Street Art in Cultural Context

Unknown. Untitled. www.globalgiving.org. Unknown.


Unknown. Untitled. Port-au-prince, Haiti. Pinterest.com.Unknown.

 

     I did not have to do any online research on the street art above. This is because all the research I need is a phone call away. I could not really pinpoint or find any link to the street arts because there aren't many Haitians artists who have official websites. Most of them just paint the drawings and no names are left behind as to who the creator was.

   These murals definitely represent a cultural background. As soon as your eyes land on them you can tell that they are form the Haitian culture. Also the word Haiti is written on one of them.   These murals serve a great cause to the Haitian community in Port Au Prince, especially after the big earthquake that took place over there a couple of years ago. They serve as a reminder that Haiti itself, not just Port Au Prince is a very steadfast and unrelenting nation. No matter what you throw at them they will somehow, someway, find a way to overcome the trouble and hardships. For example if you look at the first mural, the creole words “Haiti pap peri” are written at the top of it, which translates to, “ Haiti will not perish.”

     My experience finding these murals was pretty interesting. At first I did not want to do research on a Haitian artist because I am Haitian and I figured I’d explore another culture. But I felt the need to do research on it because sometimes you just have to reconnect with you own culture. Sometimes you get out of tune with your culture even though you are around it every day. Looking at these murals reminded me of the years that I spent growing up in Haiti. It reminded me of all the pain and hardships my family had to go through to give me the opportunity to be here today.  These murals help remind me of my heritage and what it means to be Haitian.