Downtown, Port-Au-Prince - 6:53 PM

photo © patrice dougé All rights reserved

photo © patrice dougé All rights reserved

Revellers stand in front of a poster at Haiti's Carnaval

photo © patrice dougé All rights reserved

Baillargau Raymond was a Haitian drummer known for bringing the artistry of Haitian Vodou ritual drumming and other traditional Afro-Haitian drumming styles to the stage and to recording studios. He was an international performer who influenced jazz musicians, in particular, Max Roach. Research is needed to establish the place and date of his birth, but 1915 is a fair estimate of the year. It is widely believed that he died in 1980, probably in Port-au-Prince. Wikipedia

Carnaval 2018 in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti comes to an end

photo © patrice dougé All rights reserved

photo © patrice dougé All rights reserved

photo © patrice dougé All rights reserved

photo © patrice dougé All rights reserved

photo © patrice dougé All rights reserved

photo © patrice dougé All rights reserved

Blaze destroys much of historic market in Haitian capital

photo © patrice dougé All rights reserved

 

Arline Confidant, 64, stands with other vendors and watches firefighters battling the blaze that completely destroyed half of the Iron Market on Tuesday,February 13, 2018. Mrs. Confident lost all her merchandise in the fire. “I have lost everything, how am i suppose to feed my five children now.” The Iron market was rebuilt following the devastating 2010 earthquake, and was financed by Denis O’Brien, chairman of Digicel Group, one of the largest privately owned telecommunications companies in the world. Photo by Patrice Dougé for the Haitian Times.

Arline Confidant, 64, stands with other vendors and watches firefighters battling the blaze that completely destroyed half of the Iron Market on Tuesday,Feb. 13, 2018. Mrs. Confident lost all her merchandise in the fire. “I have lost everything, how am I suppose to feed my five children now?” The Iron Market was rebuilt following the devastating 2010 earthquake, and was financed by Denis O’Brien, chairman of Digicel Group, one of the largest privately owned telecommunications companies in the world. Photo by Patrice Dougé for the Haitian Times.

Haiti’s Historic Iron Market Engulfed In Flames

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Haitian President Jovenel Moise and his wife Martine Moise pay a visit to the Iron Market, Tuesday, February 13, 2018, following a devastating fire which destroyed half of the Iron Market. The Iron Market was rebuilt following the devastating 2010 earthquake and was financed by Denis O’Brien, chairman of Digicel Group, one of the largest privately owned telecommunications companies in the world. Photo by Patrice Dougé for the Haitian Times.

Haitian women important role in their society

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''Haitian women articulate their role in society as that of poto mitan, or central pillar. Women are the caretakers of children, the sick and the elderly. They head nearly half of Haitian households, carry much of the responsibility for the informal economy and comprise the majority of the country's subsistence farmers.''  Alexis Erkert   

Selling in the market is all we have ever known

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Vendors at the open market - Pétion Ville

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Dame-Marie, Grand'Anse

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 Dame Marie is a small seaside commune located on the western tip of Haiti, in the arrondissement of Anse-d'Hainault, in the Grand'Anse department of Haiti. The municipality's population according to the 2003 census is 27,127 inhabitants. Unlike other cities in Haiti, nearly all the roads in Dame Marie are paved.

Soon, a voodoo school to train the "little vodouizants"

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 The Vodou sector in Haiti is undergoing a serious intimidation campaign. Between péristyle burned down in Carrefour and increase false information on social media, vodouizants felt the need to react "to reassure the servants who operate in different Lakous". The officials met the press on Monday to present their specifications."We must not be intimidated by acts of provocation from other religious sectors," insists Woldson Bertrand, denouncing at the same time texts on social networks that aim, in his opinion, to weaken or affect the image of vodou.  LoopNews 

Jacmel to celebrate its annual carnival this Sunday, February 4, 2018

photo © patrice dougé All rights reserved

photo © patrice dougé All rights reserved

The City of Jacmel is preparing to welcome thousands of visitors from Haiti and elsewhere during its national carnival which will be held on February 4, 2018.

Haitian Art

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Haiti is world famous for its distinctive art which continues to receive critical acclaim. Haitian art consists of mostly visual arts, such as paintings, sculpture and drum metal sculpture, an art form endemic to the country. A great number of Paintings and sculptures depict some sort of Vodou scenery, ceremony, and deities. The Boundless creativity of Haitian has never ceased to amaze art critics and collectors around the world. hougansydney.com

“Religion is the opiate of the people.” Karl Marx

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The African heritage in Haiti

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The Voodoo celebration in Souvenance begins on Good Friday, and continues for a week. Every year hundreds of people assemble this tiny village . It is one of the holiest pilgrimages for believers in voodoo. Souvenance is located between Gonaïves and Cap-Haïtien, about 20km north of Gonaïves.Voodoo was brought to Haiti by slaves from West Africa, but did not become a recognised religion by the Caribbean country until the 1960s.

Haiti, time for your deliverance has arrived

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Regularly, there are prayers going on in Port-Au-Prince and elsewhere throughout the country.  The first week of 2018 began with an evangelical crusade at the Sylvio Cator soccer stadium in Port-Au-Prince, which thousands attended. A week later, 3 days of prayers was organized by Pastor Joelle Pierre of the Union Baptiste church, to deliver the country of all its difficulties —which was printed on T-shirts worn by hundreds of participants.

In Response to US President Donald Trump inflammatory comments, Haitians march toward US Embassy in Port-Au-Prince

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The daily grind, a thing of the past in the Caribbean

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Island life isn't like living in a rushing city, a much slower lifestyle with fewer commitments and more time to concentrate on the things that are truly valuable and important to us.

Vodou practitioners take to the streets in the Haitian capital

photo © patrice dougé All rights reserved

photo © patrice dougé All rights reserved

photo © patrice dougé All rights reserved

"This  movement is called: The struggle of the Vodou religion has begun - Each and every single vodouist / vodouizan that you see here today marching, are very angry about what's going on in the country, and especially the recent aggression against our culture, and the call of President Jovenel Moise demanding that 11 million Haitians in the country  follow in the footstep of Christians. We are also marching to send a message to the President that Haiti is Ayibobo country and it's because of our ancestors' struggle that we are free today, and they were not Christians." Vodou Priestess  Marie Jeanne

Mural of Odette Mennesson-Rigaud at the National Office of Ethnology

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French-born became a Haitian citizen following her marriage to Milo Rigaud. Odette Mennesson-Rigaud lived in Petion Ville and became a great connoisseur of Vodou. Alfred Métraux who dedicated to her his book, Le Vaudou Haitien, Paris, Gallimard,1958 described her as a tall rich looking woman, with an inspired, authoritative air of a Popess. Ethnomusicologist Harold Courlander who studied in Haiti during the 1930's through the 1950's described her as being the ultimate insider. She knew everybody, and was the best informed of all the researchers and scholars.  

Thomassin Communal High Scool students take to the streets

photo © patrice dougé All rights reserved

photo © patrice dougé All rights reserved

Lycée Municipal de Thomassin is housed in a building  which has been abandoned for the past 40 years. On December 21, before Christmas break, a justice of the peace accompanied by police officers of the police station in Thomassin 25, and  unidentified men wearing masks broke into the school  and destroyed everything from school benches, to a TV monitor in the conference room. This morning, January 18, 2018, students take to the streets to demand justice and reparation.

Maxime Faveur, hougan (vodou priest) tells his story of attempted murder

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On the night of Wednesday, January 3, 2018, Maxime Faveur's voodoo temple  was burned to the ground, after a woman complained to the Police that Mr. Faveur casts spells so she can turn into an ox. Subsequently, Christians in the area took matters into their own hands and reducing the temple to ashes.

Spontaneous protest

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Several dozen  students of public schools protest while walking toward the bus stop around the National Palace. Some bang on the main gate fences and chanted "we won't leave and go to Chile" fix our classrooms and pay the teachers. Schools reopened today, January 15, 2018, following Christmas break.

The reconstruction of Government ministries in Port-Au-Prince is still ongoing

photo © patrice dougé All rights reserved

photo © patrice dougé All rights reserved

The ceremony of laying down the foundation stone to rebuild the National Palace, took place on the 8th anniversary of the earthquake, January 12, 2018. The Palace, which was built in 1918 by Haitian architect Georges Bossan, was badly damaged during the earthquake of January 12, 2010. The reconstruction of Government ministries in the Haitian Capital is still ongoing.

A much higher, quality education for all, to change Haiti's future

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Fort Dimanche survivor Stephen Narcisse

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In 1963, Stephen Narcisse was arrested for his involvement in a farmer association, Union Paysanne, which the main objective was to teach farmers in the surroundings of Kenscoff how to read and write. "leu ou pa kon li ak ékri ou cé yon zombi" When you can't read and write, you are a zombi—Our association had spread throughout Kenscoff, and in 6 months we had reach far away places all the way in Bonga, Nouvelle Tourainne, Belle Fontaine and Callebasse. I was first taken to Petion Ville where I was severely beaten, and then I was transfered to Fort Dimanche.

Transporting Haitian Nationals like human beings is long overdue

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When the safety of those who depend on public transportation to get around is no longer  a national priority, that society is morally bankrupt. It must be said: Officials have shown little interest in providing safe, quality public transit service in Haiti. Everyday, Haitian passengers risk their lives in unsafe buses. According to OAVCT(government-run insurance), between 2000 and 2010, 45,780 road accidents have been registered throughout the country. The number of fatalities yearly, 4,500 to 5,000, should have resulted in a national debate. It is imperative for government officials to take measures to not only reduce road accidents but to modernize as well public transportation. 

Demonstrations demanding Haiti's President resignation have resumed

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Men and Women of Courage

 

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Statistics are difficult to determine for the Caribbean nation, but some estimates put Haiti's unemployment rate as high as 70 percent. These men and women who fill our streets doing business and selling a variety of goods, live a stressful life. These street vendors operate through exorbitant credit rates and have no recourse to any governmental  regulatory structure. With the little money they put aside, they manage to educate their children and make ends meet to the best of their abilities. Many highly trained professionals who hold prestigious jobs are the sons and daughters of small merchants.

The glory of waking up early

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The early hours of the day is influential in setting the tone of your day. About an hour before sunrise, before the sun crests a nearby mountain, a boom of pure energy emerge in the atmosphere. Serenity, inspiration and tranquility manifest at this time.

The holidays are now over

photo © patrice dougé All rights reserved

The grind of everyday life is slowly picking up its pace, the bumper to bumper to traffic during the holidays has subsided, the streets are less crowded and school will reopen next Monday. I've often heard the end of the holiday season can lead to sadness, personally, I am super excited to wake up to the alarm sound at 5:30am, and be out the door and living a fulfilling creative life once again.

All you hear is the sound of nature

photo © patrice dougé All rights reserved

Way up in the mountains, about 1,500 feet above sea level, deep in the countryside—away from  engine pollution, law enforcement sirens, the hustle and bustle of city life, all you hear is the sound of nature. The pleasant sound of oxen in the distance, the occasional beautiful sound of crows flying overhead, I was hiking and exploring with a local guide when this farmer on his way home came walking on a the narrow dirt track we were on. He didnt seem to mind that I shot a few frames when he walked close pass me.We chatted briefly, he has never been to Port-Au-Prince and has never been photographed before. He was thrilled when I showed him his portrait on my canon LCD, and he needed to walk about a mile from where we were to reach home. 

Funeral for murdered priest

photo © patrice dougé All rights reserved

photo © patrice dougé All rights reserved

photo © patrice dougé All rights reserved

Father Joseph Simoly, well known in the Catholic community, was attacked on Thursday, December 21, by three armed individuals riding a motorcycle on rte  Frères in Pétion-Ville, not far from his home. Rushed to the Haitian Community Hospital (HCH), the victim, who received several bullets, did not survive his injuries. Following Funeral mass in Port-Au-Prince earlier today, December 30, he will be buried in Hinche.

The plight of the vendors of Petion Ville open market

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On a regular basis, regardless of the time and day, employees of Petion Ville City Hall pile up in a white pickup truck and descend upon the open market. Wearing light green vests and sometimes carrying batons, steal merchandise, beat up those who resist in all impunity—with the approval of the Mayor, Dominique Saint-Roc, and protection of armed police officers in uniform (UDMO) who's Toyota land cruiser assists in the almost daily operation."They've stolen a lot of my merchandise, I couldn't tell you how much money I have lost" 22-year old Patricia Joseph, wearing the straw hat and red t- shirt comes to the open market in Petion Ville everyday. She sells nail polish and other beauty products. Having your goods stolen have become part of our harship she says, I have two kids to feed, we are now accustomed to always be on the look out for the white pickup truck.