BRUTUS: “NOT SURE WHO or WHAT, but bands that are outside of Haiti have always been discouraged to NOT participate at carnival. Is it perhaps by some people affiliated with bands IN HAITI, I DON’T KNOW. Is it because if there are more bands coming in from outside of Haiti, perhaps it means that the amount of money that BANDS IN HAITI WERE GOING TO GET FROM THE SPONSOR(S) will diminish (Yap jwenn mwens kob)? Is that the reason why whenever a band from OUTSIDE OF HAITI wants to participate, or shows intentions of wanting to participate, they usually get negative feedback, or discouraging feedback coming out of Haiti? I have no idea. It’s a mystery that needs to be figured out. That is why I am happy that a group like CARIMI has gone there and sort of broken the cycle surrounding that.”