Artibonite Department - Haiti Observer Blog

Lalo Legume Fey is a signature dish of Artibonite. Any Artibonitenne, one must know how to prepare this dish properly. It is a staple food of the area made using rice, beans and lalo. The dish is not only filling but is also hearty and tasty and is known for high amounts of protein and iron. The dish is made using different kinds of green vegetables. The greens that are generally used include lalo, spinach, watercress and purslane. Meat is also required for the preparation and is cooked one day ahead of preparing the dish.

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The Minister of Justice in Haiti, Jean Renel Sanon, confirmed that 29 school principals were arrested in the West and Artibonite Departments, specifically Gonaives. The school principals have been running some of the public and private schools in the region for fraud. It includes school principals of both public and private.

Minis Jistis la, Jean Renel Sanon, konfime ke 29 direktè lekòl yo te arete nan Gonaives. Li gen ladan l direktè lekòl nan piblik ak prive.

Sa Se Pou Dwet Long Siperye!

If this is to be true, do we have any role models left in the country

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Haiti has developed to become the home of primitive art. The art history dates back to 1940's when the Centre D'art was established by Dewitt peters in Port-Au-Prince.

The art revolution has seen the establishment of other several schools of art in Haiti. School of Cap-Haitian was founded by Philome Obin, Prefete Duffaut created the School of Jacmel, Foyer Des Arts Plastiques was established by Lucien Price and Cedor.

Another school of art is the Artibonite School linked to Saincilus Ismael who is the founder and considered as the father of a style of painting called Artibonite. Saincilus Ismael has contributed much to the evolution of art in Haiti.

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In the objective to support the Haitian Voodoo, Haitian President Michel Martelly visited three "Lakous" in the Artibonite Department on january 13, 2013: Lakou Souvenance, Lakou Soukri Danach, Lakou Badjo.

Martelly conducted the visits with an initiative coming from Culture Minister, Mario Dupuy. He entered inside of the Peristile of Souvenance with a Candle and a cup filled with water and and proceed to do the ritual called "Jete Dlow". The Haitian President received the benediction of the Haitian Voodoo priests or as they are called Houngan.

What is Souvenance?
Souvenance is one of lakous in the Artibonite region that are known for keeping a specific African Voodoo traditions. Lakou Souvenance celebrates the lwas originated from Daome which is called Benin today. Lakou Soukri Danach is known for celebrating the African Kongo tradition. Lakou Badjo has kept the Nago tradition of Yoruba.

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In Haiti, there exists no city more sublimely beautiful than Saint-Michel-de-l'Atalaye. Also known by the Creole place-name, Sen Michèl Latalay, its tropical topography of sweeping mountain ranges, lush farming tracts, and plentiful water sources is home to 130,000 residents. The neighboring towns of Marmelade, Ennery, and Maissade
surround it.

In addition to its enormous physical appeal and access to water resources, Saint-Michel-de-l'Atalaye has the advantage of lying outside the earthquake fault-line that curses geographically inferior Port-au-Prince. In another unflattering comparison to Port-au-Prince, Saint-Michel-de-l'Atalaye boasts a superior education system that is privately supported.

Agriculture, the back-bone of Haiti's economy, is strong in Saint-Michel-de-l'Atalaye. Farmers produce rice, mangoes, sugarcane, various types of vegetables, and other crops on verdant plots of acreage.

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La Chapelle, known in Creole as Lachapèl, operates as a city-ship in the Saint Marc Arrondissement, in the Artibonite Division. Other city-ships in the Artibonite Division include Verrettes and Saint Marc.

La Chapelle is situated southward from the Atlantic Ocean, indistinguishable in its aquamarine jewel-toned beauty from the Caribbean Sea, only a few miles west of La Chapelle. Gonaïves is the closest city to La Chapelle, while Cap Haïtien and Port-au-Prince lie further out.

As Haiti is largely Catholic, it is no surprise Catholicism is the dominant religion in La Chapelle, with a minority of Protestants and Voodoo believers. Residents of La Chapelle worship at Saint John, an Evangelical Roman Catholic Church, the church being the focal point of the religious community. Voodoo believers practice their own rites, with aspects of Catholicism incorporated into their rituals.

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The Haitian town of Marmelade, known as Mamlad in Creole, is best known as the boyhood home of Rene Preval, past president of Haiti, who succeeded the troubled and turbulent presidency of Jean-Bertrand Aristide. During the era when the island of Haiti (known as Hispaniola then) was ruled by nobility, Marmelade was recognized as a duchy.

Situated high in the Marmelade mountain range between Cap Haïtien and Saint Marc, it overlooks the jewel-toned, aquamarine Atlantic Ocean, which lies 17 miles northward. It is also bounded by the equally breath-taking Caribbean Sea on the westward side.

Marmelade, referred to as Marmeiade or Marra Town by its 7,000 local residents, is a Christian community that is predominately Catholic. They attend baptisms, holy communions, weddings, funerals, and Sunday masses at St. Martha Catholic Church, 18 miles from Cap Haïtien International Airport.

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Desdunes is a small town that is part of Haiti's Artibonite department. It is a home for about 27,000 people. It was originally called Ti Desdunes and it is 54 miles from Port-au-Prince while 12 miles away from Gonaives. Moreover, the distance between the northwestern part of the town and the Caribbean Sea is some 10 miles. As a matter of fact, people can already see and witness the beauty of the Caribbean Sea when they are in Desdunes.

Because the town of Desdunes is so small, the supply of clean water and basic medical services are not enough for the residents. Given this, various organizations are working to provide the necessary assistance to the townspeople. The Operation Blessing International's local arm called Operation Blessing Haiti Relief is just one of the groups helping Desdunes. The organization reached out to Desdunes residents last year, when they launched a clean drinking water and medical program. Under the program, residents received free supply of clean water, as well as medical assistance in a span of 10 days.

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Haiti's Artibonite Department would not be complete without the town of Ennery. Located on the northwestern side of the country, Ennery is one of the municipalities comprising the Gonaives Arrondissement. It covers 217 square kilometers of land and houses some 46,590 residents. Also known as Ville de l'anse, the town of Ennery consists of several areas such as Pascal, Hamel, Boutique and Durand. It also has four communes namely Puilboreau, Chemin Neuf, Savannah Square and Queen Pass.

It might be difficult for some to get to Ennery because the town is hilly, meaning one has to hike in order to reach it. Air travel, however, is not that inaccessible because the town is not that far from Cap Haitien Interntional Airport, Toussaint Louverture Airport and Port-de-Paix Airport.

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Gonaives Arrondissement is a crucial part of Haiti's Artibonite Department. It has faced a lot of challenges over the years but it remained strong. Around 264,000 people live in this municipality, which is also the capital of the entire Arrondissement.

Located on the northern part of the country and 110 kilometers from the national capital of Port-au-Prince, Gonaives is an agricultural municipality. Cotton, sugar, coffee, mango, banana and cabinet wood are among its most common produce. It is a great municipality but it has gone through a lot.

Hurricanes and floods are common in Gonaives as it is situated in a valley with many hills and mountains surrounding it. Not only that, it is also adjacent to the Caribbean Sea. Different natural disasters have already wreaked havoc in the town. In September, a tropical storm named Jeanne hit Gonaives, killing over 2,500 people. The storm triggered floods and mudslides that affected the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.

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