HERZEN CLERGE

Propaganda: information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view.

I view art as a form of conveying ideas—as propaganda. Art created in times of political and economic contention, especially when it speaks to the issue at hand, in some way serves as propaganda: a means of showing or expanding upon an idea the artist wishes to carry beyond themselves.

My dream is for Haiti to be free. My dream is for children in Cité Soleil, La Saline, Pétion-Ville, and across Haiti to have access to primary education, clean drinking water, and equal opportunities for work. I dream for the farmers, for the people, and for the raped lands of Haiti to be freed from non-existent tariff protections and the wrong kinds of foreign intervention. I dream of a future where corruption no longer plagues our government, and our people have access to adequate healthcare and medical services.

If, in my own way, I can shine a light on the feeling, the reality, or even just the emotion of one Haitian person, I believe I have begun my fight. I have imbued my ideology into a piece of work that will go out into the world, speaking to our conditions in a positive way—serving as my own homegrown form of propaganda.

As Nou Ayiti aims to germinate a positive future for Haitian youth, both stateside and abroad, I feel deeply aligned with its mission.