Fete for Foliage

Flying over Haiti reveals the unmistakable effects of deforestation. The parched earth looks like an open wound. The lack of greenery is stark in comparison to other Caribbean islands. “Haiti used to be green. But people gotta eat, they gotta cook. So they cut down the trees to make charcoal, and that’s the result of it. People need an education and an alternative. It’s a huge problem,” says Haitian musician Lucky Pierre. He will perform at Heat Wave, a monthly party to raise funds for Operation Green Leaves, a reforestation organization that has been trying to replenish Haitian flora for the past fifteen years. “We get the people involved, get them dancing. We’ll have door prizes and raffles,” adds Pierre. He plans to start the evening with some smooth jazz and then kick things into high gear with reggae, soca, and troubadou music. Performances by the always fashionable Jude Papaloko and Haitian hard-rock fusion band Rara Rock will keep the party jumping. Every first Saturday of the month this feel-good Caribbean concert takes place at 9:00 p.m. at Jakmel Art Gallery. Call 786-344-2157, or visit www.luckyp.com and www.judepapaloko.com.
First Saturday of every month, 2006