Library - Haiti Observer Blog

On January 26, 2014, the Dany Laferriere Library celebrated its official opening with an array of noted Haitian authors in attendance for the ceremony. They included, among many glitterati present, Yanick Lahens, Bonel Auguste, Christophe Phillipe Charles, Killy Charlot, and poet, Claude C. Pierre.

Dany Laferriere is a Haitian-Canadian novelist and journalist, who began life in Port-au-Prince, but was later reared in Petit Goave. He toiled as a journalist in Haiti prior to relocating to Canada, which he did in 1976. He continued his work as a journalist in Canada, as well as hosting several TV shows for TQS network.

Read more →  

Knowledge and Freedom Foundation and Haitian Blind Aid Society (AAHS) have joined forces to create a library for visually impaired Haitians, an underserved population in Haiti. The European Union (EU) has provided much of the funding in partnership with Libraries Without Borders (BSF).

The sound library, named because all works are recorded on audio tapes by volunteer readers, follows a format based on a Canadian model. The books have been recorded in both Créole and French by students and artists. The material chosen is suited to the age and interests of the readers. The readers have shown a spirited interest in the project, signing up to be volunteers.

Read more →  

The Port-au-Prince district of Bel Air is one of the poorest in the city, afflicted with violence everywhere, traumatizing its inhabitants. It has a history of violence, in particular events surrounding Lavalas leader Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

Soon after assuming the office of the presidency, Aristide was the object of a coup d'etat. He sought refuge in both the U.S. and Africa before returning in 2011. The Lavalas party is strong in Bel Air, and protests were staged, calling for Aristide's return. The government of Haiti sent the Haitian National Police (HNP) on more than one occasion to quell uprisings. What usually ensued was police brutality with large-scale massacres.
In 2005 another rebellion exploded in the streets of Bel Air and local officials feared violence would break out at polling stations on Election Day.

Read more →  

Haiti is a desperately poor country, the poorest in the Western Hemisphere in fact. Up to 80% of the population is illiterate. So it is interesting to consider the program the National Directorate of Books, National Library, and Libraries without Borders (BSF) is attempting to do to combat the problem.

On July 12, 2012, the tripartite began the Biblio Tap-Tap Program, a mobile library, which will deploy three jitney buses to several areas in the country. The stop-off points include the region around Port-au-Prince and north and central sectors of Haiti. Jitneys will visit each destination point monthly, with a library of 400 titles for each locale, out of its inventory of 2,400 books. The program is designed to serve the unemployed, youth that have dropped out of school, and the homeless. The literacy program will meet the education needs of approximately 5,000 youth and adults.

Read more →