Conditions at the Citadelle Laferriere Brought Fury to the President

On Thursday, July 19, 2012, the president of Haiti, Mitchel Martely was full of anger. This was due to the state of the conditions he found at the Citadelle Laferrière. The president had made a tour at the citadel and was accompanied by various senior officials in the government. Among them included the president's advisor Gregory Mayard Paul, the Minister of Culture, Stephanie Balmir Villedrouin, the Minister of Tourism, Mr. Yvone Alteon and other senior officials at the Institute for the Protection of National Heritage, ISPAN. ISPAN has the responsibility for the restoration of the Citadelle which is a tourist attraction site in Haiti.

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Citadelle Laferrière was named by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, (UNESCO) as one of the Haiti's National heritage in 1997. The citadel is believed to be built by the famous Henri Christophe back in the nineteenth century and remains to be one of the largest historical monuments in the whole of the Caribbean.

The president did not hide his fury when he found the monument in unkempt condition. He criticized the management of the citadel for their lack of protecting the national pride. He said that the place seemed insecure and did not look like a tourist attraction site. He said that the officials of the ISPAN were getting salary for nothing without having done anything. He said that they were there to challenge the government for lack of support yet they are the ones who failed to perform their duties well.

Speaking at that time, the minister for Culture, Stephanie Balmir Villedrouin did not show happiness about the situation. He acknowledged that the situation at the citadel was bad and shameful. He said that his ministry would be working together with the UNESCO and donors to help restore the former state of the Citadelle Laferrière . He said that restoration of the citadel would be one of the emergency measures that he was going to take in order to promote international tourism in Haiti.

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Read more: tourism, Historic Monument, Historic Site, Stephanie Balmir Villedrouin, History, Citadelle Laferriere, Yvon Alteon, ISPAN, UNESCO, Haiti National Heritage, 1997, Henri Christophe, Minister Of Culture, Restoration, History

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