AFAJ, Jacmel

 

Jacmel is the cultural heart of Haiti, symbolic home to Haiti’s poets, painters, musicians, and artists. But Jacmel is truly synonymous with one thing: artisans. Jacmel’s narrow streets are

covered in tiny artisan workshops, where everything from ironwork to painted kalbas to hand- made jewelry are sold. Jacmel’s artisans are most famous for their paper-maché work, and its Carnival every year is a parade of giant paper-maché figures. But because there are so many artisans in Jacmel, many times they struggle to make their works visible, to sell them for good prices, or to get a treasured space in the Carnival.

 

AFAJ is the Association of Women Artisans of Jacmel, and it formed for a similar reason: many

women trying to get by in the competitive world of artisanwork in Jacmel decided it would be

best if they worked together, and they formed the cooperative in 2003. The cooperative has

survived and thrived for almost a decade now; the women see it as a success, and they recognized as a force in Jacmel artisan culture. They also operate similarly to G27: each artist has her own workshop, but they have a common boutique where their work is sold. 30% of the price of whatever is sold goes back to the building, but the women feel it is worth it to give themselves the visibility and dignity.