Overview:
Katizana is a inventive initiative launched by two inmates in Haiti’s central Port-au-Prince jail to enhance the residing situations of detainees by the sale of hand-drawn playing cards, elevating funds. Supported by volunteers and organizations like IMPACT-E, the venture has expanded to a number of prisons, providing prisoners a way of goal, coaching and primary requirements amid extreme overcrowding and insecurity. Regardless of latest setbacks attributable to gang violence and assaults on prisons, Katizana’s leaders stay hopeful and proceed their efforts, emphasizing the pressing want for monetary help to maintain and develop their impactful work.
PORT-AU-PRINCE — Joosnel Trézil and Ebens Edzer St-Ford, two inmates at Haiti’s Nationwide Penitentiary— the central civil jail in Port-au-Prince—started drawing of their cells as a option to endure the tough situations of incarceration. In 2017, they based Katizana, an artwork initiative designed to showcase inmate-made creativity by creating illustrated playing cards that may, in flip, generate donations to enhance their residing situations in jail.
Launched in March 2017 underneath the label “Talan Prizonye” or “Prisoners’ Expertise,” the venture grew to become “Katizana” in June — a fusion of two Haitian creole phrases: Kat and Atizana for Playing cards and Crafts— as a result of the prisoners have been utilizing their arms to work, aiming to be higher accepted by society with out discrimination.
“They produced a collection of gorgeous illustrated playing cards to show locally, due to a gaggle of younger individuals who fashioned a promotional committee for that goal,” Cassandrine Destima, a number one member, advised The Haitian Occasions.
The workshop, initiated by Trézil and St-Ford contained in the Port-au-Prince essential detention middle, provided inmates a option to categorical themselves artistically and earn a modest revenue. Their work grew to become a survival automobile—offering hygiene merchandise, meals and authorized assist. Immediately, playing cards from Katizana are offered in a number of supermarkets within the Port-au-Prince metropolitan space, comparable to Delimart, Ok-Naval Market and Caleb Grocery store, with costs starting from roughly $1.15 to $1.88 USD.
Even inmates with modest drawing expertise discovered a way of freedom by creating their art work with out nervousness, hoping for constructive suggestions from exhibitions so they might proceed to satisfy their primary wants whereas incarcerated in appalling situations.
“It’s by this venture that one of many founders was capable of regain his freedom, together with 4 others,” Destima stated.
“With the donations raised from promoting the playing cards, they have been capable of rent a lawyer and get a court docket date. A few of them had already spent between seven and 9—even 13 years in jail—with out ever being tried,” she lamented.
One of many two founders was launched in February 2023 after 9 years in detention. The second founder, who spent 12 years in jail, lower all ties with Katizana— now an official group— after escaping from jail in March 2024 in the course of the gang-led Port-au-Prince jailbreak. Different workshop members who grew to become fugitives after escaping from jail in the course of the collection of assaults additionally severed their relations with the group.
“For the reason that collection of jail breaks, we merely haven’t heard any information about them,” stated Richard Trézil, Human Sources Supervisor. “This has slowed down civil society’s efforts to help Katizana’s actions.”
A promotional committee brings the playing cards to the general public
In 2018, a gaggle of volunteers responded to a written invitation from the inmates and fashioned the Katizana promotional committee. Their mission: exhibit and promote the playing cards, ship coaching and supply sizzling meals when doable.
Destima, a photographer and medical scholar, now 27, joined the committee in 2021 and have become its cultural coordinator. “I really feel an excellent sense of delight, and I really like what I do,” stated the native of northern Haiti’s Plaisance, who grew up in Sartre, a group in Cité Soleil—a Port-au-Prince gang-controlled slum.
She stated she has by no means regretted taking part on this initiative, which presents hope and help to inmates residing in deplorable situations contained in the nation’s correctional services.
At its top, the workshop produced 40 playing cards every day, totaling 1,200 monthly. In Port-au-Prince, Katizana had about fifty prisoner artists and round twenty in Mirebalais. The committee offered supplies, together with development paper, cardboard, pencils, rulers and erasers.
Amid overcrowding and neglect, artwork presents dignity with assist from IMPACT-E
Earlier than the Viv Ansanm gang coalition attacked the Port-au-Prince and Croix-des-Bouquets prisons final 12 months, the Affiliation of Volunteers for the Reintegration of Detainees in Haiti (AVREDH) reported that the jail—designed for 800—held over 4,000 inmates.
In some 20-square-meter cells set to accommodate 20 individuals, greater than 60 individuals reside in situations with no room to lie down. In keeping with the United Nations, many detainees stay locked up 24 hours a day for safety or logistical causes. AVREDH denounces this extreme overcrowding, which restricts entry to meals, water and well being care.
On this setting, Katizana presents construction and which means. “It brings hope to individuals residing in essentially the most inhumane situations,” the group’s cultural coordinator, Destima, stated.
With help from Haitian civil society and youth advocate group IMPACT-E, Katizana launched workshops in different prisons, together with the Reintegration Middle for Minors in Battle with the Regulation (CERMICOL), a juvenile detention middle, and the Mirebalais jail.
In 2023, Katizana received $2,500 by the JEN ANTREPRENE program, a youth entrepreneurship competitors organized by IMPACT-E. The group helps over 100 youth with coaching in management and group service.
Following Katizana’s success, the organizers launched the third version of the nationwide contest “JEN ANTREPRENE” to help younger individuals working in marginalized and hard-to-reach communities. This 12 months, they introduced funding of roughly $2,310 to help high-impact startups, with every venture receiving round $770.
“Regardless of main challenges, this venture will proceed to develop with the help of organizations like IMPACT-E,” Destima rejoiced.
“Katizana promotes creativity, tradition and financial empowerment—particularly amongst younger girls,” IMPACT-E organizers advised The Haitian Occasions.
Setbacks amid insecurity—however hope endures
Regardless of its progress, Katizana has been severely affected by Haiti’s rising insecurity. The destruction of the Port-au-Prince workshop throughout jail breaks in 2024 represented a serious setback. Ongoing insecurity has made it not possible to broaden their actions to different detention facilities. The assault on the Mirebalais jail in March 2025 has additional undermined Katizana’s progress.
For the reason that jail break, CERMICOL—initially constructed as a detention middle for minors—has change into practically the one operational detention middle within the capital. It now holds detainees of all ages and genders: minors, grownup women and men, in addition to aged people in battle with the legislation.
In keeping with a September 2024 report by the Nationwide Human Rights Protection Community (RNDDH), the middle— designed to carry 100 minors—is severely overcrowded, with about 370 detainees.
The CERMICOL courtyards, as soon as reserved for kids’s leisure actions, are actually utilized by girls for laundry. A number of academic areas have additionally been was dormitories for males, depriving younger detainees of a significant setting for his or her rehabilitation
“In 2025, Katizana goes by a really troublesome interval as a result of stage of insecurity,” stated Destima. “We will’t exhibit the playing cards created by detainees, which is how we accumulate donations to help them.”
Nonetheless, the staff persists. They’ve introduced a coaching on youngster psychology for August and a Human Rights Day occasion in December to ship meals, hygiene kits and medical help to 500 prisoners.
“To maintain these actions going, we urgently want monetary help,” Katizana’s cultural coordinator pleaded.
“The venture is dependent upon the revenue generated from promoting the playing cards, that are nonetheless out there in a number of supermarkets throughout the capital.”