The town of Jacmel

Off the southern coast of Haiti, you’ll find the humble yet incredibly influential town of Jacmel whose impact on the history of the New World has been overlooked. From natural disasters to freedom and liberation, Kanaval Jacmel celebrates its colorful annual tradition of Carnival, capturing the essence of a phenomenal city’s inner layers. However, as we move further into the digital age, Jacmel’s cultural foundation is facing extinction.

Originally founded by the Spaniards, Haiti has become a melting pot of European cultures. They dig into Jacmel’s noteworthy role in liberating areas of South America, most notably Venezuela and Ecuador. Jacmel played a crucial role in the modernization of the Western Hemisphere, being the first city in the Caribbean with electricity. And due to its accessible location, Jacmel was a major loading point for ships heading to and from Europe, which united the two worlds. In 1896, there was a big fire that burned for 3 days across Jacmel. It destroyed nearly half of the city, but not its spirit. One of Jacmel’s Jewish residents ultimately invested in the restoration of the town. However, Jacmel’s dependence on Jewish saviors later becomes a point of contention illustrated within the Carnival’s performances.

The colorful history of Jacmel is facing extinction. Now more than ever, we need to share the beauty of Haitian history and culture during a time when the media leans into all the negative news coming out of this island nation. Many of Jacmel’s own residents are unfamiliar with the historical narratives that mosaic and contextualize Jacmal’s unique Carnival. As many of the city’s historians and elders reach the end of their lives, there is a concerning lack of younger historians taking up the mantle. Kanaval Jacmel seeks to document these influential stories for posterity by ushering a viewer through Jacmel's history via the town’s most influential citizens.