Thursday, August 11, 2022

Just an ordinary day at an elevation of 4,772 feet in Kenscoff

                                                         photo © patrice dougé All rights reserved

                                                         photo © patrice dougé All rights reserved

                                                        photo © patrice dougé All rights reserved                                                   


Tuesday, March 15, 2022

Belle-Anse, Southeast Department

                  photo © patrice dougé All rights reserved

Belle-Anse, Southeast Department - We stopped briefly to grab something to eat and we were on our way.  Located near the sea, it’s a major contributor to the fishing industry. Fishermen sell fish to other nearby towns and Port-au-Prince.
 

Friday, March 11, 2022

Anse-à-Pitres, Haiti.

          photo © patrice dougé All rights reserved

           photo © patrice dougé All rights reserved

            photo © patrice dougé All rights reserved

Anse-à-Pitres is a commune in the Southeast Department of Haiti. Its border crossing to Pedernales is one of the four land crossings to the Dominican Republic.



 

Saturday, February 12, 2022

The vaksen plays a repeating rhythm

          photo © patrice dougé All rights reserved

         photo © patrice dougé All rights reserved

                  photo © patrice dougé All rights reserved
“The vaksen: All rara music centers around a large set of cylindrical bamboo trumpets called vaksen. These impressive woodwind instruments may also be made of metal, making them more boisterous brass instruments. The vaksen plays a repeating rhythm in a monotonous, trance-like way, generally at a tempo fast enough to move one’s body to“  haitianmusic.net  - 

Tuesday, February 8, 2022

Colorful Celebrations

         photo © patrice dougé All rights reserved

  “In Haitian tradition, rara, a brilliant and colorful music festival, takes place throughout this holy week. This genre is said to have begun in the 1700s, most likely in the latter part of the century, when French colonization was still strong but African-Haitian sugar plantation workers were riling up. In order to gain independence, Haitian slaves fought literally (during the Haitian Revolution) and culturally (through new art, music, and dance forms)”haitianmusic.net  

Sunday, February 6, 2022

Rara Celebrations

 

                                           photo © patrice dougé All rights reserved


            photo © patrice dougé All rights reserved

            photo © patrice dougé All rights reserved

Rara celebrations generally begin on Ash Wednesday and end at Easter Weekend. During rara, revellers dance and march in the street while the band plays. Each band has their own rhythm that defines them even while marching in the dark.

Thursday, January 20, 2022

I will always be coming back...

           photo © patrice dougé All rights reserved

No other place I'd rather be on the whole island at this time, and I can still smell the aroma of eucalyptus.


 

Monday, January 3, 2022

A refuge of tranquillity

                   photo © patrice dougé All rights reserved

                photo © patrice dougé All rights reserved

                 photo © patrice dougé All rights reserved

 And even in the midst of chaos there lies beauty and peace,  a refuge of tranquillity surrounded by unspoiled nature. 


 

Friday, October 8, 2021

Unforgettable Locations

           photo © patrice dougé All rights reserved


             photo © patrice dougé All rights reserved


          photo © patrice dougé All rights reserved

Looking at pleasant photographs can provide some type of mental escape during times of moderate stress Port Au Prince residents are currently experiencing. In addition to reminiscing unforgettable locations, I’ve been to throughout  Haiti. I’m getting anxious to be on the road again.               

Wednesday, September 8, 2021

A higher standard of education for all

             photo © patrice dougé All rights reserved

A higher standard of education for all is key to further the development of citizens and the transformation of Haitian society. A little girl in uniform on her way to school in Jérémie, two and half months before a strong earthquake of 7.2 M hit the South of Haiti on August 14, 2021. 
 

Sunday, August 8, 2021

Abricots, Grand'Anse

            photo © patrice dougé All rights reserved

I know a place where I can go and just watch the clouds roll by, and of course, shoot lots of photos. Abricots, Grand’Anse

Tuesday, August 3, 2021

The Gingerbread Houses of Haiti

            photo © patrice dougé All rights reserved

In October 2009, the Gingerbread Houses of Haiti were included on the 2010 World Monuments Watch, to raise international awareness about this unique architectural heritage. Many of these once elegant, turn-of-the-century structures, detailed with fretted wood and intricate latticework, had fallen into disrepair. While political instability and economic strife had precluded substantive preservation ef- forts in recent decades, the Haitian Leadership and Education Program (HELP) brought the Gingerbread Houses to the attention of the World Monuments Fund (WMF), in the hopes of generating support for the revitalization of these important buildings and communities. World Monuments Fund

 

Sunday, July 11, 2021

Haitian President Jovenel Moïse assassinated, first lady injured in attack

                          photo © patrice dougé All rights reserved

July 7,2021 - Haiti's President Jovenel Moïse has been killed and his wife injured in an attack on their home in the nation's capital, Port-au-Prince. Assassinated Haitian President Jovenel Moïse was riddled with a dozen bullets - some from high-caliber weapons - when gunmen stormed into his home and killed him, a local justice of the peace said, according to a report.

Monday, May 31, 2021

So long, Jeremie

                                 photo © patrice dougé All rights reserved
 

Saturday, May 29, 2021

Another Era

                        photo © patrice dougé All rights reserved

Kind of feel like I’ve been living in a different era since I got off the bus and been hanging out at the historical center in downtown Jérémie. 
 

Monday, May 24, 2021

Prayer

                             photo © patrice dougé All rights reserved

An unidentified man recites a prayer while sitting on a bench in the Alexandre Dumas Square right across the street from St Louis Cathedral in #Jérémie during their Sunday Mass.
 

Thursday, May 20, 2021

Rue Stenio-Vincent

                                  photo © patrice dougé All rights reserved

Rue Stenio-Vincent (Grand-Rue) Jeremie runs parallel to the sea, with numerous interesting old buildings.
 

Thursday, May 13, 2021

Makeover

                                  photo © patrice dougé All rights reserved

One of the old, imported houses on Rue Sténio Vincent in downtown Jérémie is getting a makeover. Pastel blue and yellow are a great combination, most shades of blue are considered calming because of their likeness to the sky and the ocean. 

Monday, May 10, 2021

Still Standing

                                               photo © patrice dougé All rights reserved

Maison Brénus Cuba - One of the oldest (19th Century) standing imported historic monuments of the architectural heritage of the city of Jérémie. 

Saturday, May 8, 2021

Architectural Heritage of the City of Jeremie

                                                      photo © patrice dougé All rights reserved

                                                     photo © patrice dougé All rights reserved

                                                     photo © patrice dougé All rights reserved

"It's the duty of all of us to protect the heritage that our history has bequeathed to us and to pass it on to future generations in the best possible conditions" ISPAN

Monday, April 19, 2021

Architectural Heritage of the City of Jeremie

 

“The architectural heritage of the city of Jérémie constitutes an invaluable wealth. The preservation and enhancement of the architectural heritage of the city of Jérémie can only find their true dimensions if they are supported by the population itself from the initiative and under the coordination of local and regional authorities. ”Angie Joseph / ISPAN Author. photo © patrice dougé All rights reserved

Saturday, April 10, 2021

Historical heritage of the city of Jeremie

                                              photo © patrice dougé All rights reserved

In addition to its architectural wealth, the historical heritage of the city of Jérémie, it’s a relatively safe environment with peaceful and welcoming communities throughout the Grand’Anse.                                                                                            

Thursday, March 25, 2021

Unknown Grave in Jeremie

                                                    photo © patrice dougé All rights reserved
 

Saturday, March 20, 2021

Jeremie, City Of Poets

                                             photo © patrice dougé All rights reserved
                                              
 As I walked along its narrow streets in the downtown area, you can feel its history. The streets are lined with French colonial buildings; some imported from Europe, built way back then when Jeremie was a prosperous picturesque province.

Monday, March 15, 2021

It turned out to be a good day after all...

photo © patrice dougé All rights reserved

 

photo © patrice dougé All rights reserved

 


photo © patrice dougé All rights reserved

 Have you ever awakened from a nap and for the first five minutes just couldn’t remember where you were, what day it was? I must have been sleeping for at least 2 hours, and then I grabbed my Canon and I did remember... photos © patrice dougé All rights reserved


 

Wednesday, March 10, 2021

Monday, March 8, 2021

International Women's Day, Haiti

photo © patrice dougé All rights reservedphoto © patrice dougé All rights reserved
 

photo © patrice dougé All rights reservedphoto © patrice dougé All rights reserved

                                                      photo © patrice dougé All rights reserved

International Women's Day is still celebrated in many countries around the world. It is a day to recognized women for their achievements. Considering the enormous wide variety of issues that challenge women in Haiti, every day is actually a great day to celebrate the inspiration and amazing strength of Haitian women. photos © patrice dougé All rights reserved

Sunday, March 7, 2021

Demonstrators take the to the streets in Port-au-Prince

photo © patrice dougé All rights reserved

Demonstrators take to the streets in Port-au-Prince, Sunday, March 7, 2021, to protest against kidnappings, corruption, and the reinstatement of a dictatorship. photo © patrice dougé All rights reserved

Sunday, May 24, 2020

A Dull Saturday afternoon in Port Au Prince

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
The intense necessity to create is an urge that comes and goes, sort of like an addiction as intense as a craving for intimacy. As I walked along Ave Christophe in Port au Prince, the soft, late afternoon sunlight set off an inward urgency to memorialized and carry forward the memory of this particularly dull afternoon.