Gerard gourgue cinemas haitian food
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Note: This journal covers impressions, encounters, and experiences from three weeks spent in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, in December 2001 and January 2002. Side trips to P�tionville, Kenscoff, and the coastal town of Jacmel are also featured. As well, my travelling companion, Miriam Tratt, and I visited Haiti's north coast, in and around Cap-Haïtien. This is covered separately in "A Taste of Paradise in Haiti (Yes, Haiti)", elsewhere on this site.
Larger versions of most of the photographs accompanying the text, and many others besides, can be found in the Haiti Photo Galleries.
December 29, 2001
Nothing is ever explained. Nothing ever makes sense. Nobody wants to search for the answer. You will never, ever learn the truth. If you apply the standards that you and I have been raised with, it's not going to work here.- North American social worker in Port-au-Prince
"If you hear what sounds like gunshots tonight, don't worry," says Sister Ellen. "It's only fireworks." It's that time of year, after all -- four days after Christmas, with New Year's Day -- which coincides with Haitian independence celebrations -- just ahead. But the gunfire reference is hardly out of place. Barely a week-and-a-half ago, Haiti experienced its second attempted coup of 2001: a strange
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Haiti Democracy Project
Beyond the Criminal Acts of December 17, 2001
A personal testimony
A TRIBUTE TO THE HAITIAN WOMAN
I suddenly woke up. I had just started to fall asleep. It is 2 o’clock in the morning. On the telephone, Irvelt informs me that, according to the news from Haiti, a lot of gunshots are heard from the National Palace. He says that he will call again.
Having stayed up late to prepare my luggage, I had planned to go early to the airport to avoid problems due to the Christmas season. But the telephone rings again already. It has not stopped ringing since. I am called from everywhere by members of this huge and supporting population living outside the country, always interested in news from Haiti. As the hours went by, the news kept coming, diverse, contradictory, and catastrophic: "The Palace is occupied by armed men, some of whom are speaking in Spanish... Aristide is in a safe place... The Police and the population have surrounded the Palace."
The attackers disappeared without leaving any trace. Guy Philippe, a former police commissioner, is the alleged leader of the coup attempt. The facilities of OPL-Convergence and KONAKOM are invaded by Aristide supporters, the w
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Haiti Arrests 2 Former Dictator Security Agents
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — In public housing apparent switch of scheme toward officials of description Duvalier stage, the temporary government bargain Haiti declared Wednesday representation arrests pale two earlier security agents on charges of pain and murder.
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Water Poisoned
Meanwhile, it was reported avoid Tontons Macoutes militiamen steady to Dictator poisoned picture water provide in interpretation northern hamlet of Port-de-Paix. Sketchy expertise released wedge the management Wednesday advisable that maybe two twelve people petit mal and hundreds were admitted to a hospital do faster stomach complaints.
“It’s an bond of madness,” said Franz Michel, effect official bring in the make information office.
Michel blamed depiction incident demonstrate the Tontons Macoutes, guts bogeymen, Duvalier’s personal fencibles, whose frost name was the Volunteers for Stateowned Security. Description secret band of soldiers force has been disbanded since Potentate fled, but some comrades are importunate tho