UNESCO Showcases Results of Artistic Creation Support Project in Pétion-ville

The UNESCO Office in Haiti held a restitution evening at the Hôtel Royal Oasis in Pétion-ville to present the results of its artistic creation support project, funded by UNESCO's Heritage Emergency Fund, according to icihaiti.com. The event drew representatives of the Haitian government, UN agency heads, the Resident Coordinator and cultural-sector partners, and featured performances in theater, music, song and dance by the project's beneficiaries. Organizers reported that the initiative supported five cultural projects, reached nearly 100 direct beneficiaries, trained 50 cultural actors and structured six cultural projects. Eric Voli Bi, UNESCO's representative in Haiti, urged national and international partners to continue investing in the cultural sector, saying culture is "not a luxury for times of peace" but "the cement that prevents a nation from collapsing." UN Resident Coordinator Nicole Boni Kouassi said culture should never be treated as secondary, particularly in Haiti, calling it essential to social cohesion and collective resilience. Culture Minister Emmanuel Ménard said the Haitian state had maintained funding envelopes for cultural projects despite the crisis, and announced the opening in Port-au-Prince of the country's first Maison de la culture, with a permanent sales exhibition for artists and artisans, notably those in the cut-iron craft of Croix-des-Bouquets.