Graffiti reflects hope in Haiti
Artist Jerry Rosembert uses vivid murals in Port-au-Prince to raise hope and push for change.
Jerry Rosembert uses his spray-painted art to send positive messages to fellow Haitians still reeling from the January 2010 quake.
Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff
Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Like the rubble left behind by the January earthquake, graffiti is nearly everywhere in this tattered city.
Haitians have tagged the walls of seemingly every building with spray- painted messages complaining about politics, poverty, and corruption. It's a never-ending memo of discontent – until you see a mural signed by Jerry.
Jerry Rosembert uses detailed graffiti murals to tackle current social issues by reflecting the hopes and needs of the Haitian people.
On one corner, Mr. Rosembert reminds people to wash their hands to avoid cholera. Elsewhere, he tries to instill confidence, telling passersby, "Haiti will not perish."
"I think that it has an effect on people, even if it's just in a small way," he says, standing in front of one of his colorful murals on the wall of an art gallery that recently began selling his paintings. "If it's just one person who sees my work and remembers to wash their hands and doesn't get cholera, that's something."
As a child, he loved to doodle – he'd sketch his teachers in class. But it wasn't until he befriended the lead singer of a popular Creole rap group that he decided to use his talent to push for social change.
