Interesting article on the upcoming Haitian presidential election and the pair of superstar musicians, Michel Martelly, a.k.a. “Sweet Micky,” and Wyclef Jean, set to be pitted against each other. Check out an excerpt below…
Better known for the eyebrow-raising lyrics (and swearing) and his ability to rouse even the most conservative of Haitian elites to dance on top of tables, Martelly, 49, dressed in a suit on Thursday to submit his paperwork to run for President on the ticket of his party Repons Peyizan, or Countrymen’s Response. He acknowledges that comparisons will be made between himself and Jean (who according to the candidacy papers he filed this week is 40 years old, not 37 as his bios previously said). But Martelly says despite being opponents for the presidency, he and Jean are friends. Martelly appeared on Jean’s first solo album The Carnival in 1997. But Martelly jokes, “He’s global and I’m local.” And he says what sets him apart from the rest of the presidential field — his friend included — is the Haitian people’s true affinity for him.
Photographer Wayatt Gallery gives a peek into the lives of Haitians living in the tent cities of Port-au-Prince. Check out the details below…
Award-winning photographer, Wyatt Gallery, has documented the aftermath of tragedies and regular life at home and overseas. He seems to sense the potential for just this kind of much-needed commonality. His work establishes a sense of calm and a feeling that the photographer understands both what is visible and what the image doesn’t show. Gallery’s most recent photographs represent the lives that any one of us might live after a catastrophe with integrity and inherent respect for his subjects. His photography narrows the gulf between us and the real-people-of-everywhere-else.
Gallery has been working in and around so-called third world countries for several years now. He is a chameleon who immerses himself in the cultures most compelling to his eye and spirit. This has allowed him to create images that document in a truly different way. His work compels the eye because it unerringly evokes the spirit, the subconscious, and the necessary elements of his subjects. In his latest project, “Tent Life – Haiti”, Gallery, who spent his time in Haiti as a relief worker, presents to us the Haitian people and the reformed landscape of Port-au-Prince. The imagery here is vibrant and lush in a way that reminds us of the Haiti that is a handcrafted country, the first free nation of the Caribbean, that its people are undaunted and inherently resilient and that the potential of the nation lies there, as it always has, in the hearts of its population.
First Mag took a trip to Haiti last week and documented some of the vivid scenery in Port-au-Prince that exist amongst and around the rubble. Most of the shots are of Haitian art but also the lively colors that exist around most parts of the city.
Another look into the heart of the damage caused by Haiti’s earthquake earlier this year, this time via First Magazine. Check out some details below…
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – walking around in the rubble on Grand Rue, one gets the distinct feeling that people are putting on a brave face. Three months after the earthquake that took the lives of more than 200,000 people, life continues despite the indescribable destruction as its residents continue the painstaking process of rebuilding the capital – arguably the most important cultural and historical city in the Caribbean.
Coming from Kingston, the scenes of poverty are not entirely alien, and yet, despite its obvious economic disadvantages there’s something distinctly developed about the Haitian people. Amid the piles of broken concrete, trash and flattened buildings, there’s no begging, no wailing, no time for anything but digging upward and outward for the inhabitants of this rebel nation….
UPDATE: I actually meant to have this video from the Life.Files accompany these photos, to give everyone a better sense of the situation down there. Check it out below, via Ian….
DONATE: Text ‘Yele’ to 501501, ‘Haiti’ to 90999 or directly through yele.org and redcross.org.
They say that time heals all wounds. This is true, in most cases at least, but in the case of Haiti, it’s clear that they’ll need more to get back to normal. The Big Picture once again turned their lenses to the Caribbean island to document life there, this time 70 days after the 7.0 Earthquake. Below is a sampling of their results. Click the images for a larger view…
In Haiti, the survivors of the magnitude 7.0 earthquake that struck about two and a half months ago continue to struggle, with a few signs of hope as international assistance is beginning to make measurable progress, some international debt is being forgiven, and some businesses and institutions start to come back to life. In a country still mourning the loss of a now-estimated 230,000 citizens (on par with the 2004 Indian Ocean quake), over one million people remain housed in makeshift tent cities, uncertain about their future or security. According to a recent draft summary of the Haitian government’s damage and needs assessment, the country will need $11.5 billion to rebuild. Collected here are a handful of recent photographs from Haiti, a country still in need.
Our good friend Kareem Black got in touch with us yesterday with some of the photos taken during his recent visit to Port-Au-Prince, Haiti.
Kareem and other creative folks from several agencies around New York City spent last week volunteering and documenting the scene on behalf of Healing Haiti and Print for Change.
The near future will likely bring a book on the trip as well as a show here in New York, with proceeds from both going towards the relief effort. In the meantime, check out a few selected photos below…
…Black was candid about life in Haiti, stating, “There’s no garbage disposal, no local police force or army, they burn garbage and bodies, there’s sewage in the streets, pigs eating the sewage, and children playing with the pigs.”
In the midst of volunteering, Black and the others quickly became aware that there was no easy nor permanent solution to the current situation in Haiti. Without money or passports, it is difficult to leave the stricken island. The lack of infrastructure exacerbates problems and housing solutions are still meager as many people camp out in tents.
And yet, “I don’t want to record death and destruction – everybody knows that story,” says Black. Instead, Black chose to focus on the people, especially children, because “[they] are the hope and future of the nation.” He furthers, “I want to give the culture some sort of dignity.”…
One of, if the best, photoblogs on the internet is Boston.com’s The Big Picture. They recently put together a piece on the continuing aftermath of Haiti’s earthquake. Check out a sampling of the photos below…
Tomorrow (Feb. 2nd) will mark three weeks since the massive January 12th earthquake in Haiti, and tent cities remain full, even as some businesses and factories are beginning to reopen in Port-au-Prince. Now that massive amounts of aid have arrived, distribution problems have cropped up and are being addressed. The World Food Program has begun a new system of delivering rice to 10,000 Haitians per day at each of 16 women-only distribution points around the city - restricted to women, since young men often muscle their way to the front of distribution lines, and the women are viewed as more likely to fairly divide up the food. Aid chiefs and donor nations are warning that Haiti will need at least a decade of painstaking reconstruction.
I’ve been on the phone all week talking to family and friends trying to get a sense of whats going on in Haiti. So, I thought I should switch things up this week and post some Kompa music for a change, and rep for my Haitians. As more of you find out news from Haiti about loved ones whether it good or bad, I hope this manages to keep your spirits up.
OASIS is a probably the first project of its kind that will bring a hotel/resort like establishment to Petion-Ville in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The concept is great and hopefully this is the beginning for a viable tourist industry in Haiti. It’s good progress for Haiti that’s for sure, I’ll let the video explain the rest…
I recently came across this article about a Canadian company that wants to mine for gold in Haiti. I thought I should share…
Port-au-Prince.– A Montreal-based mining company has announced plans to explore the mountains of north-eastern Haiti for gold and copper.
Majescor Resources Inc will explore the site in a partnership with Simact Mining Holding Inc, a Long Island, New York-based consortium of Haitian-American investors.
Majescor President Marc-Andre Bernier said the company is encouraged by explorations that Eurasian Minerals Inc is conducting at a nearby site.
Gold and copper were found in the Caribbean nation decades ago, but Haiti’s instability and lack of infrastructure have discouraged investment. A Barrick Gold Corp site about 130 miles (210 kilometers) southeast in the Dominican Republic is estimated to contain 20.4 million ounces of gold.
