Photos At ArtWalk Detail Daily Burdens Of Haiti’s People

There is an old Haitian proverb, “If you’re old enough to walk, you’re old enough to carry water.”

And Haitians do carry water, sometimes for miles, starting at a very young age, because water is scarce and, when it can be found, the whole family needs to help.

“When they’re little, carrying water is their training,” said Marc-Yves Regis I.

They are trained well. As the children get older, they carry large loads on their heads from door to door, and in the marketplaces, selling goods — fruits, vegetables, rice, bread, bricks, charcoal, books, etc. — to make money to buy food. Many do this instead of going to school.

Regis is a photographer and a native of Haiti. An exhibit of his photos of Haiti’s burdened but industrious people will be on exhibit starting Friday, June 3, at the ArtWalk at Hartford Public Library.

Regis lives in Newington and is a professional poet and photographer. For years he was a full-time photographer for The Courant before leaving and pursuing a freelance career that has included photojournalism, as well as having published books of photography and poetry. He has lived in the United States for 22 years but still has a sister in Port-au-Prince and visits the island twice a year.

Regis’ cleverly titled exhibit, “Headstrong,” is an extension of his 2013 photo-poetry book, “Headstrong Children,” which focused on kids going about their selling rounds. In this show, photos of children are joined by photos of adults. Their daily wanderings drive the day-to-day economy of Haiti, one of the world’s poorest countries.

“Growing up in Haiti, I would see those people every day. They would pass by my house. I didn’t know their names, just the product they’re selling,” Regis said. “I decided to give them a face so people would know about them.”

The 50 photos, taken all over the country, show people of all ages carrying heavy packages, sometimes in plastic buckets, sometimes in hemp baskets, sometimes wrapped in burlap, sometimes with no wrapping. The faces of the workers are usually blank or grim, but a few extraordinarily hardy ones smile at Regis as he takes their picture.

“It’s hard work. It’s not fun. It may be fun for me to take their picture but it’s not fun for them,” he said.

They walk on mountain paths, in residential areas, in marketplaces whose buildings are still damaged by the 2010 earthquake.

The photographs show real life in Haiti: A handsome boy sells hats from a pile on his head. An old woman with a bright head scarf carries kindling. A girl with beaded braids sells fried dumplings in a huge basket. A man carries banana leaves for roofing. A woman is buried under blankets for sale. An angelic girl in a white dress balances a basket wider than her whole body, her face blank. One girl grins at Regis; her burden is lighter than most, a baseball cap full of peas.

As another Haitian proverb says, “Little pile after little pile makes a load.”

The water some of them carry is to be taken home. The other wares are to be sold.

“Water is a big deal in Haiti. Every Haitian uses two gallons of water a day,” Regis said. “You get it wherever you can find it, even if it is miles away.”

Regis feels fortunate to have never had to do that sort of work himself. But he doesn’t want to forget the burdens endured daily by Haitians. He keeps a hemp basket and an orange cloth pad — the kind that cushions heads carrying the loads — on his living-room table.

“The basket reminds me that I am lucky to be here. It is always there, so I don’t take it for granted. Sometimes I put it on. Even empty, it makes my neck hurt,” Regis said. “My son is 6-foot-2 and 175 pounds. He struggles to carry five gallons of water. He is strong but he has no endurance. [Haitians] have endurance. They can walk two or three miles with five gallons of water.”

Also at the library, Ken Kahn, a Hartford artist who was the leader of the Greater Hartford Arts Council for 10 years, will show his landscape paintings. The opening is Thursday, June 9, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Hartford History Center, on the third floor.

“HEADSTRONG: MARC YVES REGIS I” is at ArtWalk, on the third floor of Hartford Public Library, 500 Main St., Hartford, from June 3, when it opens with a reception from 6 to 8 p.m., until July 15. A portion of the proceeds from sales of the artworks will benefit Camp Hispaniola, a free summer camp Regis owns and runs in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. hplct.org/classes-seminars-exhibits/artwalk/current-exhibition.