Amplifying the Voices of Haiti

A funding appeal for an independent media project in Haiti – January 2006.

Dear friends and allies,

We are writing to you to inform you of an important project we are
undertaking, and to seek financial support for this project.

In early January, 2006, two independent journalists and social justice
organizers, Leslie Bagg and Aaron Lakoff, will be travelling to Haiti.
For one month, they will filing reports from the ground in Haiti, looking
at the situation after the presidential elections and Canada’s role in the
country.

Following an American, French, and Canadian-sponsored coup d’etat that
ousted democratically-elected President Jean-Bertrand Aristide in
February, 2004, Haiti has been in a state of turmoil. The Police National
d’Haiti (PNH), trained by the RCMP and under the cover of the UN, have
been commiting numerous extra-judicial assassinations and massacres. The
victims are more often than not poor supporters of Aristide’s Lavalas
party in the slums of Port Au Prince such as Cite Soley and Belaire.
These massacres and killings, while well documented by human rights
groups, unfortunately go largely un-reported in the world press.

A presidential election that many Haitians denounce as a sham is fast
approaching in mid-December. Aaron and Leslie's reporting will ask
important questions such as: What is the role of Canadian police in Haiti?
Why is Canada supporting an election that much of the poor Haitian
majority sees as 'selections' rather than 'elections'? What is the role
being played by Canadian NGO’s in Haiti? Since Canada is playing a vital
role in the destabilization process in Haiti, and our media rests
uncritical, we feel that it is crucial that independent journalists travel
to Haiti to recover the truth as told by Haitians themselves.

Throughout the course of our stay in Haiti, we will be filing regular
reports with CKUT community radio (www.ckut.ca, 90.3FM in Montreal), which
will be available for rebroadcast and download at www.radio4all.net.
Moreover, we will be writing for numerous print and online publications,
including the Montreal Planet, Z magazine online, and Indymedia.org.

As grassroots, independent journalists, we are doing this work unpaid and
without much funding. This is why we are relying on your support for this
project. Our fundraising goal for individual donations is for 40 people
to donate $25, which would amount to $1000. Of course, donations of more
or less than $25 would also be greatly appreciated.

If you are unable to make a financial contribution, but would still like
to support the project, we are also looking for equipment such as a
videocamera, microphones, a laptop, and a digital camera to borrow.
In-kind donations of batteries, CD-R’s, and minidisks would also be
appreciated.

Finally, if you would like to be kept up-to-date about this project and
receive our reports from Haiti via email, send us your contact info for
the list.

--> We will accept donations in cash or checks. Please make checks payable to “Leslie Bagg” with Haiti Trip in the memo line, and mail them
to:

Leslie Bagg and Aaron Lakoff
242 Young street
Montreal, QC
H3C 2G1
Canada

Also, please email montrealtohaiti@resist.ca to confirm that you have sent a donation.

For more info, contact 514-931-6344 or montrealtohaiti@resist.ca.

About Leslie and Aaron:

Leslie Bagg is a social justice organizer based in Montreal. Her travels
have taken her as far away as the Phillipines, where she worked
documenting human rights abuses. At home, she works with Solidarity
Across Borders, the Immigrant Workers Center, and the Center for
Philippine Concerns. She has also contributed to the Filipino community
radio program, Sg Naw Byan, on CKUT radio.

Aaron Lakoff is an organizer and independent journalist based in
Montreal. He has spent time reporting in occupied Palestine and occupied
Turtle Island (Canada). In Montreal, he is an active member of the CKUT
(90.3FM) community news collective. His radio reports have been aired
around the world from San Diego, London, to Brisbane, Australia, and his
writings have been featured in Zmag online, Infoshop.org, Montreal Planet,
Critical Moment, Anarchist Studies (UK), and Left Hook. When he’s not
reporting, he organizes with Solidarity Across Borders, and the
International Solidarity Movement (ISM). To view Aaron’s previous reports
from Palestine, you can visit his website at http://aaron.resist.ca.