Noel & Cecibon Productions
Miami, Florida – May 22, 2008 – As we continue to wrap up all loose ends with the 10th Annual Haitian Compas Festival, we would like to extend our sincere gratitude to all individuals who participated in making this event a success. We would like to specifically recognize the fans in the community that remained persistent in their love for compas and attended, if not all the festivals, most of the Compas Festivals over the past decade.
As we’ve marked a decade committed to keeping Haitian culture and music alive and strong, we walk into another decade steadfast in our pledge to continue producing quality events that will serve as a catalyst for compas music to become mainstream. It is a large feat, but by no means an impossible feat.
We would also like to recognize many individuals that play an important role in making the festival what it is today. Hats off to our staff and sponsors that continuously support our efforts to recognize the Haitian Flag and Compas Direct. A true staple and backbone for 9 out of 10 years is CAM Money Transfer. We are also truly extolled to have American Airlines and Digicel, among many others, as a member of the Haitian Compas Festival family.
Noel & Cecibon Productions would truly be truly remissed if we did not recognize the bands that participated in the festival this year. We would like all bands to stay encouraged and know that you delivered bigtime. We are proud to see the progression of the bands over the years and you all deserve a pat on the back. This industry is far from easy, especially when you have critics who may not always be constructive. Just know that you will always have a friend in Noel & Cecibon Productions.
The food drive is an effort we promoted over the past several weeks in an effort to make a contribution to the hunger crisis in Haiti. This effort was a very important one that we invited all festival participants to collaborate with us on. Local radio stations, television and radio interviews encouraged the community to mobilize and participate. Unfortunately, we did have to remain patient while obtaining clearance from the Fire Marshall. It was also disappointing to realize that the food collected was a very small amount compared to what was anticipated. Nonetheless, we will continue with our efforts by sending a container of non-perishable canned goods overseas to Haiti. We will keep you posted on this effort.
As a whole, we would like to report a significant accomplishment with this year’s event. The South Florida community has a difficult time securing venues for events. Although this has been a tedious effort, we were proud to host our kickoff parties at two clubs in the downtown area that have never hosted Haitian parties. Club Space and 90 Degrees are both new to compas. Why is this an accomplishment? Why was hosting a party at Hard Rock Café’s Spirit Nightclub also an accomplishment? This is congruent to our mission and commitment to taking Compas and its musicians mainstream, as well as raising the standards in order to remain viable. In keeping with this same spirit, we did not forget to support our own and keep Haitian hard-earned dollars in the community by also hosting 5 parties at Haitian-owned Marabou Café.
