Men anpil, chay pa lou. With many hands, the burden is light. This proverb is the heart of konbit, a traditional form of collective labor in Haiti, rooted in mutual aid and harmonious living. It is a radical expression of care and solidarity—the belief that no dream is too immense when carried together.
In Konbit, we are reminded that Haiti’s future is not built alone. It is forged in community—in the spaces we create for one another and in the relationships we nurture. Amidst such a precarious time, young Haitians across the diaspora are reaching for each other. The artists in this room embody this, urging us to see ourselves in each other and recognizing that our experiences, though unique, are deeply interconnected. Through their work, they honor konbit as a practice that has sustained Ayiti and her people for generations—capturing the sacredness of kinship.
Moses Leonardo’s Lover’s Embrace centers queer Haitian communities, underscoring the profound necessity of holding each other close in the face of adversity. Their work, like others in this room, dismantles what has been deemed taboo in Haitian culture—celebrating those who have long been relegated to society’s margins. Here, konbit is love in action and love as resistance, ascertaining the power in existing fully and unapologetically.
Dimithry Victor’s The Show Must Go On and Madjeen Issac’s Lakou of Resistance: Ode to Caretakers shift our focus towards the diasporic enclaves Haitians have built around the world. Various works within Konbit are a testament to the collective ‘nou’ in carrying out a vision greater than ourselves—the many hands that made something from nothing, finding light despite the odds.
