A New Cultural Space in Preparation in Les Cayes: La Fabrique des Arts, a New Emergence

The official launch of La Fabrique des Arts was announced on Wednesday, February 11, 2026, during a press conference held in Port-au-Prince. This cultural project, set to be established in Les Cayes, aims to strengthen artistic creation, training, and cultural exchanges throughout the Grand Sud region.

Carried by the Fondation Connaissance et Liberté (FOKAL) as part of the Tanbou project, the initiative benefits from the support of the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and the Institut français. It is part of a broader strategy to structure cultural and creative industries in Haiti.

During the presentation, Élisabeth Pierre-Louis Augustin, FOKAL's program director, reiterated the importance of culture in social and economic dynamics:

“Culture is an important lever for development,”

emphasizing that La Fabrique aims to be, above all:

“a place for creation, transmission, and encounter,” founded on the conviction that “culture is a right and brings people together.”

The project brings together several Haitian cultural actors, notably the Centre d’Art, the Brigade d’Intervention Théâtrale (BIT-Haïti), and the Association Quatre Chemins. It originated from a financing agreement signed on November 9, 2022, between the former French ambassador to Haiti, Fabrice Mauriès, the AFD, and FOKAL. Initially planned for Port-au-Prince, the establishment was reoriented towards Les Cayes due to the security context, which made the planned opening in the capital difficult.

The Centre d’Art, a major institution in the promotion of visual arts, plays an important role in the project's conception. Its executive director, Allenby Augustin, expressed enthusiasm:

“The Centre d’Art is happy to participate in the creation of this new cultural space,”

recalling the current scarcity of functional venues dedicated to performing arts.

On the ground, local coordination is handled by Michelle Lemoine, who emphasizes the need for strong territorial anchoring. She explains that she is:

“trying to root [ourselves] in Les Cayes, meet people from the artistic community, listen to them, and understand how things work here” in order to develop with them “something beautiful and unifying.”

Several institutional partners were present at the conference, including Radhia Oudjani, AFD country director, as well as Guy Régistre for the Festival Quatre Chemins. Structures like BIT-Haïti and Tamise, directed by Garry Lubin, are also participating in the project's implementation.

The construction of La Fabrique des Arts is expected to span four years. Ultimately, this new space aims to become a structuring tool for artistic creation and dissemination in the Grand Sud, fostering exchanges between artists, cultural institutions, and local communities.