HAITI EXPERIENCE

Photo-journalism Exhibit Looks at
"The Haiti Experience: a Struggle for Liberty"

"The Haiti Experience: a Struggle for Liberty," featuring the work of Haitian photojournalist Wadner Pierre, opens Monday, March 3 at the Student Union in the Center for Culture, Gender and Sexuality. The exhibit continues through March 7. A reception with the author/photographer takes place at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, March 5. The exhibit, available for viewing each day from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the Union's first floor, showcases photography and writing by the 24-year-old Haitian photojournalist about the traumatic struggles Haiti has endured since the removal of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide in February of 2004.

Wadner Pierre is a 24-year-old news reporter and photographer originally from the city of Gonaives in the Artibonite province of Haiti. He is currently visiting from his home in Port-au-Prince, where he writes for the Inter Press Service and other independent new outlets. He is a co-founder and frequent contributor to HaitiAnalysis.com a media collective of young journalists from the United States and abroad. In 2007, he won an award from Project Censored for his remarkable coverage of the largely ignored conflict currently taking place in Haiti.

"The Haiti Experience: a Struggle for Liberty" is free and open to the public, featuring more than 20 photographs and written excerpts from Wadner's chronicle of the political struggles in Haiti over the last four years. It includes a beautiful and provocative exploration of the culture and lives of the Western Hemisphere's poorest citizens. The exhibit continues through March 7. For additional information, contact Professor Peter Phillips at 4-2588 or peter.phillips@sonoma.edu.