In opening act, documentary festival reflects distress Haitians endure 

PORT-AU-PRINCE—Along the walls of a courtyard in Turgeau last Sunday, one photograph shows a family fleeing their homes. Another displays the faces of people gone mad from grief after losing a loved one. Others showed bodies of Haitians who met their end from burning tires or at burial in a cemetery after being victims.

The images from “Fas Ba” – Creole for “faces down” or “heads bent” –  are part of the Kit Média Association’s annual gathering of documentary artists, Rencontre du Documentaire en Haïti. The festival’s theme this year, "Exilé dans son pays," French for “exiled in his own country,” aims to reflect the numerous traumatic scenes and actions taking place within Haiti, particularly in Port-au-Prince. The show, which began Dec. 3, denounces the socio-political crisis and the insecurity hitting the population.