Benefit Concert for UNICEF in Haiti -The Good News and The Bad News

Tequila Minsky, Heritagekonpa Magazine

Alex Adellard of the Konpa band Zin and King Kino of Phantoms brought other musicians together as NYHMI- the New York Haitian Music and Entertainment Industry United For Haiti for the purpose of raising funds for the people of Haiti affected by the destruction of the early September hurricanes.

The Haitian music industry is often criticized as not doing enough for the country and this was seen as a way to immediately respond to their country in crisis. One music industry professional and volunteer said, "We put aside our differences to come together."

A core cadre flew into action. With only 10 days lead-time, email blasts, radio spots, and all sorts of virtual and traditional marketing efforts got the information to the public.

The plea, "There is no word to describe the disaster caused to a country already so impoverished. Flooding and landslides have cut off land routes and hampered humanitarian access. We can't stay blind to this gut-wrenching situation where thousands have been left without shelter, food, drinking water and with so many lives lost."

The Haiti SOS Benefit Concert was held on Sunday Sept 21, 2008 at Amazura, Jamaica, NY, scheduled from 3:00 PM to 4:00 AM. With a $30 admission, the concert's proceeds went to UNICEF, a long working organization in Haiti. It was chosen as a respected non-governmental organization to allay fears that money would be pocketed or never get to the intended recipient.

In addition to organizing a concert, donations of clothes were accepted outside the venue. As deliveries arrived, volunteers sorted clothes into categories-babies, children, men and women's were packed into a rented truck to be taken to the Bedford Armory in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, and the central location for collecting donations.

The owner of Queens music venue Amazura that hosts many Haitian music events generously donated the space (and later, $1,000), as was the sound system. An army of volunteers, most sporting tee shirts that read "SOS Benefit Concert," which they paid $30 for, helped the 12-hour+ event run smoothly.

More than 43 groups of musicians were on the schedule donating their performances. And, it was quite a lineup. In the late afternoon/early evening Christian and gospel, Haitian jazz and some racine-roots---started the music off. There was then hip hop, diva Emerline Michel--whose hometown of Gonnaives was one of the most severely affected-and compas.

There was even a rara band from Haiti in attendance. Around 11PM, the politicians and public figures had their say. Mayor of Gonnaives Jean Francois Adolophe, Haitian Councilman Mathieu Eugene, Congresswoman Yvette Clarke, UNICEF representative Richard Alleyne, Union 1199's Gerard Cadet (30,000 Haitians among its ranks) were among those who spoke about the dire needs of the country.

[Although President Preval had literally just arrived from Haiti to attend the opening of the UN General Assembly and there were rumors, no, he did not make an appearance.]

Even though the event went on until 4AM, not all the musicians scheduled could actually perform. From the audience side, there was an abundance of talent and the music and performances were without fault. This is the good news.

And the bad news. In the cavernous venue, where were the people? Where was the support from the public? This was the nagging subtext of the event; it felt as if no one was there.

"I am so disappointed, " said Cynthia Karaha, of World Promotions, one of the tireless planning volunteers. "I worked 24-7 to get the word out. We finally do something for Haiti and the community doesn't support us."

One attendee said while looking around at the event's sparsely populated hall, "It's a question of trust. In the past, people have donated money to Haitian causes and the money never reached the intended target." He suggested the public perception was one of skepticism in spite of the fact that checks were specifically to be made out to UNICEF-United States Fund.

Artist Carl Thelemaque had another view; "They should not have put a price on the event. In Haiti we call it "bay piti pa chich"--give what you can. They would have packed the place." Obviously, the organizers were disappointed.

Obviously, all the organizers were disappointed.

"Someone told me," Cynthia Karaha said, "If we had two compas groups, charged admission, and then donated the money, we would have had a packed house." Was this not so much a question of money as much as a red flag with the word "fundraiser"?

There could have been other reasons for the lack of response, for example, it was on a Sunday. And, incidentally, with sound checks, tweaking the system, and other delays, the event started about three hours after it was posted to begin.

This event also needed non-Haitian media to help promote it. Seemingly, the buzz to stimulate excitement never really got going.

None-the-less, the talent was there, the volunteer effort and the heart were there, too. It is a shame that the response was so lukewarm with all the effort.

On Monday, September 29, a check for $13, 089 was delivered to the UNICEF-United States Fund office in lower Manhattan. Expenses for the benefit concert added up to approximately $5,000.