News Award – Finalist
Luckenson Jean
Caught in the crossfire as gang violence chokes Haiti’s capital
Commissioned by: AFP
In February, conditions sharply deteriorated in Haiti. Armed groups launched coordinated attacks with the aim of overthrowing then-Prime Minister Ariel Henry.
Luckenson’s footage begins with the death of a Port-au-Prince resident, killed in a crossfire between gangs early in the morning while trying to earn a living before taking his son to school. It continues with daily depictions of the violence, showing police on the streets, citizens fleeing for safety, and bodies lying in the streets.
He continued to film the crisis, with more actions by police and protests about the safety conditions. In early March, he managed – through a lot of legwork and contacts with police and gangs alike – to secure an exclusive interview with the famous gang leader Jimmy Cherizier, aka “Barbecue”, who vowed a “civil war” if the PM at the time didn’t resign. It was a video that was widely used.
Luckenson’s goal to show the impact of the crisis on everyday lives led him to collaborate with NGOs to gain access to gang-controlled territory, where clinics are held, and to interview patients who don’t otherwise have access to any kind of health care. He also filmed displaced persons struggling to find shelter after their homes were destroyed or their families threatened.
He then followed the political developments, the arrival of the Kenyan police force in late June, and their first operations.
“Only a video journalist with local knowledge gained from years of reporting and living inside the story could have conveyed so powerfully the impact of gang violence on the daily lives of people in Haiti. His calm, sure eye is focused on the ordinary people whose lives can change in a second with a stray bullet. This was powerful reporting by a journalist who knows his beat intimately and in place at the right time, lets the images tell his story.”
News Award Jury
Bio
Based in the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince, Luckenson Jean is a one-person team: information gatherer, producer, safety consultant, cameraman, editor. He has an eye for strong visual stories and a heart for human suffering.
Luckenson was born in 1990 and grew up in the countryside, where his family still lives, before moving to the southern town of Jacmel to study at the Cine Institute filmmaking school. After obtaining his degree, he began working for a local TV station in Port-au-Prince before transitioning to freelance work and collaborating with UNICEF and AFPTV in 2020.
Luckenson’s main focus is on breaking news, especially the ongoing crisis of violence and political instability in Haiti. He emphasises the human aspect of these events, documenting their impact on his fellow citizens. He films in camps for displaced people, at medical emergencies and around funerals – always looking for personal stories that show the despair of many Haitians.