Port au Prince lost many of its architectural landmarks in the earthquake.  One of these was the Iron Market.  While the market was hot and crowded, it was also full of energy.  One cannot help but miss it.  Half of the market was for vendors selling Vodoun flags, paintings and other works of art.  The other side was an entrepeneurial free for all where you could find just about anything.  The CNN article below notes that, while it will take years, the Iron Market will be rebuilt.  Hopefully it will be bigger, stronger, and safer.         

“Are you a Missionary?  What is Your Religion?”  Two common enough questions when Haitians are getting to know foreigners.  Haiti is a religious country and even the smallest villages have multiple churches if not a library or a clinic.  While every imaginable denomination has a presence in Haiti, Catholicism, Protestantism, and Vodoun form an uneasy trinity.   Haitian Vodoun is a vibrant, fascinating religion.  One need not be a Vodouisant to experience it, appreciate it, and learn from it. Read more »

The Cine Institute is Haiti's only film school.  Its students have produced everything from commericals to documentaries.  The Institute, which is in Jacmel, took heavy losses during the earthquake but continued to operate. The students produced video reports, assisted visiting journalists, and helped distribute relief supplies.  Click here to see video clips of the students in action and reporting on the earthquake's consequences for Jacmel.  As Annie Nocenti, a Cine Institute instructor puts it, "We were a film school until yesterday. Our new mission is to do recovery stories...hopefully stories of Haitians rebuilding."  Below is a thank you letter from the Institute to its partners.
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Although one would not know it from most mass media coverage of Haiti, it is a beautiful, little country.  For that reason, I was happy to read Amy Wilentz's excellent article in Conde Naste.  She describes her own love affair with Haiti and then lists where a person can stay and play.  As I read it, I thought of all the things I miss about Haiti - the sandy beaches, drinking rum punch, listening to racine music, going to vodoun ceremonies, napping on straw mats, talking on porches, as well as the countryside camraderie and never-ending jokes and pranks.  For some, it is time to visit Haiti for the first time.  For many of us, it is time to go back.            Read more »

Haiti’s walls are falling down! Only to be built back up according to the ordinance of 2 meters from the street. Correct an aggressive public works project has been underway in the capital now for about a year, creating new public space, reducing the risk of clipping pedestrians, and bringing a new feel to corners of Port that haven’t existed for generations. Read more »

Art is the medium through which some first come to know Haiti, and for others, to know Haiti better.  Haitian art is too expansive to be confined to shops and galleries – it is found on public transport, on the walls, in churches and Vodoun peristyles alike.  Art is Haiti's only inexhaustible resource.  When others use the tired phrase "Haiti - the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere", let us counter that Haiti is the culturally richest country in the Western Hemisphere instead. Read more »

It is not easy to find a library in Haiti. The Fondation Connaissance & Liberté (FOKAL) wants to change that. FOKAL  supports 35 community libraries throughout Haiti.  FOKAL also supports arts and culture programming, a debate program, grassroots initiatives, a preschool program and even water projects.  FOKAL staff will speak at the Library of Congress in Washington DC on June 10th.  If you do not live in the Washington DC area, you can catch the live webcast.   In the meantime,take a look at their website to learn more about this organiztion.  Education is fundamental to solving Haiti’s economic, environmental, and health related challenges. Read more »

The Haitian Education and Leadership Program (HELP) will be holding a Haitian Art Auction on Friday, November 9th.  The location will be the Prince George Ballroom at 15 East 27th St (between fifth and Madison). 

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