. “Every line echoed the questions all of us ask ourselves about love and the sacrifices it calls for.”
“Tonight, we not solely have fun 33 years of theatrical dedication but additionally the power of affection and artwork that unites us.”
Béleck Georges, creative director of Comédie Sans Frontières
As the ultimate scene pale, the viewers erupted in applause, giving the performers a well-deserved standing ovation.
With this outstanding anniversary efficiency, COSAFH reaffirmed its place in Haitian theater, as soon as once more demonstrating that artwork—whether or not by way of poetry, music, or drama—has the ability to honor the previous and illuminate the long run.
For greater than three a long time, the cultural group has been dedicated to creative excellence and the preservation of Haitian heritage. Georges acknowledged that COSAFH has demonstrated its mission by showcasing Haitian theater and bringing folks’s tales, struggles and goals to life on stage.
“Tonight, we not solely have fun 33 years of theatrical dedication but additionally the power of affection and artwork that unites us,” Georges stated, his voice stuffed with gratitude. “Every efficiency like this reminds us that artwork has the extraordinary energy to transcend, join and contact us on the deepest degree of our being.”