Haitian culture on stage Saturday in Miami at Arsht Center

A musical celebrating Haiti’s rich culture and artistry will take the stage Saturday at the Adrienne Arsht Center’s Ziff Ballet Opera House in Miami, where a cast of well-known Haitian performers will present the all-Haitian production “Ayiti Bèl Nanm.”

The production brings together a celebrated cast of singers, actors and dancers in a showcase of Haitian creativity, history and cultural heritage. Among the performers are Haitian American actor Jimmy Jean-Louis, Miami activist and singer Farah Juste and Haiti-based performer Errol Josué.

Juste has been cast as a divinity who explains the events unfolding in Haiti. Speaking to the Miami Herald between rehearsals, she described the production and its cast as “impressive.”

“I’m very impressed by the role that they gave me,” said Juste, who sings, dances and acts in the musical. “I’m very happy with all the actors who are trying their best to make this show a success.”

South Florida’s Haitian community, she said, can really use a show like this now. More than addressing Haiti’s deepening struggles, the musical offers a message of hope, said Juste.

“Ayiti Bèl Nanm” is the work of Production BèlAyiti, founded by cultural advocate Carole Demesmin, and the show is open to all ages. The performance comes as South Florida’s Haitian community continues to grapple with uncertainty surrounding after the loss of temporary immigration protections for more than 300,000 Haitians across the United States.

Juste said she’s unsure how recent events will affect attendance, but she’s hoping audiences still turn out in large numbers.

“I hope we have a full house,” she said.

Organizers said the show is intended to offer a different view of Haiti, and to allow the country, through its artists, to tell her own story.

“It is not simply a show about Haiti. It is an invitation to see the country in fuller dimension: as a culture of extraordinary creative power, carried across generations and continually renewed,” the organizers said.

In an interview with Port-au-Prince-based radio station Magik 9, Florence Jean-Louis Dupuy, an actor, director and longtime force in Haiti’s theater scene, acknowledged the challenges facing Haitians at home and abroad.

“We are going through very difficult times that undermine our pride, dignity and honor; we are being terrorized and pursued almost everywhere in the world,” said Dupuy.

She said the musical was also an opportunity to present Haitians with a different image of themselves — one grounded in creativity, beauty and artistic excellence.

“I think it is very important that we present Haitians with a beautiful image of ourselves and, at the same time, show that we can meet international standards and even surpass them through the originality of this creation,” she said.

If You Go:

What: Ayiti Bèl Nanm

When: 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug, 15

Where: Adrienne Arsht Center’s Ziff Ballet Opera House, 1300 Biscayne Blvd, Miami

Cost: $117.00 – $246.00 at www.arshtcenter.org