Like the Murano glass blowers in Venice, the fanal making skill is one that is transferred from one generation to the next. Francois Ynoce, now twenty-six, learned the trade from his older brother-in-law when he was just a young child. Others learned it from the elders in their neighborhood. Ynoce starts the process by going to the “Place Geffrard�, downtown Port-auPrince, to buy duplex cardboard, wood sticks, a ruler, a sharp pencil, thin colored paper, an exacto knife and cobbler’s glue. He first creates a wood frame (for bigger structures) or a cardboard base (for smaller ones) that will be used as a foundation. He then proceeds to draw the intricate details of a miniature structure on the cardboard that he later scorns with the knife. Colored paper is glued on the inside of the cardboard, each section subsequently pasted onto the initial foundation. The key to completing a successful piece is to create an opening big enough to fit a hand and small bottle cap topped with a small lit candle. Though most fanals are small churches and gingerbread houses, many artists, like Ynoce for example, choose to make other shapes such as birds, Christmas ornaments and stars. They also also vary in size; some are as tall as a cereal box, while others no bigger than a small coffee cup. Ynoce focuses on finalizing the house-shaped fanal that he is making me, as he
announces, sadly, that due to a decrease in demand, he may not be making these fun crafts next year. “The decline of the fanal tradition started with the increasing scarcity of electricity in Haiti,� he explains. “The little houses that used to be lit with small lamps now require candles. This transition engendered the fear that keeping a fanal in the house means increasing the risk of fire. Also, tourists have a hard time packing them to take them back to their countries.� Like many of the other artists in this craft, Francois has other sources of income throughout the year, such as carving iron sculptures. The fanal is thus an endangered species amongst Christmas traditions. Fanalmaking dexterity should be transferred from one generation to the next, but the current one is in short supply. Despite this, it continues to represent a festive
time in Haiti. Take a stroll down the road of Bourdon on an evening in mid-December. The array of these
small cardboard structures along the road is of a vision so charmingly magical, your eyes may mist.
SpĂŠcialisĂŠ en art et artisanat haĂŻtien depuis 1977 Specialized in haitian art and handicraft since 1977
Galerie MarASSA s , rue Lamarre, PĂŠtion Ville TĂŠl.: michelefrisch@yahoo.fr / galeriemarassa@yahoo.com www.galeriemarassa.com
DECEMBER 2011 MAGIC HAITI 7