Magic Haiti - 7th edition

MARCH 2012

THE IRON MARKET

A LANDMARK MUSEE DU PANTHEON NATIONALE

A LINK TO HISTORY LYONEL TROUILLOT

THE GODFATHER CHRISTELLE PAUL

DARING TO BE DIFFERENT A DAY AT THE IRON MARKET

Editor’s Note Dear Readers, As we wrap up the March issue, most Haitians are just getting over the hype of the first national carnival held in Les Cayes. It was a success and is still at the tip of everyone’s tongue.

So now that the festivities have ended, it’s time to chill out. In this issue we offer several diversions that can keep you entertained. Such a wide range of options are available, from taking a stroll through the Iron Market, to visiting the Musée du Pantheon National Haïtien (MUPANAH) and seeing some of the jewels of Haitian history. If you love nature, waterfalls and good food than Le Toit Blanc is just right for you. Or, if you really want to unwind, head to Le Recul in the small town of Camp-Perrin.

The goal of the magazine is to promote local tourism by encouraging foreign professionals residing in Haïti for whatever length of time, Haitians living in the Diaspora visiting family and friends, as well as locals, to explore and discover the depth and breadth of Haïti. Our country is rich in culture and more specifically in the arts.

Admittedly, Haïti may not be the island that comes to mind when planning a magical Caribbean getaway for rest and relaxation or just a simple vacation, but reconsider and you will be pleasantly surprised.

I encourage you to simply Discover Haïti and experience the Magic!

Roxane Kerby

MAGIC HAITI

MARCH 2012

Words in Print 22

Why Haiti ?

Shelley Clay An Apparent Connection to Haiti

Spotlight 10 33

The Iron Market: A Landmark Patrice Dougé Capturing the Essence of Haiti

Executive Editor Roxane Kerby 509 3492 2289 roxanekerby@magichaiti.com Managing Editor Nastasia Boulos Copy Editor Kristina Delatour

The Godfather

20

4 16 36 7 46 27 23

Artmosphere Christelle Paul: Daring to be Different Building with Trash Fils Lafleur Beading his Way to the Top

Contributors Maureen Boyer Farah Doura Rachele Viard Kassandra Elizée Taïna Mayard Joanne Cantave Gousse Alain Menelas Kristine Belizaire Christina Jean-Louis Angela Galbreath Smith Joseph Graphic Designers Rody Victor Clarens Courtois Senior Photographer Frederick Alexis Photographer Homère Cardichon Ludmillo D. Pierre Printed by L’ Imprimeur SA Publisher Le Nouvelliste Advertising

Escapade Recule un peu, take a step back

+509 2816-0224 / 2941-4646 publicite@lenouvelliste.com

Cover Photo by Frederick Alexis

The Palm Inn Hotel :The best of both worlds

Postcard in Motion Musee du Pantheon Nationale: A Link To History

facebook.com/magichaiti

www.magichaiti.com

Heartbeat You need some Eksperyans

product of

potentialities. We are paving the right road and yes Haiti ap Dekole.

I implore you to visit our improved website at haititourisme.gouv.ht to better understand and appreciate the” Plan Directeur Tourisme.”

D

ear Readers,

It is always my pleasure to share the progress of the Ministry of Tourism. In fact, I must say that the accomplishments to date, like those of our country, can’t be done individually but rather as a team. I must thank each and every one of my staff as well as the collaborative efforts of all the other Ministers, their staff and the government as a whole.

The month of March will be equally demanding and will require innovative practices for effective implementation of various initiatives that will enable us to implement effective and sustainable projects. The success of the National Carnival in Les Cayes has had a multiplier effect, it has proven that undertaking a challenging task with a professional team can be achievable, it has also proven that ambitious goals are within our reach and more importantly attainable. Though not an easy feat, yet with planification, the appropriate human resource pool, and suitable partnerships we can with certitude rebuild our beloved Haiti. Mr. Jacques Séguéla, the great European publicist, visited major parts of our country to assess the

As far as the North Region, specifically Cap Haitian, to ensure preservation, the management unit for the National Historic Park has been created. The thousands of guests from the Cruise ships will have the opportunity to visit and explore the Great Citadelle, the Palais Sans Soucis in Milo and take advantage of admiring and acquiring local arts and crafts in the boutiques and souvenirs shops specifically implemented for the excursionists.

On behalf of the Ministry of Tourism , I am always proud to share with you our ambassadors, our progress and to demonstrate that our quote is more than just words “Haiti is open for business and Tourism leads the way!”

Have a great month and keep on promoting our beloved Haiti Cherie.

Mrs. Stephanie Balmir Villedrouin Minister of Tourism

Artmosphere

Christelle Paul

Daring to beDifferent

By Christina Jean-Louis Photos by Frederick Alexis

S

tirred by the timeless beauty of the Haitian people and the refined nature of haute couture, Christelle Paul, the founder of Atelier Calla, has brought something quite different to the market. After attending Femme en Production, an annual women’s trade fair, in 2006, Paul was motivated when she saw the transformative value of women partaking in the promotion of Haiti’s creative industry. It was then that she chose to take the leap of faith and let her creative juices flow to add a distinctive contribution of her own.

“I tried to create something different,” she says. “I enjoy making bulky accessories, in sizes that were never used before. For instance rings were always very small and petite, I started offering pieces that were more dramatic in terms of fashion. I’m very proud to say that I brought something unique in that sector.” Indeed, Paul has been recognized as one of Haiti’s best female artisans in Femme Creation & Production 2011, an international trade fair, where she was recognized as one of the top ten most prominent women artisans in the country.

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Her unparalleled passion for design was nursed in her early teens. Exposed to the aesthetics and craftsmanship of various artisans around the world through her travels, she developed an admiration for quality, a keen eye for detail, and an appreciation for unique designs. In 2006, she launched Atelier Calla, where she currently produces various pieces including jewelry and home accessories.

Paul’s exceptional creations, which are now sold at a variety of boutiques in Pétion-Ville, mirror the love and commitment she has for her country. At Atelier Calla, she glamorously fuses local materials, notably the cow horn, to create unique pieces of jewelry, dinnerware, and home accessories.

Although it was once as popular as plastic, the cow horn is becoming less and less available within the local market, making her pieces all the more valuable. She also uses wood, various gemstones, and other local material when needed or to add that special touch.

“I have been very lucky, I am continually encouraged and receive support from strong women who believe in my products and never allow me to get discouraged. Danielle St. Lot, founder of Femme en Democracie, and Pascale Théard have been pillars in this endeavor,” says Paul. “They introduced me to Donna Karan in July 2011 .” As a result of this meeting, and thanks to continued motivation from St. Lot, Théard, her husband, and her friends, she was propelled to stop outsourcing

MARCH 2012 MAGIC HAITI 5

and to hire five artisans so that she could be in control of the craftsmanship process from beginning to end.

Her commitment to excellence and constant eagerness to enhance her products sets her apart from her peers. Paul has recently invested in machinery, which more delicately refines the pieces, all of which were until recently shaped and polished by hand.

She has also started analyzing the international market and is looking to gain traction and interest from the outside, because, “the more interest there is, the more competitive we become,” she states. Competition amongst horn artisans is fierce around the world, especially in Asian countries, and because of this

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she is working very hard to ensure that all of her products are the very finest they can be.

Christelle Paul’s legacy won’t fall far from the tree.

Atelier Calla may well become a family enterprise since her youngest child, Léa, is handson, curious about this craft,

and has begun to assemble bits and pieces here and there.

Paul’s products are available in a few boutiques in Petion Ville including Rapadou at 15 Rue Gabart, Tel: 509-3651-5634 & 5093458-4882 and Atelier Canush at 32 Rue Faubert, Tel: 509-3638-5502

Escapade

Recule un peu

Take a step back L

e Recul Hotel, located about five minutes away from the entrance of Camp-Perrin (near Les Cayes), faithfully mirrors the Southern town’s reputation for peacefulness. Loosely translated as “taking a step back,” Le Recul offers its guests the opportunity to do just that: to move away from the crazy and sometimes unpredictable life of Port-au-Prince, or anywhere in

the world for that matter. “This is not just a hotel,” claims renowned journalist and owner Valery Numa, “this is a place of escape.”

Indeed, as soon as you cross the gate, it is clear that the space carries a natural feel; plants are omnipresent and all the original fruit trees of the property have been kept and integrated in the décor. The hotel

MARCH 2012

was built to complement the landscape, not the other way around. Here, nothing is created, nothing is lost, everything is transformed. A fine line of lacework of wood adorns the building’s concrete structures, perfectly blending the modern and the old, and lending a gingerbread taste to it (architecturally of course). Inside, a pleasant lobby decorated with various local paintings and comfortable seating, welcomes you.

Inaugurated in 2008 with 12 rooms, today, Le Recul Hotel offers 24 air-conditioned rooms, 10 doubles and 14 singles in its main building. They are all equipped with hot and 8 MAGIC HAITI MARCH 2012

cold water, a phone, a television with international channels, and Wi-Fi internet; basically all the modern amenities that will make your room a comfortable one.

“A lot of emphasis is put on the common areas. Le Recul is not just a lodge, it is also a place to meet people and interact” says Numa. In the backyard, three spacious Gazebos add an exotic feel to the pool area; one can sit and enjoy the soft breeze or the sun after a swim, or simply relax. A lounge stands on the other side; the flat screen television, the soft music and a nice bar will make most nights extremely pleasant. A

san (which dates back to the colonial period), as well as a variety of other lakes and natural sites.

The crisp cool breezes of Camp-Perrin, widely known as yon ti kote apa (a place of its own), add to the appeal of a spot that will undeniably charm all guests and visitors.

Nowhere in Haiti will you find a more wholesome opportunity for tranquility than within the walls of Le Recul Hotel, one of the most peaceful retreats the country has to offer.

small dining area serves the most exquisite local and national dishes for guests.

Opposite of the main hotel, an annex was built with 15 additional rooms, eight of which became functional this past February. This new addition also houses an open-air restaurant (open to the public) with a seating capacity for 80 people and a modern conference room. But it doesn’t stop there; plans are already being made for the construction of a guesthouse in the same area.

Yet here, it is the quality of the service that matters more than anything else. “The philosophy of Le Recul is not just to entice people to come, but to ensure that they come back” states Numa emphatically. A welcoming staff stands 24/7 to attend to a guest’s every need; from the kitchen chef to the room service staff, everyone is at the customer’s disposal. Remarkably, when making a reservation, one can even communicate his particular likes and/or dislikes and

the hotel staff will take note and ensure that appropriate individuals are aware. Le Recul has garnered a reputation based on its commitment to satisfy each and every guest.

Le Recul Hotel is also involved in the community where it is located; it brought electricity to the area and strongly supports the local churches. Yes, the goal of the hotel is to make every guest happy but also to give back to Camp-Perrin, the town of about 50,000 where the owner was raised. Most of the food served at the hotel is bought at the local market, hence boosting economic opportunities for local farmers.

Around the hotel and in neighboring communes, there are a variety of excursions possible. This area has some of the most beautiful natural sites. You can visit the Saut-Mathurine waterfall, which provides energy to a major part of the town.

Although the hike can be a bit bumpy, the breathtaking view of Haiti’s largest

waterfall is well worth the trip. Or you can head to the Kounoubois caves in Levy, the Canal d’Avezac in Mer-

Le Recul Hotel is located at 24, Route de Mersan, Camp-Perrin, Haiti. For more information you can contact them at 3454-0027 / 3785-0027 or visit www.lereculhotel.com

JANUARY 2012 MAGIC HAITI 9

Spotlight

The Iron Market

I

A Landmark By Kristine Belizaire |

t was supposed to be a train station in Cairo, Egypt. It turned out to be a huge and beloved bazaar in the commercial district 10 MAGIC HAITI MARCH 2012

of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, at times packed with nearly a thousand merchants selling art, pigeons, chicken, herbs, potions, perfumes, produce, and cheap Chi-

nese housewares. Indeed, the Iron Market, or Le MarchĂŠ en Fer, is both a historical and architectural Haitian landmark.

The vibrant red building,

Photos by Frederick Alexis complete with a clock tower and minarets, is filled with the aroma of fresh spices. Over 900 vendors now use it to earn a living by selling arts and crafts,

fresh fruit and vegetables, dry spices and even beauty products. All around the market, vendors and their clients haggle over prices, both trying to get the best deal.

Built in the 1890s in France, the market, also known as Marché Hyppolite, was intended to be a railway station in Cairo. When the Egyptian deal fell through, Haitian President Florvil Hyppolite purchased it as part of his plan to modernize Port-au-Prince in 1891. For 119 years, it served as an important cultural and economic center in the city.

A 2008 fire but the subsequent January 2010 earthquake decimated the market, and, since its full restoration less than a year later, it has once again become a hive of economic activity. The rebuilding project

was funded and overseen by Denis and Catherine O’Brien personally, and is valued at US$12 million. Denis O’Brien is Chairman of the privately owned Digicel Group, one of the fastest growing mobile operators in the world and the single largest private investor in Haiti. The Market is the first public building to be fully restored since the devastating quake. The official opening of the re-constructed building took place on January 1, 2011.

Present at the ceremony were former United States President Bill Clinton and the Mayor of Port- au-Prince, Muscadin Jean-Yves Jason.

Many of the current vendors had stands in the Iron Market for years prior to the earthquake. One of these vendors is Marie-Therese, a woman who makes her living selling fresh spices, such as cinnamon, star anise, and fresh chocolate at her stand. “I have been a merchant ever since I

was a young girl,” she says as she arranges her spices into neat piles. “For a while I had to sell outside the market, but it is much better to have an indoor place to work in.” Despinace Lubert, a merchant who sells Haitian paintings and handcrafted woodwork says that after the earthquake, many of the vendors had to go sell in the provinces or in the outskirts of Port au Prince. He is glad to have been able to stay.

“I have been here a long time, and I am still here because of the possibilities that it gives me,” he states.

While walking though the market, it is impossible not to be impressed with the architecture. The wall of the North Market is made completely of local bricks, which have been recycled from buildings that were damaged or destroyed in the 2010 earthquake. The bricks used in the Clock Tower walls are those from the origiMARCH 2012 MAGIC HAITI 11

nal building, and the clay tiles on the symbolic Clock Tower roof were reproduced by the French maker of the original 1891 tiles.

The original clocks were irreparable, and are now replaced with an almost identical, though more modern, clock that is backlit

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so that it can be seen at night. Energy is supplied by 533 solar panels, making the market the largest solar installation in the Caribbean. In a word, it is breathtaking.

So, for a taste of Haiti’s history, or to buy some of those souvenirs you’ve been

meaning to purchase, head over to the largest and most popular commercial wonderland in the country!

The Marché en Fer is located at the corner of Grand Rue & Rue des Fronts Forts, Port-au-Prince

MARCH 2012 MAGIC HAITI 13

Lamanjay

Rose Marie Saint Fleur

LeToit Blanc Feasting by the Waterfalls

By Taïna Mayard | Photos by Homere Cardichon

O

nce upon a time in a land far, far away, there was a sacred waterfall with powers rumored to soothe the soul. Near it was a place just as striking with powers known to soothe the tummy.

Located in the town of Mirebalais, are the imposing waterfalls of Saut d’Eau, and less than a five minute walk from these imposing cascades is the newly opened

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gem of a restaurant “Le Toit Blanc.”

As you might have guessed by now, it isn’t really that far away.

It is a mere two hour drive from the capital towards the center of Haiti. This area in particular provides you with such a disconnection from your daily routine, that it might as well be miles and miles away from everything. Literally! And what you will encounter in this region, are a lot of friendly

faces ready to welcome you and ready to ensure that you have fun new experiences.

Owner of Le Toit Blanc, Rose Marie Saint Fleur is one of them. During a visit to Saut d’Eau in 2009, Saint Fleur was totally appalled.

She felt that this area was a far too beautiful place to be experienced without a venue which complemented the atmosphere and offered an array of equally appealing assortment of food and drinks. Viginia M. Heublein, and Daniel Heublein, Saint Fleur’s daughter and son in law joined forces which led to the inauguration of the restaurant on September 11th of last year (2011).

Though this date is classically symbolic of catastrophic events, the atmosphere of the restaurant will convince you otherwise.

The backdrop is one of a peaceful gingerbread house surrounded by a rather large yard and bordered by an all around terrace. Inside the house, straight ahead are the restrooms and a staircase leading to the second floor.

On the right, there is a souvenir shop and on the left is the kitchen, where Rose Marie spends most of her time, making sure all the dishes and drinks are prepared just right and in a timely manner. Engineer, Guillaume Fauber, also added artisanal accents such as wood lace around the roof and raw cedar wood at the bar. His goal was to mirror the adjoining setting. He succeeded. The restaurant is situated on top of a mountain, set in an environment caressed

by the sounds of a scenic waterscape.

It offers a variety of delicious Creole dishes every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 11 am to 6 pm. Every month, aside from the weekend routine, Le Toit Blanc invites you to experience the luxury of an even further getaway into a totally different culture. The escape extends to numerous exotic countries around the world including Brazil, Mexico, Italy, Madagascar… you name it.

This past November, my boyfriend and I were taken to the beautiful and sensual country of Brazil. Or should I say, Brazil was brought to us through the tastes of Samba music and the rhythm of Brazilian delicacies.

The day started with succulent appetizers. From the Brazilian Coxinhas de Galinha to the Haitian Accras, our taste buds were pleasantly tickled. Then, we were joined by an interac-

tive and colorful troop that performed a Brazilian-style dance. Aila, an international choreographer, led them. If that wasn’t enough, the fun continued with a tempting Brazilian buffet. The assortment comprised of authentic churrasco, fejoida, drinks such as the delicious Batida de Maracuja and luscious desserts like the brigadeiro.

Hmm, Hmm, Goooddd!!!

Even if you were not part of the crowd on the Brazilian day, I’m sure it will comfort you to know that this month

also, and every other month for that matter, you too can have the opportunity to experience an exotic day at Le Toit Blanc. Rose Marie and her staff regularly organize this special type of excursion to other parts of the globe.

The goal is to “satisfy tastes and taste buds from all over the world” So come on and visit the natural environment and the sacred waterfall. But really, stay for the gob smacking gastronomic experience at Le Toit Blanc.

MARCH 2012 MAGIC HAITI

Artmosphere

By Smith Joseph

Photos by Homère Cardichon

G

Building with Tras h

16 MAGIC HAITI MARCH 2012

ary Pierre Charles first learned of the Earthship Biotecture concept while studying in Mexico. It was developed by Michael Reynolds, an American architect who builds structures utilizing everyday trash items like aluminum cans, plastic bottles and used tires. Reynolds has been a critic of the profession of architecture for its failure to deal with the amount of waste that building design creates. Thus, instead of using conventional (and energy-consuming) recycling methods, he takes the discarded items and recycles them as-is.

“I was the first person to really build using Reynolds’ technique in Haiti,” Pierre Charles says. “I needed to make a small room for the security guards on my property, so I thought ‘Why not use tires?’” And so the artistarchitect built a small fortlike structure in front of his house, using nothing but spare tires. “I put a value to the worn out tires,” he tells me with a hint of pride.

He has been developing

my hands,” the architect testifies, as he heartily explains the process. First is the collection process; he goes around to different areas of the city to collect the tires. He obtains them mostly from tire repairers. Then, as soon as he gets to his workshop, he and his team start to carve the tires out with knives. They also use recycled bottles and cardboard. They add small pieces of metal, like used grills, on the inside while they are plastering it with cement. The team uses oil painting as additive to make the rubber more resistant. And lastly, his craft for three years now, chiseling discarded tires to produce comfortable chairs and tables, swings, small houses, amongst other things. He has also expanded the process to create decorative pieces that are, for the most part, influenced by Haitian nature. He makes, for example, a collection of different species of local birds like pipirite rivière, tacot, zèl louvri, or kanson rougea rare tropical bird symbolizing the Haitian flag. His workshop is more of a giant rubber sculpture garden, complete with palm trees and benches.

As can be imagined, working with tires demands lots of physical strength. “I get so many blisters on

colorful paint is sometimes added to the finished product.

But the friendly 50-year old Pierre Charles does not want to stop at building a few houses or decorations. To him, this new technique can be an alternative for rebuilding Haiti, a country to which he has always felt a strong attachment. Even while living in Mexico, “Haiti was always present in my mind,” he says. He then begins to enthusiastically enumerate the various advantages of this technique.

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You don’t burn the tires, which eliminates pollution and keeps the air healthier.

Scrapped tires lying around on the streets are not exactly pleasing to the eyes, they’re very unattractive. Making use of them provides jobs for the people of Haiti, while also helping to clean the cities. And more importantly, it is economical. Scrap tires can be found anywhere, thus significantly reducing the cost of construction. “To build a carapace house (a house designed for four people that can easily adapt to every type of grounds), for example, you will need about 400 tires. It is strong and meets international seismic building codes. You can move it easily. It’s a very economical house and an interesting product,” he adds.

When Pierre Charles started in this line of work, many were incredulous as to whether it would be appreciated.

“My own mother thought that I was completely insane”, he states. And yet, three years later, it is catching on. At the 2011 Artisanat en Fete (an annual artisan fair), he was named artisan of the year.

Now, he is proposing to

implement a new concept named Decoarteur, which is a way of ‘beautifying’ a city by turning its trash into something else: art, damns, bridges, gardens,…and the list goes on. Gardening with recycled tires, for example,

has many benefits, one of which is that tires contain zinc, an essential plant element. He has already made use of this architectural concept in a pilot program with the MINUSTAH, the UN peacekeeping force in Haiti, by using tires as a dam in a ravine to slow down the flow of water.

Rebuilding and embellishing a city or a country using trash may seem like a crazy idea. But Gary Pierre Charles, who is capable of making anything artistic, truly believes it is possible and practical. “As a pioneer, I must knock down barriers, and make people believe in the seemingly impossible,” he admits.

Gary Pierre Charles’ workshop is located at 111, Rue Villate, Pétion Ville. For more information, you can email him at gapicha@yahoo.com

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MONDAY LUNCHBOX

Salads, Sandwiches & Sushi 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Open Daily for Lunch L’Esplanade | 2 Rue Darguin, PV lunchboxhaiti@gmail.com 4 412-3138 / 3 761-0012

WEDNESDAY LE COIN DES ARTISTES Dinner with Live Band

6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

Daily Lunch Special - 300 Gdes

Open for Lunch & Dinner 59. Rue Panamericaine. PV 3 747 1163

THURSDAY CAFE TERRASSE

FRIDAY KAY ATIZAN

Dinner Troubadour w/ Ti Coca 8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.

Gdes Daily Lunch Special - 300

Open Daily for Lunch & Dinner 43. Rue Magny. PV 3 723 3571 / 3 452 1772

SATURDAY LE P’TIT CREUX Local Buffet & Live Music

Noon – 4:00 p.m.

Open Daily for Breakfast & Lunch 87, Rue Rebecca, PV 2942 3892 / 2942 3893

SUNDAY LA RESERVE BBQ Buffet

1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Salad Bar Monday to Friday, Noon - 4:00 p.m.

Open Daily

for Lunch & Dinner 2, Rue Marcel Toureau, Berthé, PV 2940 0190

SUNDAY CAFÉ DE L’EUROPE Brunch

11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Saturday Live Sax Player Friday Tapas Night with Troubadour 17. Rue Mangonès. Berthé. PV 3 406 8525 / 3 464 0468

SUNDAY LE TOIT BLANC

Lamb Couscous

SUNDAY LE FLORVILLE

11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Salad Bar & Dinner

FREE WIFI

Visit Saut d’Eau & have Brunch

Lunch & Dinner Special

Open Daily for Lunch & Dinner 81, Rue Gregoire, PV 2944 1313 / 3415 9184

Brunch

Open Saturdays 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Route du Saut # 22 4 408-0824

Dinner 1:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Featuring Mais Moulin

Djon djon

Open Daily for Lunch & Dinner Kenscoff 3551 3535 / 3449 6161

Words in Print

“You are nothing when you write.

Your writing becomes everything.”

S

By Nastasia Boulos | Photos by AFP & Ludmillo Pierre 20 MAGIC HAITI MARCH 2012

itting in a small outside classroom in a dusty part of town, a glass of whiskey in one hand, and a cigarette in the other, Lyonel Trouillot does not appear to be a best-selling, awardwinning author. But as he speaks, the concise manner in which he expresses every thought, idea, or valuable piece of knowledge he tries to impart on his students, leaves no room to doubt that he is, in fact, a literary genius.

Or, as one journalist puts it, ‘the godfather of Haitian literature.’ Indeed, Trouillot has not just been successful as an author. He has become an important voice for social justice and democracy, and a central figure in the promotion of literature and of young writers in Haiti.

Trouillot returned to his native Haiti at the age of nineteen, at a time when many were fleeing the repression under the Duvalier regime.“ I just felt it was the thing to do. I had a need to know my country,” he says. He remembers leaving the country at fourteen, after years of living a very sheltered life. “When I moved back, I discovered so many things. I learned about life in the poorer towns, about Haitian art and life, and about this overwhelming sense of social injustice that predominates here.”

Though he studied law to please his parents, and even worked as an immigration lawyer for two years in Florida, his love of Haiti and of literature, and his strong social conscience, rapidly caught up to him. “I wanted to bring about change. And I knew that I wasn’t going to do that from abroad.” He worked with several newspapers and magazines in Haiti and in the Diaspora, published many poems in Kreyol, and even wrote lyrics for artists like Tambou Libète or Manno Charlemagne. In one year spent working at Le Matin newspaper, Trouillot reviewed a total of 50 Haitian books.

“It was a way of promoting Haitian literature,” he says. “Of giving it a certain degree of visibility.”

“I have no memory of myself not writing or reading,” he tells me. His first book, Les Fous de Saint Antoine (1989), was partly based on his hometown.

Though the book received positive reviews, one particular critic was not pleased. “My mother hated it,” he explains, laughing. “She thought I was

wrongly portraying Saint Antoine, because that wasn’t the way she remembered it. I pleaded and tried to explain that things had changed, but she wouldn’t have it. ‘He was

always a liar this one,’ she’d say.

‘He’s been lying since he was six years old!’ Of course, writing, to her, was a way of lying.”

But Trouillot kept writing; about the marginalized, about

the young, about injustice, and about violence. In 1998, his book Rue des Pas Perdus was picked up by a French publishing company, Actes Sud. The novel, which depicts a night of chaos in modern-day Port-auPrince and recalls hundreds of years of brutality stretching back even before the birth of Haiti in the fires of revolution, became the first in a series of his books to be published internationally. “With impressive originality and touching immediacy,” one critic wrote, “Trouillot explored the nature of political oppression, memory, and truth.” This short description could be applied to much of his writing.

His political and social activism was not only restricted to books, however. From an early age, Trouillot was actively involved in struggles for democracy. He wrote a series of editorials denouncing the Duvalier dictatorship, and then the Jean-

MARCH 2012 MAGIC HAITI 21

Save more, do more

22 MAGIC HAITI MARCH 2012

Bertand Aristide government in the 1990s, and never stopped portraying what he saw as a predatory oligarchy holding the country hostage. Back in 2004, he wrote a book dedicated to ‘those who took to the streets.’

The novel, title Bicentennaire, tells the story of a young man that takes part in violent student demonstrations near the Presidential Palace in Port-au-Prince.

What is most impressive about this author, though, is his overwhelming desire and willingness to share his love and knowledge of literature. A member of Atelier Jeudi Soir, a writing and literature workshop he runs every Thursday night, said it best. “If there’s one thing I can say about Lyonel, it is that he is the most generous with his knowledge, he is not hesitant to teach others what he knows.”

He loves it, in fact. “I think one of the things I love most in life is seeing a piece of writing start taking shape and talent being developed,” he once wrote to me. “That’s what the workshop is about; each person finding the ‘text’ within him, her, without any set ways of doing it.” He tells me, with pride, about a student who joined five years ago. “I thought to myself, this guy will never write. And now he just published his first novel and received positive reviews.”

The avid reader (and beach lover) is also Chairman of Etonnants Voyageurs- Haiti, an International Literature Festival. “What opportunity does a young man in the provinces have to meet a well-established author?” he says. “Abroad, when you speak about Haitian literature, four or five names come up. But here it’s amazing to see how many Haitian writers there actually are. There is

so much potential. So it was also a way of promoting Haitian writers, of putting them in touch with contemporary literature.” During this year’s festival, held February 1-4, authors were able to speak to about 3,000 students.

When I first met Lyonel, as he insists on being called, it was at the Centre Culturel Anne Marie Morisset, a cultural center he set up with his sisters and named after his mother. The center regularly hosts social-cultural activities for the members of the community, and provides them with a well-stocked library. Trouillot himself even teaches a class on Baton Haitien, a form of Haitian martial arts.

I asked him then, as he showed me around the center, why he only writes about Haiti.

“It’s not a conscience choice,” he explained. “I write what I see and hear, and what I enjoy writing.”

But, he insisted, “it is not necessarily what we write about that makes a novel universal or not.

It is how it’s written, how well this reality that we write about is conveyed to the reader.” His books have been translated in a number of languages. Evidently, the Haitian reality he portrayed was well-conveyed.

A dying uncle in his latest novel, La Belle Amour Humaine, says: “One day, you too will die.

When your hour comes, ask yourself the question that does matter: ‘Did I make noble use of my presence in this world?’”

When it comes to Haiti’s literary and social world, Trouillot, the ‘man of words’, can answer, without fear: yes.

Lyonel Trouillot’s books can be found online at amazon.com or at any bookstore in the Port-auPrince metropolitan area.

Heartbeat

You need some

Eksperyans Boukman Eksperyans

T

By Farah Doura | Photos by Homere Cardichon

heodore “Lòlò” Beaubrun and his wife Mimrose founded Boukman Eksperyans in 1978.

They had a desire to venture into new territory, and wanted to create music that combined Haitian culture and its African elements. So with a group of other musicians, they helped launch the mizik rasin (roots music) revolution in Haiti, combining

the Voodoo ceremonial and folk music traditions with modern rock and reggae in order to form a beautifully layered hybrid. They also wanted the name of their band to be symbolic.

The first part of the band’s name was inspired by voodoo priest, Dutty Boukman, who led a ceremony that is considered to be the start of the Haitian revolution. And Eksperyans

(Kreyol for ‘experience’) is not only a tribute to Jimmy Hendrix but it is also practice of love, truth and justice.

The son of a famous Haitian comedian, Lòlò states that Bob Marley was a major source of inspiration for him. Lòlò saw the famed reggae man in concert in 1976 and thought to himself that if Marley could share the Jamaican culture with the world, then

MARCH 2012 MAGIC HAITI 23

why couldn’t he do the same with Haiti? It is shortly after this experience that they launched the group. They founded a group to study vodou music, giving it the name of Moun Ife (“People of the Abode of the Deities”). Moving through the sounds of the “Ginen” (Guinea), it’s not unusual for someone attending a show to fall into a trance, inhabited by a lwa (spirit), shares the singer.

The band rose to international stardom with their debut Grammy-nominated album Vodou Adjae. Perhaps the most famous song of the album, “Kè m pa sote” (My heart won’t leap/ I won’t be afraid) was a protest against the living conditions under the post-Duvalier interim military government of General Prosper Avril. Since its release in 1990 as a carnival anthem, no party will go without playing 24 MAGIC HAITI MARCH 2012

this explosion of a hit. “We didn’t foresee that the song would be this successful, we really didn’t expect it to be such a hit,” says Lòlò. Like many of their other songs, which deal with issues of hardship and social injustice, Kè

m pa sote transcends time.

The ten-member band loves Haiti and their mission is to open the people’s eyes to which they neither yet understand nor see. A man of broad knowledge and common sense, Lòlò is not

threatened by the fact that the Haitian youth is all about Hip Hop Kreyòl nowadays; if anything he embraces it and has come to develop a new style called “rapsin”, a fusion of rap and rasin. His wife Mimrose, warmly referred to as

“Manman Boukman”(Boukman’s matriache) who contributes in arrangement, lyrics, and chorus also shares her husband’s opinion. The band’s next album will feature some collaboration with the heavy duties of Haitian rap and beats by one of his sons.

For the past thirty years Boukman Eksperyans has become one of the most internationally acclaimed musical acts from Haiti, conquering crowds on most continents. They have performed in festivals worldwide including Ireland, Canada, Africa, and Japan, which have become usual spots for them. Lòlò has quite a few memorable moments from his travels. The Roskilde Festival in Denmark was one of those; the energy he felt from a crowd he had never seen before was overwhelming. Another such experience is the Smithso-

nian Folklife Festival in 2010. It was “something special” because it was held some months after the quake. “It was electric”, reminisces the singer. The band even received a letter from the Director of the program praising the performance.

To commemorate Kanaval this year, Boukman came out

with their anthem “Banm Pa m Ladann” (give me my share). The video, full color and liveliness, is animated with the sound of joyful steel drums, added by his producer son, rendering the rhythm even catchier.

If the band is performing during your stay, attending the show will not be a disappoint-

ment. A night with Boukman Eksperyans will surely be enjoyable and very satisfying, one with a spectacle full of laughter, dance and positive energy.

For more information on upcoming shows and videos, please visit the website at www.boukmaneksperyans.com

MARCH 2012 MAGIC HAITI 25

Postcard in Motion

A Link To History

By Angela Galbreath | Photos by Frederick Alexis

MARCH 2012 MAGIC HAITI 27

"The city of Port au Prince was founded when?" "1749!”

A

group of twenty-five students in uniform on a sunny Tuesday in February follow their guide around the grounds of the thirty-year-old Musée du Pantheon National Haïtien (MUPANAH), Haiti’s oldest and most revered history museum. As the guide enthusiastically shows them around, asking trivia questions to test their knowledge, the students, like the hundreds of others who come here on a daily basis, are presented with the opportunity to pay homage to the heroes 28 MAGIC HAITI MARCH 2012

of the revolution, absorb an overview of the nation’s unique history, and get a taste of the creativity of some of Haiti’s most talented artists.

Located in downtown Port-au-Prince, MUPANAH is, in the words of Museum Director Mrs. Michele Frisch“ a jewel in the middle of the Champs de Mars.” Indeed, lush landscaping combine with the impressive architecture to create an oasis in the heart of Haiti’s bustling capital city. The fence surrounding the grounds reaches only hip-height, and yet the green lawn and sitting areas remain pristine.

On any given Saturday, couples, who have just visited the museum or have simply come to enjoy the ambiance of the space, sit hand-in-hand on the walls of the reflecting pool. The Blue mosaic frustums rise from the water like chimneys providing conduit for the sacred contents below.

The monument was originally meant to be an illustrious tomb for the recently deceased “Papa Doc” Duvalier.

But halfway through the construction process in June of 1973, Michèle Bennett, then wife of Jean Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier, decided to turn it into a tomb for the four main heroes of the Haitian Revolution. French architect Alexandre Guichard designed the tomb in the center of a rotunda, with seven hyperboloid structures encircling it, corresponding to what he identified as the seven periods of Haitian history. He was successfully able to accomplish this feat without ever visiting this country by becoming a scholar of Haitian history, (he had a phobia of flying). And it was Haitian architect, Mr. Albert Magonèse, who realized Mr. Guichard’s design.

Construction ended in 1974 and the remains of Jean Jacques Dessa-

Mrs. Michele Frisch, Museum Director

lines, Henri Christophe, and Alexandre Pétion were transferred to the property.

The museum, however, didn’t officially open its doors until April 1982, when it became, by presidential decree, the Musée du Panthéon National Haïtien.

It’s been open ever since, weathering its environment with the grace of a wellrooted tree. The remains of Toussaint L’Ouverture, the military genius behind the Haitian slave rebellions, were sent in an urn from France in March of 1983 (L’Ouverture had been imprisoned by Napoleon at Fort de Joux in the French Alps, where his remains were later found).

Entering MUPANAH, one has the sensation of descending into a cave.

Musty underground air fills one’s nostrils and the recessed lit tomb is in site as you pay the 125 Gourdes (about $3.00 U.S.) entrance fee. A multilingual guide greets visitors and solemnly ushers them into the crypt. The ceiling is low and the room crowded with evenly spaced pillars supporting the reflecting pool on the roof. The guide highlights other heroes of the revolution such as Boukman, a Jamaican born Voodoo priest who rallied resistance against the French colonizers

through impassioned ceremonies.

A large doorway leads from the tomb into the history museum. The seven hyperboloids display pieces from each of seven periods in Haitian history, as Guichard saw them: pre-Columbian, colonial, slavery, revolutionary, division, imperial, and contemporary. In the space dedicated to the colonial period, guests marvel at the nearly three-meter-high anchor of Columbus’ ship, the Santa Maria. Haitian historian, Dr. George Michel, claims that if you look closely, one can find an intriguing hole where President Louis Borno removed a morsel to create a medal for aviator Charles Linberg who visited Haiti in 1929 after having been the first pilot to cross the Atlantic Ocean in an airplane.

Visitors stare curiously at a drain located directly under the raised tomb.

‘Is it perhaps the opening to the tunnel rumored to connect MUPANAH and the National Palace?’ they wonder out loud. Mrs. Frisch responds lightheartedly “If it is here, I have yet to find it.”

Tunnel or not, the connection between MUPANAH and the Executive Office has always been a close one. Responsibility for the museum once fell under the Ministry of the President, and every president visits the tomb directly following his inauguration. Current President Michel Martelly has already visited MUPANAH four times since he took office less than a year ago. Also, upon their installation, each foreign ambassador MARCH 2012 MAGIC HAITI 29

to Haiti visits the crypt and offers a wreath of flowers.

For art enthusiasts, the most exciting aspect of a MUPANAH visit is undoubtedly the museum’s art gallery. MUPANAH possesses its own collection of pieces from various periods and often features works on loan from private collectors and art-

30 MAGIC HAITI MARCH 2012

ists. Exhibits rotate approximately every month keeping important dates provided through the Ministry of Culture in mind. The collection of photos and remembrances of the 2010 earthquake “An n sonje pou n vanse” (“Let’s remember in order to move forward” in English) occupied the art gallery from Janu-

ary 12th to February 25th.

Powerful images and testimonials lead the visitor from the direct aftermath, to the relief stage, towards reconstruction. March 8th is World Women’s Day and the art gallery will display works from local female artists. In April, guests can expect to enjoy a show honoring Toussaint L’Ouverture surrounding the anniversary of his death.

“There are many important pieces of Haitian heritage spread throughout the world that we would like to recover for Haiti,” says Mrs. Frisch.

“Notably many Taino artifacts from the Pre-Columbian period found in Haiti that now reside elsewhere.” Though Emperor Faustin Soulouque’s bejeweled crown is on display, for example, his wife’s matching crown is rumored to be in France.

“Objects of cultural heritage are our link to history.

The human actors are no longer with us, but the objects are left behind to bear witness,” says Mrs. Lisena Deschamps, who is in charge of maintaining the museum’s exhibits. “It’s important to me that my children will have the opportunity to enjoy these objects as I do.”

For now, they do. On any given weekday, the museum welcomes as many as five hundred school children from all over the country.

“Visiting MUPANAH helps the students to not only better understand their country’s story, it brings it to life” states Mrs. Frisch. About 90% of visitors are Haitian students.

“The more children learn, the less trouble they get into and MUPANAH is a great resource for us school teachers,” remarks Mr. Resuis matter-offactly.

So what does the future hold for this enduring

most of its treasures spared except for several statues such as a bust of Pétion and the famous painting by Guillaume Guillon, ‘Le Serment des ancêtres’. Both works have since been restored, so that you too can immerse yourself and get a glimpse of our rich history.

national treasure? Improvements, acquisitions, and expansion! The first order of business, according to Mrs. Frisch, is the construction of a handicap accessible ramp and clearing dust off the exterior mosaics so that their brilliant blue color can shimmer once again. Long-term goals include a gift shop, a period dress exhibit, and mu-

MUPANAH is located on the corner of Avenue de la Libérté and Rue Oswald Durand next to the National Palace in Port au Prince’s largest square, the Champs de Mars. Stay up to date with upcoming shows at the gallery by calling them at 29 43 51 94.

seum annexes in other parts of the country.

MUPANAH is a gem growing right in the middle of Port au Prince’s largest public space. The building is a destination itself and the intrigue of what lies within leaves guests pondering long after the visit has finished. The Musée du Panthéon National Haïtien withstood the quake of 2010,

MARCH 2012 MAGIC HAITI 31

32 MAGIC HAITI MARCH 2012

Spotlight

Patrice Dougé Capturing the Essence of Haiti

Jean René Delsoin Dance Company

By Rachele Viard

S Hotel Florita, Jacmel

Photo : Ludmillo Pierre

Photos by Patrice Dougé

peaking with professional photographer Patrice Dougé one can immediately get a sense of his deep connection and love for his homeland, Haiti. He recalls always having a camera and taking pictures everywhere he went and of everyone he met. His contagious MARCH 2012 MAGIC HAITI 33

Carnival – Jacmel 2012

Grande Anse

Grande Anse

34 MAGIC HAITI MARCH 2012

passion and love of photography comes through in his pictures and it hasn’t diminished or faded at all over the years. It is clear that he has a gift that has grown over the years with maturity and experience. His love for his country is what has finally brought him back here to Haiti on a more permanent basis. He strongly wants to capture the true essence and magic that lies within here and share it with the world.

At the tender age of fifteen, Dougé left the country eager to spread his wings and see the world, and moved to the States. He settled in New York where he finished his education. He majored in Liberal Arts and also attended the Center for the Media Arts, where he studied commercial and portrait photography. After spending several years living in the States, he moved back to Haiti.

Shortly thereafter, in 1991, he began working with Reuters news agency as a freelance photojournalist covering news stories here in Haiti. In 2008 Dougé moved to Florida for a period of time, where he worked as a freelance photographer for the Miami Herald and the Sun Sentinel. During this time, he still traveled back and forth between Haiti and the U.S. covering Haiti’s harsher realities for those newspapers.

But it is clear from my conversation with Dougé that it wasn’t enough for him to just tell one side of Haiti’s story. He felt the need to use his gift of photography to really expose Haiti’s beauty and richness to the world, particularly to Haitians living in the Diaspora. He wanted to prove to them that there is still so much to be cherished and proud of in their homeland. Which is why he started his

Leogane

Church in Jacmel

blog Haiti Photo Library. He has been traveling throughout the country taking beautiful photos in rural areas that depict the true essence of Haiti. Patrice has taken and shared, simply put, amazing photos of majestic waterfalls, mysterious caves, breathtaking beaches, and never ending mountains, beauties of Haiti that are almost never shown in the international media. He believes that this is his mission, the meaning of his life and his legacy.

After a recent trip to GrandeAnse, located at the southwestern tip of the island, Patrice states “it is the place to take photos. If you’re here in Haiti for a while and are a bit of an adventurer, the hike up some of these mountains is well worth the amazing view.” He is recognized as a photographer that has a knack for capturing colors and textures. It comes as no surprise as he takes his work seriously and puts thought and

planning into the act. “To take the right picture might require that I spend a couple of days somewhere, to determine at what time of the day, what kind of lighting will truly showcase the object that I am attempting to capture.”

His photos honestly convey what Haiti is all about.

Towards the end of our time together, Dougé reiterates “it is my mission in life with my photography to show the true Haiti; not just the

poverty and the negativity, because that’s not all there is to Haiti.”

To view Patrice Dougé’s collection of photographs you can visit http:// haitiphotolibrary.com/

ThePalm InnHotel

Delmas 31, 3 Rue Hatte 3 2 513-4810 / 2 519-0700 | www.palminnhotel.net

MARCH 2012 MAGIC HAITI 35

Artmosphere

Fils Lafleur Beading his Way to the Top‌

By Maureen Boyer

Photos by Frederick Alexis

M

any offerings are made during a traditional Voodoo ceremony honoring a particular spirit. Hoping to communicate with higher beings, devotees bring the particular deity his/her favorite foods, drinks, and even sometimes perfumes.

But perhaps most importantly, they present a colorful flag with the spirit’s symbol beaded onto it. It is a splendid visual offering.

Once created as part of shrines for different Voodoo spirits, Voodoo flags have become a symbol of Haitian culture within the international art world.

These extraordinarily decorated tapestries made of bright and gleaming sequins and beads illustrate the symbols of the spirits, or an image associated with them. Today, art connoisseurs and voodoo practitioners alike enjoy this detailed and hand-made piece of art.

36 MAGIC HAITI MARCH 2012

When Fils Lafleur began making flags, he beaded them alone and sold them to the few customers he could attract. Today, due to a combination of talent and entrepreneurship, he employs over ten people in his workshop and his clients include President Michel Martelly.

His flags are currently on display at the Toussaint Louverture International Airport, and will soon be showcased in a museum in Los Angeles.

Lafleur was born in Port Salut, in the South of Haiti, the youngest of ten children. After the death of his parents, the young boy followed his older siblings to Port-au-Prince. He landed a job at a factory where they beaded wedding dresses to be exported. He did this for a number of years, at different factories, gaining a new appreciation for beading and refining his skills. When the factories closed down, the young artist decided to start selling the beads he had.

This is how he first encountered voodoo flags as art, by selling beads to Evelyn Alcide, a very well known voodoo flag maker. Soon, he acquired samples of beaded purses and wallets from an artisan and began making them himself. As his clientele expanded, he received a book from someone on the different voodoo symbols, called vèvè, and learned enough to begin making these artful representations of our culture. The Voodoo religion consists of a family of spirits, like saints in the Catholic religion, each representing a different aspect of nature.

Each of these spirits, called lwa, has a symbol associated with it, called vèvè. Voodoo flags have become an art collector’s dream because of all the different and diverse voodoo symbols that can be acquired.

Lafleur, who currently lives in the Carrefour section of Port-au-Prince with his three children and his fiancée, sells his work directly to his clients or ventures to different popular hotels to find new ones. He makes custom pieces as well; the client can request any design and he can produce it. He has an exceptional talent

for sales, which has given him a loyal foreign clientele. “They contact me every time they come back to Haiti to visit,” he says proudly.

But flag-making is no easy work, he explains.

First, a canvas is mounted on a frame. The beads are then placed on a long string and the string is sewn on the canvas to create the different images. The flag maker only sees the back of the flag as he constructs the designs, thus the projected conception has to be drawn backward on the canvas. Compared to some flag makers who use only sequins or both sequins and beads, Lafleur uses beads exclusively, preferably bright ones, because it is not only faster to complete but it is also more aesthetically pleasing. After the beads are sewn on manually and the canvas is taken off the frame, it is sent to a professional seamstress who then adds colorful satin borders to the flag.

This process takes on average five days. In the end, a magnificent and eye-catching product epitomizing Haitian culture is created.

With his penchant for exemplary customer service and his extraordinary talent for making beaded voodoo flags, one can already see Fils Lafleur’s imminent growth as not only an artisan but as a businessman. He is the epitome of a forward-thinking entrepreneur and he will undoubtedly garner more success as tourism grows in Haiti.

Created from a merger between the religions of African slaves and natives of the island, with a

MARCH 2012 MAGIC HAITI 37

touch of Catholicism, Voodoo is and has always been a major part of Haiti’s culture. The majority of Haitians secretly, or not so secretly, believe in its powers. By continuing the tradition of beaded Voodoo flags, Lafleur Fils has unknowingly become an ambassador for Haiti’s rich and diverse history.

For more information, or to order some of Lafleur’s work, you can contact him at 3654-8525

38 MAGIC HAITI MARCH 2012

Why Haiti ?

ShelleyClay

An Apparent Connection to Haiti

D

By Rachele Viard | Photos by Frederick Alexis

uring their first visit to Haiti, Shelley Clay and her husband Corrigan Clay never ventured far from their hotel. Having heard a lot of negative news about the island, the Clays were apprehensive about going anywhere other than the orphanage from which they had come to adopt a child. This was in 2007.

Today, less than four years later, the couple now runs a successful program that help hundreds of

Haitian men and women escape the cycle of poverty. And more importantly, they have made this place they were once so afraid of their home.

Indeed, when they visited the orphanage in 2007, the Clays came to the realization that a number of the orphans had at least one living parent, if not both. These children were put up for adoption because of situations of extreme poverty, and the fact that the parents or par-

ent were unable to provide for their child. This sparked in them a yearning to do something, to help make a difference in these parents’ lives, as well as the children they were separated from. By their third trip to Haiti in 2008, they knew that they would be making it their new home, at least for a while. They began looking for opportunities to make a life here in our beloved country and empower these men and women so they would not have to face the devastating decision of giving up their child.

Consequently, they came up with the idea of the Apparent Project, whose mission is to 40 MAGIC HAITI MARCH 2012

help men and women develop a new art skill. The participants are able to create beautiful and unique works of art such as pieces of jewelry, journals, and stylish home décor using discarded materials like cereal boxes, cracker boxes, and trash paper. They are thus able to work towards a brighter future for their families and earn a means to pay for their kid’s food, education, and shelter.

Since it started in 2009, the business has grown exponentially. The Apparent Project received an award in 2011 from the annual fair Artisanat en Fête and has gained widespread recognition, even from

the likes of Donna Karen. With an artisan house and shop up and running, not only do the creators of these striking pieces of art have a comfortable spacious workspace, but shoppers have the chance to browse all the works displayed in an eye-catching manner.

Shelley, who as a child of the military grew up traveling all over the U.S. and parts of Europe, has really come to love and feel a connection to the country and its culture, developing a love of Kompa music (Harmonik being one of her

favorite bands). When asked if she has a favorite place in Haiti, Shelley responds enthusiastically “I love Croix-des-Bouquets because it is the heartbeat of Haitian creativity and resourcefulness! I love the art that comes out of there.� I can’t help but agree with her. Soup Joumou (butternut squash soup) is her favorite traditional Haitian meal. As a matter of fact bring a bowl of Joumou by the Apparent Project artisan house when you go by to shop and you might just get yourself a discount!

Shelley and her husband have really made an impact in the number of women and men who would without Apparent Project as an avenue of hope be forced to give up their kids. They have really made Haiti home and taken on the challenge of helping those in need however they can.

This blond- haired, blue-eyed woman may have come here as an outsider looking in, but in my mind she is for sure an

honorary Haitian.

In essence she and her husband have come to consider themselves part of their community, no longer strangers in a foreign country, terrified to venture far from their hotel. Haiti is home to them, and despite any adjustments they have had to make, they have taken the good the country has to offer and chosen to focus on how their lives have changed for the better.

MARCH 2012 MAGIC HAITI 41

Lamanjay

Pizza Garden

When Italy came to Haiti…

W

By Kassandra Elizée | Photos by Frederick Alexis

orld War II had ended, it was the early 50s, and a young engineer by the name of Antonio Viteritti embarked on a long journey from his native homeland of Italy to a small island in the Caribbean, Haiti. At a casino on the Bicentennaire, Antonio met his would-be wife, a young woman originally from Les Baradères, a city in the southwest part of the country.

After marrying Antonio, Lucie Sènéque Viteritti decided to expand her culinary skills and discovered and learned the art of Italian cuisine from her husband. She started by making pizzas, pastas and other typical Italian dishes, adding a Haitian touch to them. It wasn’t long before she gained recognition for her recipes, notably for her specialty pizzas, which led her to open Pizza Garden in 1959.

Today, the restaurant is one of the most famous places to eat in Haiti. Their pizza has become such a staple that many buy the

42 MAGIC HAITI MARCH 2012

pie, freeze it, and travel abroad with it, leading the owners to create a line of frozen pizzas sold at various supermarkets across the capital. I for one remember going to Pizza Garden every Friday night with my parents as a child. It was the highlight of my week.

“Our pizza is not the traditional pizza; it is gourmet,“ says Natalia Dominique, granddaughter of Antonio and Lucie, and now part owner of the family restaurant. “We make everything from scratch, including the dough and the unique sauce.” Though the pizza’s detailed recipe is a fam-

ily secret, the main elements are generous amounts of oregano and cheese, which give it its particular texture and taste.

Some items have been on the menu since the opening of the restaurant. They include the Italia pizza, which is a favorite amongst the clientele. The Italia has everything on it, ingredients that will take your taste buds on a savory journey, including tomatoes, salami, ham, pepperoni, onions, and much more.

Then there are the Chasseur and Quatre Saisons (Four Seasons) pizzas that patrons have developed a penchant for.

“All the vegetables, fruits and seafood used at Pizza Garden are purchased locally,” Natalia proudly states. She also enjoys taking advantage of Haiti’s wide selection of fruits to make natural juices every day for her clients.

But if you are not in the mood for pizza (though we definitely encourage you to try a slice or two!), you can opt for a

wide variety of meats, seafood, soups, and entrees; each a mixture of Italian and Creole flavors. As for typical Haitian food, one has a choice of goat, pork, okra and Creole Conch with Djondjon (mushroom) rice.

As the name would suggest, when you walk into Pizza Garden’s courtyard, you feel like you’re entering a garden.

The right amount of trees and bushes complement the modern decor and deep brown rattan outdoor chairs and tables are placed outside. On the upper deck part of the restaurant, a lounge

Jacques Dominique, Nathania Dominique and Isabelle Dominique

area with decorative oak and cedar wooden windowpanes, conceived by Haitian carpenters, is arranged.

Large televisions are set

up so that sports fanatics can watch major games taking place around the world such as the Superbowl, Basketball Championships or the World Cup series. Pizza Garden hosts several events including conferences, family gatherings and special occasions such as weddings, baby showers and birthdays.

Garden, as many locals affectionately refer to it, is also known for creating an attracting ambiance with jazz and lounge music and various types of happy MARCH 2012 MAGIC HAITI 43

hours. The inside part of the restaurant, called the Garden Lounge, has a very cozy, Irish-Pub-like feel to it with its wooden furniture and walls where large images of Venice and Rome hang. The vibrant colors of the images balance perfectly with the dim lighting of the air-conditioned room designed for parties and equipped with a bar which offers a variety of alcoholic drinks. Clients often come from as far as La Plaine (located across town), especially on Saturdays, to enjoy the very popular Rum punch or a Cosmopolitan. The house drink, called Lòbey, is a delicious mix of Vodka, pineapple juice and Blue Curaçao.

“Our service philosophy is that the client has to feel at home when he comes here,” Natalia says. She stresses on her employees the importance of personalized service so that the client can feel special, comfortable, and eager to relive the dining experience at Pizza Garden. “And we are

44 MAGIC HAITI MARCH 2012

not just accessible to a certain class of people,” she adds. “We have things on our menu that will suit anybody’s wallet.”

Clients often confide that they come to Pizza Garden for

the ambiance, the good pizza and the soothing atmosphere, which they find ideal to relax. So whether you are just traveling to Haiti for a couple of days, living here for a few

months or you’re a long-term resident of the area, don’t be a stranger. Come have a taste of Italy in Haiti. There is no doubt that the warm and inviting setting Pizza Garden has to offer will put it at the top of your favorites list.

Pizza Garden is located at #36 Rue Chavannes, Pétion-Ville.

Open every day from noon to Midnight. Tel: 3797-6198

Escapade

The Palm Inn Hotel The best of both worlds

By Joanne Cantave Gousse | Photos by Frederick Alexis

T

he growing number of consultants, technicians, managers, and NGO staff working in the Port-au-Prince area are always looking for the best of both worlds: a convenient location and comfortable accommodations. And that is exactly what they find at the Palm Inn Hotel, a serene environment located less than ten minutes away from the Aeroport International Toussaint Louverture (it 46 MAGIC HAITI MARCH 2012

is, in fact, one of the few places that offer shuttle transportation to and from the airport).

The Palm Inn, which opened in 2003, is the latest in a series of successful enterprises by Wilherm and Farah Berthold. Seasoned veterans of the tourism industry, both had parents who ran hotels, and they themselves have been working in hostelry for over twenty-five years. Their professionalism and ex-

pertise is evident as they greet customers with a smile and amiable enthusiasm. It is clear that they both have a passion for their work. Proud to be making use of their expertise in their home country, they strive to establish customer loyalty and to offer quality, personalized service.

Twenty-four spacious rooms, including six suites, are all furnished with locally made wooden furniture and accessorized with Haitian paintings. They are equipped with a fridge, a telephone, free Wi-Fi, and cable TV, which in the end makes it feel like you are living in a small, comfortable apartment. Four of the rooms located on the ground level are bungalows with a small porch.

Lush and flowery gardens sur-

round the building, adding a wonderful tropical touch to the scenery.

The hotel’s restaurant, La Flibuste, can accommodate about 60 people and offers French, Creole, and International Cuisine. A daily morning breakfast buffet served from 6:30 to 9:30 kicks off the

Farah and Wilhem Berthold

customers’ busy day. Lunch and dinner can be ordered a la carte. One of the house specialties is “Lambi (conch) a la bonne femme.” Mrs. Berthold only accepted to divulge a few of the delicious ingredients (corn and bacon). “The best thing to do is to try it,” she says. So amateurs of this Caribbean delicacy, make your way to the Palm Inn if you are in that area!

MARCH 2012 MAGIC HAITI 47

Beyond comfortable rooms and delicious dining, the hotel offers delightful amenities. An open-air gym is available for those who want to burn some energy. To cool down and decompress, you can head over to the beautiful pool surrounded by large tents and umbrellas. As you sip on a drink, take a look at the mural paintings representing different periods in Haitian history (starting from the time the Arawak Indians populated the island) that provide good wholesome entertainment. A 17th century English cannon sits solemnly by the pool. The cannon, which belonged to Mr. Berthold’s grandfather, is one of the many antique pieces displayed on the grounds. Another cannon dates back to 1915, during the American occupation.

Already the facilities can be rented to organize weddings, first communions, receptions 48 MAGIC HAITI MARCH 2012

and conferences. But the owners of the Palm Inn are always expanding and modernizing.

They are planning on adding more rooms, a bar and a conference room, and they also want to make the restaurant bigger and better. They just installed automatic sprinklers as a way to maintain their beautiful gardens green and to save water. Their son Rudolph Berthold is also studying management and plans on coming back and taking the helm of the Palm Inn. “You need energy to be successful in the hotel business,” adds Mr. Berthold. “But I am serene and confident about the future of the hotel and tourism industry in Haiti. I never fear even when we take a big fall.”

The Palm Inn Hotel is located at Delmas 31,3, Rue Hatte 3 2 513-4810 / 2 519-0700 www.palminnhotel.net

Kreyol Flair

COD GUMBO WITH ARBRE A PIN (CHESNUTS) & CALALOU (OKRA)

Us Chefs, we have to admit, are always researching for ideas for our next incredible menu. Every Friday at the Le Plaza Hotel we offer a Seafood Buffet at noon. To add a little Keryol Flair to the buffet, I came up with a dish combining okra and cod fish as many other Caribbean Islands often do.

However, I added an incredible product that I have loved since I was a child “arbre a pin.” Growing up it was a street food, sim-

TOTAL TIME Prep Time Cooking time

30Minutes 15 Minutes

• • • •

YIELD

5 servings

•

LEVEL EASY INGREDIENTS • • • • •

1-2lbs Salt Cod Filet (easier to use, if it has no bones) 1 Onions diced 1lb of Arbre a pin (Chesnut or Chateigne) - boiled ½ lb of Okra 1 bunch of parsley (chopped roughly)

• • •

1 hot pepper (choice) 4oz of butter 1oz Olive Oil Adobo seasoning to taste Cracked black pepper to taste 4oz of seafood stock preferred or water 1oz of chopped garlic 2tbsp of lime juice

Preparation

To un salt the cod place it in a pot of cold water. You will need to repeat the process 2 or 3 times until you most of the salt cured is gone. The best way

to control the sodium content is to taste a little bit of the fish.

With your fingers, pull the flesh apart until you have tiny little pieces. Instead you put the fish in cold water and bring to a boil, that process will give you the same result however, it takes away from its original flavor.

Remember you are using a product that has been cured in salt, thus it is fully cooked.

In a pre-heated pan, add half of your butter and olive oil together, add your onions and let them sweat until translucent for a few minutes. Add garlic and the pulled cod and cook for a minute, then add the “Arbre a Pin” or pre-cooked chestnuts, than add fish stock or water and let reduce.

Quickly add the okra, it will soften quickly, you want it still firm not mushy. Add the hot pepper hole for flavor and season properly

ply boiled and served. We would take out the outer shell and eat it. In any case, it is still today one of my favorite things to eat and in many locations in Haiti it is prepared with meats, like the Guinea Fowl. I certainly enjoy using the local products of Haiti and playing with various flavors.

Simple but plentiful and certainly an exciting dish once you start eating, you will not stop.

Enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

tasting until you can reach your desired flavors.

Turn off your fire and add the limejuice and the rest of the butter. Finish the dish with the chopped parsley. In a Plate, put your cooked white rice, and gently add your cod and the sauce on the plate. Simple dish, easy to make, enjoy.

MARCH 2012 MAGIC HAITI 49

restaurants 5 Coins

Haitian cuisine 20, Rue Panaméricaine, PV 2511 1044 / 2257 0277

Acajou Restaurant & Bar Haitian/international Cuisine Hôtel Montana Rue Frank Cardozo, Bourdon 2940 0585 / 3880 6610

Anba Tonèl, Bar & Grill

Café Com' Ça

Fusion Complexe Promenade.

Angle Rues Grégoire et Moïse, PV 2943 2014 / 3444 0607

Kay Atizan

Fabrizio

L'Olivier

88, Rue Panaméricaine, PV 3719 9670 / 3587 9670

Italian Cuisine 26, Rue Louverture, PV 2257 8433

Chez Wou

Fior Di Latte

La Coquille

Celeri Rouge

BreakTIme

Haitian Cuisine 38. Rue Darguin, PV 3515 6262 / 3554 0027

American Cuisine 31, Rue Rigaud, PV +509 2 942 4264

Emina's Garden

French Cuisine 17. Rue Mangonès. Berthé, PV 3 406 8525 / 3 464 0468 / 3 702 5591

Assiette Créole

Haitian Cuisine 254. avenue John Brown, Lalue 2813 1912

HANG Sports Bar & Grill

Intrigue

Café Terrasse

Babako

Haitian Cuisine Shodecosa, 5, Rue des NÎmes 3558 8387

Domino's Pizza

Café de l'Europe

Haitian Cuisine Angle des Rues Clerveaux et Villate, PV 3403 0822 Haitian Cuisine 6, Rue Ogé, PV 2 940 0041

Citronelle

Fusion 81, Rue Grégoire, PV 2 944-1313

Chinese Cuisine Place Boyer, PV 3777 6625 / 3777 6626

Chicken Fiesta

American and Chinese Cuisine 124. Rue Panaméricaine, PV 2813 9866

Fast Food 91, Rue Panaméricaine, PV 2514 7574 / 2813 1446 2813 1447 Italian Cuisine 36, Rue Magny, PV 3747 1177 / 2816 2005

Italian Cuisine Choucoune Plaza, Angle des Rues Lamarre et Chavannes, PV 2813 0445

il Vigneto

Italian Cuisine 7, Rue Rigaud, PV 3419 2050 / 3736 5414

Italian Cuisine Hôtel Ibo Lélé, Montagne Noire, PV 2940 8504 Haitian Cuisine 43, Rue Magny, PV 3456 6989 / 3452 1772 Haitian Cuisine 37, route Montagne Noire 3455 4454 / 3467 0707 Haitian Cuisine 10, Rue Rebecca, PV 2942 5225 / 3466 3908

La Plantation French Cuisine Rue Borno, Bois Moquette 22941 6334

MARCH 2012 MAGIC HAITI 51

La Réserve - ATH

Mozaik

La Souvenance

Mr. Grill

Fusion 2, Rue Marcel Toureau, Berthé, PV 2940 0190 French Cuisine 48, Rue Geffrard, PV 3475 9795

La Table de Cauis

16, Rue Legitime, Champs de Mars 2940 7227

Le Christo Villa Russo

Angle Rues Faubert & Ogé, 3736 4166

Le Coin des Artistes

Haitian Cuisine 59, Rue Panaméricaine, PV 3747 1163

Le Daily Gourmet Cafe

Buffet Rue Roumain off Tabarre same yard as Maison Handal across Parc Canne a Sucre.

Email: Ledailycafe@gmail.com +509 3411 5274

Le Florville

Haitian Cuisine Kenscoff 3551 3535 / 3449 6161

Le P'tit Creux

Haitian Cuisine 87, Rue Rebecca, PV 2942 3892 / 2942 3893

Le Paris St Tropez

Italian Cuisiine 88, route de Kenscoff, Laboule 12 3410 7219

Steakhouse 39, Rue Rigaud, PV mrgrillsteakhouse@live.com + 509 3114 2524 / 3620 4954

Muncheez

Fast Food 2. Rue Rebecca, PV 3713 1393 / 2942 1392

O Brasileiro Social Club Fusion 103, Rue Louverture, PV 3813 1050

Océane Bar & Grill

Haitian Cuisine 3 bis. Rue Derenoncourt, PV 2940 2449

Papaye

Fusion 48. Rue Métellus, PV 3558 2707 / 3771 3678

Pizza Garden

Italian Cuisine 36, Rue Chavannes, PV 2 813 2100 / 2 813 2200

Presse Café

Haitian Cuisine 28, Rue Rigaud, PV 3701 0092

Quartier Latin

Fusion 10, Rue Goulard Place Boyer, PV 3460 3326 / 3445 3325

Les 3 Decks - ATH

Rebo Expresso

Les Délices Burger

Sankofa Salads

Les Jardins de Gérard

The Bookstore Cafe & Wine Bar

Look-Nun's Thai Restaurant

The Lodge - ATH

Fusion 3 bis, Fermathe 54, 3418 8511 / 3462 6201 Fast Food 97, Rue Grégoire, PV 3646 1600 / 3646 1601

17, Rue Pinchinat, PV 3449 5943

Thai Cuisine 35, Rue Villate, PV 3724 1661

Magdoos

Mediterranean Cuisine 30, Rue Ogé, PV 3821-2121 / 3733-2525

Mikaz

Fusion 56, Rue Geffrard, PV 2256 2659 / 3727 5951

52 MAGIC HAITI MARCH 2012

Fusion 89, Rue Grégoire, PV 3702 3939

Fast Food / Coffee 25, Rue Métellus, PV 2949 0505 Fast Food 43, Rue Rebecca, PV 2940 6262

Esperanza Building, 87, Rue Grégoire, PV 3774 6729

Fusion Furcy. après Kenscoff 3458 5968 / 2510 9870

Tiffany Restaurant

Haitian Cuisine Boulevard Harry Truman, Bicentenaire

View

Fusion Complexe Le Belvédère.

Angle des Rues Chavannes & Clerveaux, PV 3632 7706

travel companion Hôtel du Village

(Port Salut) portsaluthotelduvillage@yahoo.fr +509 3713- 9035

Auberge du Rayon Vert

Côte Atlantique Hostellerie du Roi Christophe-ATH (Cap Haitien) hotroi24@yahoo.com 3 687 8915

Résidence Royale-ATH

Côte Caraïbe Cap Lamandou

(Jacmel) +509 2941-4000 +509 3720-1892 3920-9135 / 3720-1436 caplamandouhotel@yahoo.fr

(Cap Haitien) golfromes@hotmail.com +509 3602-6676 2942- 0540 / 2813- 7959

Hôtel Villa Ban Yen

Hôtel Mont Joli-ATH

Auberge du Mont Saint Jean

(Cap Haitien) hotelmontjoli@gmail.com +509 3943-1110 / 2262-0300

Auberge du Picolet-ATH (Cap Haitien) auberge.picolet@gmail.com + 509 2945- 5595 3438-6357

Hôtel Beaux Rivages-ATH (Cap Haitien) beaurivagehotel@yahoo.fr +509 2262-3114 / 3682-5583

Cormier Plage-ATH cormier@hughes.net +509 3702-0210 3804- 6673 / 3556- 1549

(Petit-Goâve-Vallue) absept60@yahoo.fr +509 3420-2091 / 3941-2091

(Vallée de Jacmel) aubergesaintjean@yahoo.com +509 3702-0510 3707-0605 / 3401-1789

L’Amitié Guest House :

(Ti Mouillage, Cayes Jacmel) (509) 2942-7156 / 3417-7582

Hotel Florita

(Historic District of Jacmel) +509 3785-5154 / 2274-2015 info@hotelflorita.com www.hotelflorita.com

Hotel l'Ermitage de Pandiassou-ATH

(Hinche) 3472 -5934 / 3474-1599 3741-8753 lermitagedepandiassou@yahoo. com

Hotel Maguana (Hinche) 2277-0528

Wozo Plaza

(Mirebalais) 3455-7730/ 2942-1256 wozoplazahotel@yahoo.fr

ouangabay@hotmail.com +509 3756- 5212 3932-5810

(Port Salut) aubergedurayonvert@yahoo.fr www.aubergedurayonvert.com +509 3713-9035 / 3779- 1728

Dan’s creek

(Port Salut) danscreekhotel@gmail.com www.danscreekhotel.com +509 3614-8143 / 3664- 0404

Relais du Boucanier

(Port Salut) lerelaisduboucanier@hotmail.com www.leboukanier.com +509 3558- 1806 / 3720-1144 3702- 1066 / 3554-1806

Auberge du canal d’Avezac Levy (Camp Perrin) +509 3739-2800

Le Recul

(Camp Perrin) valnuma@yahoo.fr +509 3454-0027 / 3727-3589

Aldy Hôtel- ATH

(Aquin) nancyecomeau@yahoo.fr +509 3458-2566 / 3741-0532

Port-au-Prince Coconut Villa-ATH

3, Rue Berthold, Delmas 19 3 179 3752 / 2 510 4901 3 556 1549 coconutvilla19@aol.com

El Rancho-ATH

5, rue Jose Marti, Avenue des Hôtels, PV 2 944 0707

Habitation Hatt-ATH

sachasaieh@hotmail.com + 509 2510-2635 / 2940-0135

Hôtel Le Jardin-ATH

9, Imp Hérard, Delmas 75 lejardinauberge@yahoo.fr +509 2813-8008, +509 3486-6966

Ibo Lélé-ATH

La Colline Enchantée

elsabaussan@yahoo.com, jvinchy@yahoo.fr +509 2514- 0166 2940- 8503 / 2940- 8504

Cyvadier Plage

Delmas 53 # 6 f1berthold@yahoo.com +509-2943-0470

(Marigot- Jacmel) lacollineenchantee@gmail.com +509 3703-0448 / 3701-96 97 (Cyvadier- Jacmel) hotelcyvadier@hughes.net +509 3844-8264 3482-2585 / 3844- 8265

Centre

Ouanga Bay

Abakabay

(Ile a Vache) abakabay@hotmail.com +509 3721-3691 / 3683- 6253 www.abakabay.com

Port Morgan-ATH

(Ile a Vache) portmorgan@hughes.net, www. port-morgan.com +509 3921-0000 3922-0001 / 3663-5154

Manolo Inn

(Petite Rivière de Nippes) lemanoloinn@mac.com +509 3461-7108 3768-2059 / 3752- 3838 3727- 0201

Ideal Villa Hôtel-ATH

Côte des Arcadins

Karibe Hôtel-ATH

kalikobeachclub@hotmail.com +509 2940 4609 / 4640 2223

info@karibehotel.com 2812- 7000 3701-1138 / 3701- 1140 www.karibehotel.com

Wahoo Bay-ATH

Kinam Hôtel-ATH

Kaliko-ATH

wahoo@dadesky.com +509 3735- 2536/ 3735-2831

Moulin sur Mer-ATH info@moulinsurmer.com + 509 3701- 1918 2813- 1042 / 3702- 1918

Club Indigo- ATH

contact@clubindigo.net, reservations@clubindigo.net + 509 3651-1000 3650-1000 / 3441-1000

Xaragua Hôtel- ATH

lexaraguahotel@yahoo.fr +509 2510-9559 / 3795- 5983

info@hotelkinam.com , reservation@hotelkinam.com +509 2944- 6000 / 2945- 6000 /2945- 6001 / 2511- 4400 ww.hotelkinam.com

Kingdom Hotel

Tabarre 36 19, Rue Sol Solon 3 455-7822 / 2 943-2385 1 407-792-0738

La Réserve Guest House-ATH

+509 3452-3065 / 3510- 5026 3510- 4678 / 3940- 0182

MARCH 2012 MAGIC HAITI 53

Le Montcel-ATH

(Kenscoff- Belot) montcel@aol.com/ www.montcelhaiti.com +509 3701-4777 3701-1744 / 3702-7202

Le Ritz-ATH

apartement@hotelkinam.com catering@hotelkinam.com +509 2943- 0303

Le Plaza-ATH

info@plazahaiti.com, reservations@plazahaiti.com 2940- 9800 / 3701- 9303 www.plazahaiti.com

Montana Suite Horizon-ATH Rue F. Cardozo +509 3880 6610

Palms Résidence

palm.events@gmail.com +509 3706-7342 3454-0053

Paradis des Receptions & Hotel Frere 29 2 940-6624

Prince Hôtel--ATH

princehotelha@yahoo.com +509 2517- 0597 3791- 1549/ 2944- 0422

54 MAGIC HAITI MARCH 2012

Servotel

www.servotelhaiti.com info@servotelhaiti.com +509 2812-7500

Art Galleries

The Inn at Villa Bambou

Expressions Art Gallery

The Lodge-ATH

Festival Arts

Port-au-Prince +509 2 813-1724 www.villabambouhaiti.com Furcy +509 2510 9870 3458 5968

The Palm Inn Hotel Delmas 31 3, Rue Hatte 3 2 513-4810 / 2 519-0700 www.palminnhotel.net

Villa Créole--ATH

villacreol@aol.com +509 2941- 1570 / 2941- 1571 2941- 0965 / 2941- 1040

Villa Ban-Yen

Value (between Grand Goave & Petit Goave) hotelvillabanyen@yahoo.com +509 3420-2091/2941-2091

Visa Lodge-ATH

services@visalodge.com +509 2813- 0777 / 2510- 3424 www.visalodge.com

55, Rue Metellus, PV 2 256-3471 / 3 558-7584 admin@expressionsgaleriedart.com www.expressionsgaleriedart.com 43, Rue Magny, PV 3 551-7311 / 3 401-3171 festivalhaiti@yahoo.fr

Galerie Marassa-ATH

17, Rue Lamarre, PV 3 558-8484 / 4 739-2923 galeriemarassa@yahoo.com www.galeriemarassa.com

Galerie Monnin-ATH

19, Rue Lamarre, PV 2 257-4430 / 3 680-3240 galeriemonnin@galeriemonnin.com www.galeriemonnin.com

Galerie Nader

50, Rue Grégoire, PV 2 257-0855 / 3 709-0222 galerienader@hotmail.com www.galerienader.com We are also available online

www.magichaiti.com

L’Atelier Boutique Fondation Theard Fermathe 59 2 513-9874

Les Ateliers Jerôme

68, Angle des Rues Rebecca & Lamarre, PV 2 513-5362 / 3 705-6825 lesateliersjerome@yahoo.fr www.lesateliersjerome.com

Receptive Operators Agence Citadelle American Express Travel - ATH info@agencecitadelle.com +509 2940 5900 / 3445 5900 www.agencecitadelle.com

Uniglobe - ATH

uniglobe@haine.net +509 2941 0742

Voyages Lumière - ATH

voyageslumierehaiti@gmail.com + 509 3607 1321 www.voyageslumiere.com

Voyages Plus Cap-ATH vpcap1@gmail.com +509 3443 0823 / 2940 0484

Car Rental Avis

20, Rue Mais Gaté, Route de l’Aéroport + 509 2229 6399/ 2941 5555

Budget Rent-a-Car

Angle Rue Léonard & Route de l’Aéroport + 509 2813 1094 / 3856 4988

Dollar Rent-a-Car

Blvd Toussaint Louverture, Route de l’Aéroport + 509 2813 1800 / 3724 0950 13, Blvd Jean-Jacques Dessalines, PAP + 509 2518 5555 / 2518 5556

Hertz

Route de l’Aéroport + 509 3779 0700 / 2816 0700

Secom

564, Route de Delmas + 509 2942 2940 / 2942 2941

Airlines

+509 2813 1037 www.aircaraibes.com

MEMBERS OF ATH

Travel Agencies

Transborder Bus Lines

Air France - ATH

Agence Citadelle – ATH

Capital Coach Lines

American Airlines

Chatelain Tours – ATH

Caribe Tours

Francheco Agence de Voyage – ATH

Terra Bus

+ 509 3115 5000 www.airfrance.com +509 2229 6000 www.aa.com

Continental Airlines www.continental.com

Copa Air

+509 2940 2326 / 29402327 www.copaair.com

Delta Airlines- ATH

Insel Air International- ATH +509 2813 0403 www.fly-inselair.com

SALSA d’Haiti

Toussaint Louverture Int’l airport +509-2813-1222

Spirit Airlines

+ 509 2940 4421 / 2940 4422 www.spirit.com

Tortugair

+ 509 2812 8000

+ 509 3704 4560 www.aerolineasmas.com

Air Caraïbes - ATH

+509 2810 5857 www.aircanada.com

+509 2943 3582/2816 1666

Europcar

Aerolineas Mas

Air Canada

Turks & Caicos Airways www.airturksandcaicos.com

We are also available online

www.magichaiti.com

Agence Citadelle Air Caraïbes Air France Air Transat / Hamaserco S.A. Antilles Tours Aldy Hôtel Auberge du Picolet A&J Crème et Restaurant Beau Rivage Hôtel Berling S.A. Brasserie La Couronne Carabimmo S.A. (Best Western) Ceramex S.A. Châtelain Tours Club Indigo Coconut Villa Hôtel Coles Distributions S.A.(CODISA)

Cormier Plage Culinary by Design Delta Airlines Encocha S.A. Fondation Françoise Canez Auguste Francheco Agence de Voyage Galerie Marassa Galerie Monnin Goeland de Voyage Habitation des Lauriers Habitation Hatt Habitation Labadie Harmony Tours & Travel Agency Hostellerie du Roi Christophe Hôtel El Rancho Hôtel Ibo Lélé

info@agencecitadelle.com +509 2940 5900 / 3445-5900

chatelaintours@hotmail.com +509 3701-4570

franchecoav@hotmail.com +509 2940 1168 Goeland Voyages – ATH goelandvoyages@yahoo.com +509-2511 3883

Harmony Tours & Travel Agency – ATH harmony@harmony-tta.com +509 2813-0533

Multivision Agence de voyage – ATH

Multivision.voyage@yahoo.com +509 2941-0110

Napolitano Travel Service – ATH

napolitanotravel@yahoo.com +509 2940-0750 / 2940-1402

info@capitalcoachline.com +509 2 512 5989 / 3 455 1777 caribetours@gmail.com +509 2 257 9379 /3 785 1946 chatour@hotmail.com

Airport Shuttle Service Airport Express + 509 3445 5902

Pharmacies Obonsoins

107, Rue Louverture, PV + 509 2512 5260 3800 3737

Pharmacie du Boulevard

Sans Souci Agence de voyage – ATH mpetoia@gmail.com +509 1813-1564

1, Angle Blvd. du 15 Octobre & Rue D. Lespinasse, PAP + 509 3459 6553 3808 9050

Uniglobe – ATH

Pharmaximum

uniglobe@hainet.net +509 3607 1321

Hôtel Karibe Hôtel Le Jardin Hôtel l’Ermitage de Pandiassou Hôtel Le Xaragua Hôtel Villa Créole Idéal Villa Hôtel Imprimerie Henri Deschamps Insel Air Iphasa S.A. Kaliko Beach Kinam Hôtel La Cour du Roi Lakay Bar Restaurant La Réserve Restaurant Le Montcel Le Plaza Hôtel Le Ritz Les 3 Decks

12, Rue Ogé, PV + 509 2816 0116

Les Cascades Fusion Les Jardins d’Arceaux Libellules Bed and Breakfast M & M Resort Montana Hôtel Mosaïques Gardere Moulin sur mer Multivision Agence de Voyage Nabatec S.A. Napolitano Travel Service Palm Residence Port Morgan Prophasa Prince Hôtel Référence Car Rental Résidence Royale Rhum Barbancourt

Royal Oasis Royale Rent a Car Sans Souci Agence de Voyage SirepTours Société Labadie Nord (SOLANO) Sogecarte Sterlin Entreprise Taino Tours The Lodge Top Line Trans Hispagnola Tours Uniglobe S.A. Up 2 Date Travel Visa Lodge Voyage Plus Voyages Lumière Wahoo Bay Beach

MARCH 2012 MAGIC HAITI 55

general info PASSPORT & VISA

No visa is required for stays less than 90 days. A valid Passport is mandatory. Visa required only for citizens of Cuba. Dominicans, Colombians and Panamanians do not need a Haitian visa as long as they hold a valid American or Canadian visa.

ELECTRICITY 110 V, 60 cycles, American outlets

CURRENCY

The national currency is the Gourde (ISO Code: HTG) The U.S. dollar is accepted everywhere. Currency exchange is available in many banks or hotel front desks. The current rate is around USD1.00 for HTG 41.00 It is advised to convert your home currency into USD before leaving since the local rate of conversion is not always advantageous.

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION

Public transportation is not very well organized and is part of the folklore. Private taxis as well as car rentals (sedans and 4x4s) are available from various agencies. Local incoming travel agencies can also arrange cars & minibuses with drivers & guides for transfers and excursions.

INTERNET ACCESS

Major hotels offer Internet access Wi-Fi in public areas & in rooms.

Cyber Cafes & Hotspots are available everywhere.

56 MAGIC HAITI MARCH 2012

CREDIT CARDS

Visa, MasterCard & American Express accepted in most tourist establishments. Cash Advance is available in some banks and ATMs.

TELEPHONES

Country code for Ha誰ti: 509 Local numbers increased to 8 digits. The first digit indicates whether it is a fixed phone (2) or a mobile phone (3). The three mobile phone carriers have booths at the airport.

MEDICAL CARE

The hotels have a list of private doctors available for emergencies.

Private hospitals offer better service than public ones. Air ambulances may be required for cases requiring transportation to facilities in the region. Several drugstores and pharmacies are available.

LOCAL AIR TRANSPORT

Several local airlines offer regular flights with aircrafts of up to 19 seats to the following cities: Cap Haitien, Jeremie, Les Cayes, and Port de Paix.

Aircrafts and helicopters for air taxi/charter services can also be organized to various other areas of the country.

BANKS

Local & international banks have an extensive urban coverage.

A limited number of ATMs is available.

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MARCH 2012 MAGIC HAITI 3

4 MAGIC HAITI MARCH 2012