Michael Benjamin, Multi-talented Haitian Icon is Dead. Are we Losing Everything?

He was charismatic. He was kind. He was vibrant and gifted. He represented all that was good in our generation. Michael Benjamin is gone! He collapsed in front of thousands with his beloved Haitian flag proudly wrapped around his shoulder. He left us, giving his all on the stage for the very last time.

Who is Michael Benjamin?

Michael Benjamin, better known as Mikaben, was a young Haitian artist whose talent was revealed in a Christmas competition in Haiti. He won fourth place for the song “Nwel trist” (Sad Christmas). He went on to be one of the most recognizable faces of the Haitian music nationally and internationally.

Is everything lost?

It has taken me some time to truly digest the news of his passing. I am usually not one to care much about celebrity world. However, Mikaben’s death made me extremely sad. Is it because his music has rocked my teenage years? Or, because he is one of those rare Haitian artist of our generation, whose songs spoke to the issues of the country? And more importantly, it might be because he has always carried the Haitian colors everywhere he went while praising the country’s beauty, despite the interminable cycle of poverty and unrest that have plagued this land for years?

I am not sure what it is, but I feel a sense of loss that I have never felt before due to the death of a famous person. Maybe, the current political upheaval in Haiti has something to do with it. Presently, majority of the people are barely surviving in the country. Price of daily necessities have skyrocketed. Famine is threatening. Gangs are systematically assassinating people. Government is in limbo.

Mikaben’s sudden death left me numb and made me think that perhaps, we are losing everything as we are sinking deeper in a spiral of despair and total chaos as a nation.

His legacy was one of hope and perseverance.

However, his fleeting light shone vividly and reminded us that we are capable, if we are willing. He worked with everyone, especially with disadvantaged aspiring young artists in Haiti. He was the founder of an organization called “ti souf” (breath in english) dedicated to raising money for teachers in Haiti. His music, his life and his love for his country inspired many and dared us to dream of a better tomorrow.

Certainly, the future of Haiti seems grim, but as Mikaben beautifully wrote it in his song:

“Haiti, is dancing and fun at carnival.
It’s a little island that never sleeps.
It is the little kid that’s dreaming of a bright future.
You have to be in Haiti to truly understand its realities. It is a sad one but by the grace of god, this is not the only reality we can sing.”

excerpt from Mikaben’s song ” Ayiti Se”

I believe that our reality today does not define our future. It’s been said before to appreciate heaven well, we must descend in the depth of hell. Perhaps, this is what’s happening. I do not know how to make sense of the Haitian problem anymore. Nevertheless, I have faith that we will untrap ourselves from the crippling chains that are preventing us from simply exhaling. Only then, should we ascend to the gates of heaven. But… It just feels like we’ve been in this nightmare for an eternity.  It is time for us to wake up to make that dream a reality.

Thank you Mikaben for sharing your gift with Haiti and the world. Rest in peace. May we keep your legacy alive.

Until then,

Xoxo, JP