Croix-des-Bouquets - Haiti Observer Blog

Noailles village has become renowned for its artwork, produced from found objects, tossed-out oil drums. To make art objects from rubbish requires great skill and creativity, which Noailles's inhabitants possess in abundance.

The village is an artist's colony. Everyone is involved in making spectacular objects for everyday living: some practical, others decorative. The raw material, iron, is pounded into such usables as mirrors, furniture, and light fixtures. Aesthetic pieces include sculptures and wall hangings.

What characterizes Noailles is the 24/7 sound of metal being molded by chisels and hammers. No one complains to the local police about the clank and clang of ringing metal, which can be heard up to a mile away. Quite the opposite. The townspeople regard the sounds of metal on metal as ". . . welcome, beautiful even; music to the ears of all who live (in Noailles)"

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The Croix-des-Bouquets prison, a newly built fortress, was not enough to keep the likes of kidnapper and wealthy businessman, Clifford Brandt, in. Reports are that Brant, who was sent to prison in October of 2012 made his escape when a prison riot gave him the necessary chance.

On the ground news is that the plan was devised to break Brandt out. Police allegedly got word of a meeting where this plan was devised. However, some other reports also say that the prisoner walked off the compound hours before gunmen raiding it, taking over the prison. In this latter telling, the takeover was merely a cover for his escape. Regardless of what story is true, the police are being put under very high scrutiny following an incident they had always played down as being impossible.

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With a total of 329 inmates out of prison in Haiti, the Haitian government has 329 mouths to feed in prison. There is only one problem with these crowd just released. They are not the types of people who will be complaining about poverty and misery in Haiti. Some of them are the go getters. They will take whatever they need from the population to function. They will likely kill you if necessary or some time just for the fun of it.

The new prison escapes will not have any problem to earn a living or to prosper in an environment such as Haiti. As a matter of fact, Haiti seems to be the ideal country for them to prosper, and not an organized country such the US, Canada, etc..

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On a recent visit to Cornillon, a town in the west department district of Croix-des-Bouquets, the Haitian head of state, President Michel Martelly made gifts to the long-standing town. On the occasion of their 125th anniversary, the residents of Cornillon were treated to a distribution of agricultural equipment from their president, one of whose mandates is the advancement of the Haitian agricultural sector.

The tools were given to local farmers who make their living farming cash crops such as coffee and fruit. As such, his stated intent was to assist them in making more bountiful harvests. However, as it stands, even with these new tools, farmers in the community of Cornillon still find it hard to eke out subsistence because of other, chronic problems plaguing the area.

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A unique type of art in Haiti is the Haitian metal art. This form of art involves the re-use of used oil drums for art work.

Steel oil drums once have been emptied are bought from the port near Port Au Prince and taken to the town of Croix-des-Bouquets which neighbors the Haitian capital. Here the process of recycling the used drums begins.

First the round ends of the used drum are removed and the drum is set on fire to remove paint and any form of residue. The cylindrical drum is then cut top down and flattened. The flat metal canvas measures about 3 x 6 inches. A chalk is used to make a drawing of the shape to be worked on the metal surface. The art is completed with primitive tools like chisels and hammers. The primitive piece of art is then signed by the artist and then covered with a protective coat.

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The residential town of Croix Des Bouquets in the Ouest Department used to be clean, peaceful and glamorous. Even if a deadly earthquake rattled the entire country in 2010, Croix Des Bouquets retained its glamour as it was not as affected as the capital of Port-au-Prince. However, the aftermath of the earthquake eventually became destructive and detrimental to Croix Des Bouquets.

As survivors fled Port-au-Prince to seek shelter in other towns and cities, refugees thronged to Croix Des Bouquets. This resulted in a period of chaos, as people continued to come to the town. People began setting up tents for shelters and merchants started to scatter all around. This made the town untidy and unruly, which was such a waste because a lot of developmental programs have been done in the area to keep it clean, peaceful and orderly.

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Several families brought to the point of desperation due to a fire at the Market of Croix-des-Bouquets. In the night of November 15, 2011, a fire started in the marketplace and quickly spread, causing several damages to the products of the businesses located inside of the Marche. According to early report, close to two hundred people were affected.

The Deputy of Croix des Bouquets was closely involved in the operation to fight the fire. He helped mobilized aids from a variety of institutions to come and help the population of Croix-des-Bouquets.

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One company that wants to make a difference in Haiti is Macy's.

The American corporation has developed the "Heart of Haiti" Art project in an effort to support the Haitian artists affected by the Haiti earthquake of 2010 to become self sufficient.

What a gesture from a big corporation.

My experiences and all I have so far heard about big corporations is totally contrary to what Macy's is currently doing in Haiti.

Haven't you heard that bid corporations have no heart; that they only care about the bottom line.

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