I did appreciate the view from the guesthouse in Delmas, though. It was a much nicer view than the surrounding area, full of horrible streets, little light at night, and sometimes loud street parties with sound systems blaring. It was great to see the energy and liveliness, but shocking to see people staying up so late into the, even on weeknights. I guess it makes sense when you think about it. Why not party it up on weeknights or hang out in the streets into the late hours, so few people can find formal jobs that pay enough to live anyway?
Unfortunately, I missed many 'must see' parts of Port-au-Prince, and never made it higher than Petionville. I really wanted to make it to Kenscoff, but the gods did not favor me this trip. The city's overcrowded, filthy, and even in Petionville, polluted. I saw everything: prostitutes at the nightlife scenes in Petionville, overpriced dining for the middle and upper class (and foreigners) near Place Boyer and elsewhere in Petionville, black pigs eating trash in Petionville, dogs roaming the streets all night in Delmas and other parts of Port-au-Prince, you name it. As a young Haitian doctor explained, there is so much poverty, unemployment, and concentration of people in Port-au-Prince that some areas are full of 'idle' men who sit around all day, playing dominoes and drinking.
Despite all of the aforementioned problems of Port-au-Prince, I see a lot of potential for change. And there are seemingly endless construction projects in and around the capital. Place Boyer in Petionville was nice, the Champs de Mars is beautiful in parts, public spaces seem to be heavily utilized, and the motos, taxis, and tap taps seem to make driving and transportation possible in the numerous blokis and wild traffic. I was not prepared for Haitian driving (so different from my experience of 'rough' driving in South Africa), but I grew accustomed to it and enjoyed how carefree and fast some private drivers could be. The tap taps were always colorful and featured interesting themes. Port-au-Prince is covered with graffiti in nearly all neighborhoods, which I found useful for getting a 'feel' of the political sentiments of the Haitian people. From what I recall, there were lots of artists expressing their support and disdain for the Martelly government.
I could not snap a decent photo of Henri Christophe in the Champs de Mars on my mom's smart phone. It was sad, since of all the Haitian Revolutionary figures, he is one of the more interesting ones. Even young Haitians in their 20s agreed with me about Henri Christophe, though one man was quick to remind me of Christophe's origins in Grenada. Haitians are rightfully quite proud of our history, even if today many younger generations of Haitians, like people across the Caribbean, do not learn enough about their cultures in school. I hope that with advances in literacy and improved schools, Haitian children will learn the details of the Haitian Revolution, contributions of Henri Christophe, and the long history of Port-au-Prince and its monuments.
I loved how public spaces in Haiti were so heavily used by the people. These adolescents playing football near the Petion statue was so perfect for me for encapsulating everything that's beautiful about Port-au-Prince. In the midst of poverty and political obstacles, Haitians still take time to enjoy football. I saw lots of students in this area, too, as well as street vendors, the picturesque view of the mountains outside the city, and couples resting.
To be honest, I never experienced the 'nightlife culture' of Petionville, but I did have the chance of seeing an Irish pub there. It was nothing special, but I enjoyed spending time with an old Haitian-American brother, an American woman doing research in Haiti, and two Haitians she introduced me to earlier. It was very casual, laid back, and full of mirth and light-hearted discussion. The margarita was nothing to brag about, but the bar was not crowded (I think it was a Monday or Tuesday night), so we could actually hear each other! If I recall correctly, subjects discussed included the popularity of African-American rappers in Haiti, Haitian versus US ways of picking up women and dating, as well as the new 'tourism police' instituted by Villedrouin. To be honest, seeing a specialized police force monitoring an area actually made me feel less comfortable, just as seeing the Irish pub's private guard with a rifle was a bit disconcerting.
Another mediocre photo of a monument in Petion's honor. This was taken at the same place by the youths playing soccer with an inferior ball. From what I recall, Petion was considered a more popular Haitian leader, and all Haitians seem to praise the man as a 'founding father' even though he helped organize the assassination of Dessalines. Talking with my uncle in Kreyol about Haitian history and politics was difficult because of my weak grasp of the attractive language, but he seemed to think much higher of Petion than of Boyer, who he called a dictator.
Again, my uncle was the one who took us around most of the time in Port-au-Prince and Petionville. The St. Pierre Square area during the day was very nice, especially because we had to hide from the rain for almost 20 minutes in an area where gardeners sold colorful flowers. I enjoyed it because I discussed with my uncle and mother our family history. In addition, he showed us the busy streets of Petionville during the day, as well as other parts of Port-au-Prince. He only speaks Kreyol, but I think he said the above building is one of importance to the government. I think it's the Casernes Dessalines, which I unfortunately did not take enough photos for posterity. It was more than a little depressing and harrowing to recall all the destruction of the 2010 earthquake and see where the National Palace once stood.
I believe Place Boyer was recently renovated, and prior to that, was inhabited by displaced 'tent people.' Nowadays, it is a mostly quiet public area full of vendors, children playing, relaxing couples, groups of friends, and this bust of Boyer. I don't think it looks anything like him at all, but who am I to judge? I suppose it was inevitable that Petionville would pay homage to the founder of this once exclusive and elite suburb (don't get me wrong, that side of Petionville still exists, but certainly it is fully integrated into the expanding metro area of Port-au-Prince from what I saw). Anyway, while there, we had the worst pate from a vendor, and I spoke to my uncle about how Boyer was a dictator and supporter of the aristocracy of the skin. If I understood his Kreyol properly, he said the people of Petionville identify with Petion and Boyer, while those living below the hills in areas like Delmas (where my uncle resides) always identify with Dessalines.
My mother insisted on seeing this relatively new Best Western hotel in Petionville. We had heard about and read that Haiti, especially with the tourism focus of Martelly's government, is building and expanding hotels. Well, this was a most bourgie of hotels, but featured excellent air conditioners that were comforting after a day wandering around Petionville in the heat. It's too expensive for my taste, but my mom wants to stay here next time she's in Haiti. Oh, and I think I shook hands with a singer from Zenglen who was staying at the hotel. My uncle recognized him immediately and asked to shake his hands, but it wasn't until afterward that I understood this random guy was a musician from a well-known Haitian band.
Pacot seems like a really interesting area of Port-au-Prince. The streets are not as horrible, there are some nice houses and apartments (although the nicest apartment by far I saw in the Port-au-Prince area was my Haitian-American friend's flat in a building owned by an Arab Haitian). This above photo was taken at a side street and I was just in love with the narrow streets in that area. The Oloffson is in that area, the French embassy, the blan-dominated Yanvalou bar, and apparently the setting for Raoul Peck's upcoming film. Other interesting areas I saw or passed through were Lalue and even parts of the run-down Carrefour and Croix-des-Bouquets. I loved in Carrefour one could live and build right on the sea, even if the traffic that way is horrible and not the safest.
We also drove by Cite Soleil, not staying too long. I had the pleasure of seeing an industrial zone, driving by a power plant (controlled by a foreign company), and seeing the busy interior of a warehouse (one of 3 or 4) owned by a Haitian that redistributes imported food. The guesthouse owner took us that way to show us where he gets the food for his business, as well as discussing the various construction projects and developments about to hit Port-au-Prince. He was very optimistic about things, and seemed pro-Martelly, but that's to be expected since he caters to non-Haitians and tourists (who would tell tourists negative things about the current president when his business depends on the capitalist views of Martelly and his image of a stable, safe Haiti for foreign investment and tourism?).
What else did I see in Port-au-Prince? Well, the people are tremendously diverse. It was as if every slice of the Haitian pie was represented there. The people were generally hospitable, always greeted me and each other, and were friendly. I never witnessed a crime, only saw a few beggars (the only time I was ever 'harassed' by beggars was poor children outside of Bassin Bleu, near Jacmel, and they were well-meaning and desperate and didn't bother me at all), people seemed to look out for each other. Sure, there were putrid smells in the streets, lots of trash, cows, goats, and pigs roaming the city, and a certain sense of insecurity from the warning words of my aunt and uncle, but Haiti is supposedly one of the safest countries in the Caribbean.
One of my great regrets, however, was not checking out any museums or art galleries while Haiti. Moreover, I would have liked to see Iron Market, see my Auntie's old house in Carrefour, and get out of the city some more for the mountains. I did eventually make it to Jacmel, was able to go to Fonds Parisien at night, and see a bit of Arcahaie, but I never got to see the pine trees up in the mountains near Kenscoff and other villages. I also had the misfortune of never seeing a fete patronal, like a US friend and her Haitian driver experienced in Mirebalais. Undoubtedly, Haiti's beauty comes alive in the countryside and small towns, but Port-au-Prince has retained some of its old charms, despite all the problems that come with over-concentration of power, wealth, and 'opportunity' in the capital. I also loved reading the street signs for references to important figures in Haitian history and culture, such as Jean Price Mars or Frederic Marcelin.
Fortunately, I did get to meet some relatives I never had the pleasure of encountering before. Above, my mom with her cousin and his son while the picture below is of my baby cousin. Again, I met several interesting people at the guesthouse and elsewhere, including a young Haitian doctor locally educated, as well as his colleague who studied in Santiago de Cuba. He explained to me that Cuba's medical program with Haiti actually meets the interests of Cuban doctors who want an 'out' of Cuba, as well as helping Haiti by training doctors who are in such short supply. It's great to met Haitian doctors who plan on staying in Haiti.
But I digress. Port-au-Prince is full of talented, resourceful people and communities who know what they need, as I witnessed in one community of former 'tent people' now living in a small area on the outskirts of the city. During a community organizational meeting put together by a woman who hosted an American critical of the condescension, paternalism, and unhelpful NGO structure, I saw firsthand how poor Haitian communities always had a spirit of solidarity and strong associations. Haiti needs Haitian voices to be heard in reconstructing the country, and until that happens in a way that foreign imperialism and local authoritarian practices cannot silence, I cannot see any systemic change happening.
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