The Haitian Photography Collective launched the second edition of the IMAYITI Festi Foto festival on August 15 at the Aïoli Restaurant, before the exhibition continued at the Michèle Tardieu Library.
The Kolektif Fotograf Ayisyen officially launched the second edition of the IMAYITI Festi Foto festival on Saturday, August 15, 2026, at Aïoli Restaurant in Pétion-Ville. Right after the launch ceremony, the event moved to the Michèle Tardieu Library for an exhibition of works by various artists, which Le Nouvelliste attended on August 16. The festival runs from August 15 to 23 in Port-au-Prince, featuring exhibitions, workshops, talks, and meetups around photography and visual arts, under the theme “Photography as a tool for memory, creation, and the future.” The guest of honor for this edition is Canadian photographer Maxence Bradley.According to Carlin Trezil, one of the festival’s founders, this edition stands out with several major changes compared to the previous one. Last year, the festival was limited to six days of activities with just one exhibition, held on the closing day. This year, the organizers decided to kick off the festival with a series of preliminary activities, including panel discussions. One of the highlights of this lead-up is a photography workshop for children living in displacement camps. Twelve children from the Sogesol camp, located below Lalue, were introduced to photography. A presentation of their work is scheduled for August 19 at the Michèle Tardieu Library.
The other notable difference concerns the number of works on display. While 27 paintings were exhibited at the first edition, this year that number has risen to 121. The exhibition runs for six days: the first five take place at the Michèle Tardieu Library and the Aïoli restaurant, before the festival wraps up on August 23 at Place Boyer, where all the artists will showcase all of their works from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Carlin Trezil says he is experiencing this second edition with a feeling he finds hard to describe, especially because it builds on the achievements of the first one. He points out that photographers were more willing to exhibit this year and presented higher-quality work. In his eyes, this progress reflects the maturation of the work started since the first edition, which he sees as having helped new photography talents emerge.On August 16th, four photographers showcased their work at the Michèle Tardieu Library: Megane Thermil, Louvensky Charlemagne, Samuel Clermont, and Saphira Orcel. In total, twenty photographers are taking part in this edition of the festival: Emmanuel Aristil, Karl Emeric Churchill Cajuste, Phara Etienne, Mackendy Spinoza Cadet, Joseph Jeremy Junior, Megane Thermil, Louvensky Charlemagne, Saphira Orcel, Samuel Clermont, Geraldine Saint Fleur, Mathias Merzier, Tissé Kervens, Kenley Augustin, Pierre Wendy, Katchanie Jenny Jean, Gregory Baudin, Hans Larson Joseph, Chelton Aïs, José White J. Mineuvre, Saturné Michelet, and Saint-Fleur John Steeve.These photographers were chosen after a thorough review by the organizing committee, following a call for applications. Each of their series tells, in its own way, fragments of Haitian reality, with all its contrasts and complexities. Through their perspectives, photography shows itself as a language able to capture collective memory while also opening up creative possibilities for the future.
With this second edition, IMAYITI Festi Foto confirms its ambition to establish itself sustainably in the Haitian cultural scene, focusing both on emerging artists and the involvement of the most vulnerable communities, like the children from the Sogesol camp who were introduced to photography.
