Garenchana Jean-Pierre and Ruth Dharwina Valmyr were distinguished as winners of the recent blog/vlog competition organized by the European Union in Haiti, from June 1 to 21, 2024.
Ruth Dharwina Valmyr, 27, a political science student at Quisqueya University, feminist and activist, captivated the jury with her committed videos on human rights, particularly those of women. For her part, Garenchana Jean-Pierre, 24, an actress, storyteller, photographer and activist, made an impression with her profound reflections on mental health.
“I went through a period of depression, and I found it essential to talk about it, because no one understood me,” Garenchana told Loop Haiti, expressing a hint of sadness. “My parents told me that if I ate, dressed myself and my studies were paid for, I couldn’t be depressed,” she added. Winning this competition in the blog category is for her a significant recognition, highlighting the importance of her work and helping to restore her self-esteem.
For her part, Ruth Dharwina denounced in her vlogs certain tasks assigned exclusively to women, including cooking, which she finds unfair in our society. In addition, she cites the acts of harassment suffered by women in the film industry in Haiti. Another example of harassment cited by the activist is the use of photos of naked women or in any other intimate situation on the Telegram group called “Haitian Pie”, thus making public things that are supposed to be private.
“I can’t tell you not to take nude photos, but I recommend that you cover your face, because there is no law against revenge porn or cyberbullying in Haiti,” Ruth Dharwina Valmyr advised young women in an interview with Loop Haiti.
Stefano Gatto, European Union Ambassador to Haiti, hailed the contest as an important step towards promoting freedom of expression among young Haitians, encouraging them to continue to make their voices heard on issues that affect them.
The contributions of the ten participants are available in a digital collection on the Facebook page of the Delegation of the European Union in Haiti, among whom were Schebna Bazile, Shelsy Dice, Xaviera Raphaëlla Élie, Djekly Fortune, Ertha Elissa Mingot, Stanley Mazile, Guerlande René and Rachina Vilsaint.
