EchodHaiti.com: Culture:DC Carnival 2002

Celebrating 200 Years of Freedom

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Play: "Gouverneurs de la Rosée"

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Identity: Haitian or Haitian-American

DC Caribbean Carnival

DC Carnival 2002
Men Ayisyen yo!

(Picture gallery)

"Where are you from?" she asked softly with a smile, as the group of people, dressed in red and blue, waved their red and blue flags, and danced to that unfamiliar rhythm.
"We're from Haiti," we said proudly.

The Washington DC Caribbean Carnival celebrated its 10th anniversary this year. Normally, the event is a Trinidadian and Guyanese affair, but for the past few years the Haitians have made significant progress to be noticed and invited to participate. This year, with the help of Jean-Claude Verdieu and the Washington Carnival Haitian Participation (WACAHAPA) organization, the Haitian community had its best showing ever.

The Trinidadians and Guyaneses were as energetic and colorful as ever. With many trucks followed by groups of men and women dressed in extremely colorful costumes, fiery reds, bright yellows, deep blues, hot orange. They wore feathers, sometimes little else, and their dark skins radiated in the hot Summer sun. Soca music, rhythmic and electrifying, blared from the trucks as well as the stores that line Georgia Avenue. But, coming down the avenue was a different group of people and a different rhythm.

A sea of Haitians dressed in red and blue, waving flags of red and blue, were dancing in the streets to the live sound of Koudjay's "Nap tan-n yo." More Haitians participated than ever before. They came from Washington DC, Silver Spring, Maryland, Columbia, Maryland, Lanham, Maryland, Langley Park, Maryland, Hyattsville, Maryland, and even as far as Virginia to show solidarity. The vendors were sold out of Haitian flags, head scarves, even Haitian flag purses. Unlike the previous years, there were no discount on the Haitian products.

On the side of Georgia Avenue, on the patio of Dr. Prouyes' office, DJ Woolado and his crew of DJ's from Columbia, Maryland, blared out Haitian music as proudly as the Soca and the Reggae were being played by the stores next door. As the Haitian truck stopped in front of the Dr.'s office the crowd went wild with cheers and dances, waving their colors and showing a lot of carnival spirit. Probably the best moment of the DC Caribbean Carnival.

In Washington DC, it will take years to get to the level of participation of the Trinidadians and Guyaneses, or Haitian participation in New York and Miami carnivals, but we are coming along and our community is getting recognized. With help from the community, WACAHAPA can organize even better events and raise more funds for 2003 and definitely for 2004. As the carnival wind down, a group of Trinidadians yelled, "Sak Passe?!"

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