4th Annual Haiti Fundraiser @ FIU

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Thank you!

3rd Annual Haiti Poetry Benefit & Concert

3rd Annual Haiti Poetry Benefit & Concert

4 March  2011

18:00 - 22:00

FIU Biscayne Bay Campus - Mary Anne Wolfe Theater (WUC 100)

3000 N.E. 151st Street

North Miami, FL

Keynote Speaker: 

Angel Aloma, Executive Director 

Food for the Poor

Confirmed Poets / Artists:

Empress Addi & Rara Rock 

Jamaica Folk Review

Geoffrey Philp

Andrea Shaw

Malachi Smith

Donna Aza Weir-Soley

Garfield Ellis

Haiti Bluez

Plus OPEN MIC for all FIU students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community.

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Suggested donation of $5 at the door, includes food and beverage. 100% of all donations will provide direct relief assistance to the impoverished communities of Haiti via Food for the Poor.

Link for online donation: http://support.foodforthepoor.org/site/TR?pg=team&fr_id=1740&team_id=3290

New Book: A Lime Jewel

LONDON MEETUP GROUP RALLIES INTERNATIONAL WRITERS FOR ITS BOOK IN AID OF HAITI

London Meetup Group Publishes A Lime Jewel

Anthology of poetry and short stories in aid of Haiti

Foreword by Nii Ayikwei Parkes

Edited by Yetunde Ruban

A small London Meetup group has punched above its weight and successfully garnered international support from writers such as Nadifa Mohammed, Nii Ayikwei Parkes, Simon Murray, Ann-Margaret Lim, Christine-Jean Blain, Nash Colundalur, Kamaria Muntu, Tolu Ogunlesi, Lane Ashfeldt, Geoffrey Philp and many others to contribute materials for its soon to be published book in aid of Haiti. A Lime Jewel, an anthology of poetry and short stories in aid of Haiti will be launched on 26 October 2010 at Ty Crepe, 99 Brixton Hill, London SW2 1AA at 7.00 p.m.


BlackLondoners had been in existence for less than a year when the Haitian earthquake struck on 12 January 2010. The small unknown group promised its continued support for Haiti after the cameras were gone and boldly pledged £10,000 to the Lambi Fund of Haiti. The proceeds from the sales of A Lime Jewel will go to that pledge. Yetunde Ruban, the Editor of the anthology and founder of BlackLondoners, said: ‘A Lime Jewel is a lasting memorial to those who perished in the 12 January earthquake and a declaration of solidarity with the survivors.”


BlackLondoners’ ambitious campaign for Haiti convinced Nii Ayikwei Parkes, author of Tail of the Blue Bird to take part in the project; in his foreword, Parkes sums up the anthology: “A Lime Jewel…bristles with the urgency of a towncrier, swells with the patience of a mother and hums with the wisdom of a village elder… it is a much more dignified way to contribute to the rehabilitation of Haiti…something that will live longer than the studied pity of strangers.”


A Lime Jewel is unique; it celebrates Haiti’s rich history, contemplates the present and looks beyond the disaster to a brighter Haitian future. Contributors range from unpublished to published writers, between 10 and 75 years of age and from all walks of life. They are all bound by their desire to contribute in a meaningful way to the rehabilitation of Haiti.


There is something for everyone in this anthology.


www.limejewel.com

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Related articles

• New Book: Haïti, une traversée littéraire (repeatingislands.com)

Zafen.org – Coming Soon!

'Zafen, Creole for 'It's our business,' soon will offer you the opportunity to lend or contribute to sustainable economic development projects in Haiti.

'By providing support to micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, together we can bolster the Haitian economy, create new jobs, and improve the lives of those living in some of the poorest conditions in the world.'"

Via Caribbean Free Radio: "Zafen.org – Coming Soon!"

Haiti-specific Kiva.org and donation site rolled into one:

You can sign up for e-mail notification @ http://www.zafen.org/en

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Nou led, Nou la--This is What we Know.

Nou led, Nou la--this is what we know.
We’ve carried this sorrow in our mouths for so long,
Cursed by those who say we don’t belong,
and mock our ancestors, yet still we grow,
our bodies filled with the pride of our song.

Nou led, Nou la--this is what we know:
Though it seems our story began with woe
When Toussaint defeated Napoleon to right our wrong
And at Bois Caiman we said we were free and strong.
Nou led, Nou la--this is what we know.

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*Nou led, Nou la [We are ugly, but we are alive].