© Anthony Behar / Abaca USA

On March 18th, 2010, a charity gala featuring a live and silent auction was organized at the Consulate to benefit two organisations: Edeyo Foundation, which educates children in Haiti and Harlem Academy, which provides quality education to children in Harlem.

© Anthony Behar / Abaca USA

© Anthony Behar / Abaca USA

 
All proceeds - $18, 500 precisely !- will be given in equal share to Edeyo Foundation and Harlem Academy. To learn more about Edeyo and Harlem Academy, please click here.

Thanks a lot to the artists for their generous contribution! You can see their art work on the Flickr page of the Consulate.

© Anthony Behar / Abaca USA

To learn more about the artists:
http://www.ronagam.com
http://www.charlelie.com/
http://ceciliarodhe.com
http://www.marcbaptiste.com/
http://lamaison-nomade.com/
http://www.albertdelamour.com
http://www.pascalstudio.com

 

© Anthony Behar / Abaca USA

© Anthony Behar / Abaca USA

Singers and musicians of Haitian, African-American, and African origin performed throughout the reception (Brian Nesby, Francis Jocky, Ahdeline and Cilla Owens ).
 
If you want to see pictures of the charity gala, please visit the Flickr page of the Consulate

© Anthony Behar / Abaca USA

Speech by the Consul General, Philippe Lalliot:

Ladies and Gentlemen,
Dear Friends,

Welcome to the French Consulate for this reception dedicated to two exemplary charities: the Harlem Academy and the Edeyo Foundation.

This evening is a celebration of diversity and solidarity. France and the United States share these two ideals, although we might implement them differently. It was in the name of these values that we decided a few months ago to host an event at the French Consulate honoring New York’s African-American community.

Tonight, like every day since the disaster that struck Haiti, my thoughts go out to the Haitians and the Haitian community of New York, who have faced and are continuing to face this tragedy with exceptional courage.

The toll is horrific: more than 200,000 dead; 1.2 million homeless, and material damage exceeding half the country’s GDP. Given the extent of the destruction caused by the quake, the United States and France, along with the entire international community, responded with unprecedented material, human and financial assistance. On February 17, President Sarkozy visited Haiti, promised 326 million Euros in financial assistance and decided to cancel Haiti’s debt.

France and the United States were among the first to bring relief to Haiti. We both have reaffirmed our long-term commitment to the Haitian people. More than ever, our help is needed. After the delivery of emergency aid, a new phase got under way: that of reconstruction. In that regard, I hope the New York donors’ conference next week will be a great success.

Dear Friends,

This evening could not have been possible without the active support and generosity of many of you. I would like to tell you how much admiration I have for the two organizations that brought us here this evening.

I would like to hail the remarkable efforts made by Unik Ernest and the Edeyo Foundation, which for three years has worked to provide free education and a better life to the children of Port-au-Prince. The community school of Bel Air Hervé Romain Joyeux-Coeur, which you renovated to accommodate nearly 300 children, was destroyed in the earthquake. I know that your determination to rebuild this school and provide the necessary psychological support to children is stronger than ever.

The children of the Harlem Academy are luckier than their comrades in Haiti. That in no way detracts from the merit of being a one-of-a-kind institution that for six years has been fighting for equal opportunity by offering high-quality education and tuition on a sliding scale.

The context, of course, is radically different for these two establishments. But in both New York and Port-au-Prince there is the same thirst for education, the same desire to pass on knowledge, to right injustice and to build a better world.

I would also like to extend my warmest thanks to the artists who so kindly agreed to join us here and to offer up their time, their voices and works for Haiti: Brian Nesby, Cilla Owens, Mayisha, Adheline, Francis Jocky, Marc Baptiste, Charlélie Couture, Cécilia Rhodes, Ron Agam, Betty Camus, Ed Giordano, Anne Berger-Gournay, Franck de las Mercédès, Gonzalo Belmonte, Olivier di Pizio, Albert Delamour and Pascal. I’d like to thank as well Pierre Battu, Marie-Monique Steckel, Mario Renaldi, Chet Whye and Harlem 4 and, last but not least, all my team at the Consulate.

At 8:00 pm, the live auction begins and will be presided over by Benjamin Doller whom I’d like to thank as well for being with us tonight. The other artworks, presented in the Salon Chapelle, will be part of the silent auction which will end at 10.00 pm. The funds we raise tonight will be donated in full, and on an equal basis, to the Harlem Academy and Edeyo. All these works are splendid. I am counting on your generosity.

Dear Friends,

This evening is all in honor of the African-American community.

It also offers an opportunity to remember the very special ties between African-Americans and France. We will always be grateful for the bravery of the famous Harlem Hell Fighters who fought in France during World War I.

We also remember the Harlem writers who came to live in postwar Paris: Langston Hughes, Claude McKay and Countee Cullen, and then Richard Wright, James Baldwin and Chester Himes.

In the 1930s, the “Négritude” movement would never have come into being without the contribution of African-American artists living in France like Josephine Baker and Sidney Bechet, Charlie Parker and Miles Davis. They all make Saint-German des Prés and the Latin Quarter a cultural mecca.

The history of relations between France, Africa and the Caribbean has its own lights and shadows. Neither should be hidden. We must take ownership of them, drawing lessons for the future. That is why each year, on May 10th, France pays tribute to the victims of slavery and the African slave trade, assuming its share of responsibility for this tragedy.

Dear Friends,

Before continuing the evening and giving up the floor to Chet, I would like to share with you a Haitian proverb that reflects the resilience, determination and strength of the Haitian people. I’ll give it a try, but I won’t be offended if you laugh at me: “Toutan tèt poko koupe, li espere pote chapo.” It translates literally as “As long as the head hasn’t been cut off, it hopes to wear the hat,” or “While there’s life, there’s hope.” That says it all.

I wish you all a wonderful evening.

Merci à tous et bonne soirée.