Petion-Ville - Haiti Observer Blog

Tourism has been on a substantial descent over the last 20 years. But one series of events, the Fête champêtre, continues to give hope to a struggling industry as tourists, local, from the Diaspora, and international, flock Haiti to witness the countryside festival.

One of the main avenues for entertainment to the 18th century elite, a Fête champêtre (a country feast or pastoral festival) was a type of garden party much loved at court. With pretensions to simplicity, the Fête champêtre was patronized by the well dressed, entertained by musicians hidden in the trees, as they enjoyed the beauty of landscaped park.

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Galerie Marassa, established in 1977, is a leading galleria of the Caribbean. It is located in Petion-Ville, Haiti and has acquired global recognition since its birth. Galerie Marassa has created a home for nurturing new Haitian art talents.

In its history the galleria has organized hundreds of national and international exhibitions as well as art fairs and biennales.

Michele Gardere Frisch is the name behind Galeria Marassa.

Michelle opened the facility after completing her artistic studies at The New England School of Art and the school of decorated arts in Madrid. From the two institutions, Michelle had acquired a degree in Art and Design of the environment.

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Mr. and Mrs Roger Monnin are the people behind Galeria Monin. The history goes back to 1947 when the couple found settlement in Haiti. Both were previously based in Jura, Switzerland.

Galerie Monin was dedicated in 1956 at 382 Boulevard Jean Jacques Dessalines in Port-au-Prince.

The Gallery got a significant boost in 1968 when the founders Mr. and Mrs Roger Monnin were joined by their two children; Michel and Lena.

In his efforts and his desire to branch out from the sacred or vodou art Michel worked with the new generation artists to produce painters of the Galeria Monnin School.

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Pétion-ville is a suburb in the capital of Haiti, Port-au-Prince. It is situated on the Massif de la Selle northern hills, east of the city. In 1770-1818 it got its name after the President and General of Haiti, Alexandre Sabès Pétion. He was one of the four founding fathers of Haiti.

Wealthiest Place In Haiti

With a population of 342,694 as per 2009 census, Petion-ville is a well known residential area. It is the metropolitan area of the city, is affluent and well known for tourist activities.

Residents in Petion-ville include business people, foreign businessmen and diplomats. As compared to Port-au-Prince and other major Haitian cities, Petion-ville has more security. Buzzing with business this area has an active night life and is more peaceful.

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Petion-Ville has been having a problem with its street vendors on market days. Since the streets of the town are not set up for containment of wares, sellers lay down or set up their merchandise haphazardly on the streets. So many merchants fill up these impromptu market spaces with their wares there is no through-way for consumers to travel on. These pop-up markets take up as much room as a good-sized flea market in the U.S.

The difference between marketplaces in the U.S. and Haiti is organization of the physical space. In the States, vendors rent, or buy portable stalls that are then set up in an orderly pattern, allowing plenty of open space for foot traffic to move through. But in Haiti, in towns like Petion-Ville, no such rental equipment exists, or designated spots for merchandise display. Moreover, the marketplace has no manager to oversee operation of the vending space.

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The United States Agency for International Development has contributed in this new project to build this new bridge, Millet Bridge on the Route de Freres. To mark the termination of work on the bridge the Haitian president, Michel Martelly along side of the new American Ambassador, Pamela White, were present in the opening ceremony.

The new Millet Bridge is expected to make traffic between Tabarre in Port-au-Prince and Petion-Ville easier It is 8.4 meters wide and 18 meters long, with a price tag of 1.7 million dollars

Millet Bridge was formerly located over a ravine and needed improvement. Its deteriorating condition became more apparent, following the 2010 earthquake that caused more traffic on the bridge.

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Will Dimanche, Director of Traffic Services and Traffic Police, came under fire about procedures used in towing vehicles from Senator Steven Benoit, of the Senate Committee on Justice and Security. Benoit wanted answers about what companies are towing, who their owners are, precise tow fees, third-party money allocation, and sources of money transactions. In short, he senses a fraud scheme. He suggests the Highway Code is not being followed by Dimanche.

The process of towing vehicles in Port-au-Prince and Pétion-Ville has gotten bogged down. Both have seen an increase in motor vehicles and more companies doing business. A third problem is the rise in abandoned vehicles on public thoroughfares.

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PromoCapital, established in 2004, became Haiti's pioneer investment bank, the ancillary arm of PromoBank. PromoCapital set up its headquarters in Pétionville and opened affiliate offices in Washington, D.C., Aventura, Florida, and Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The investment bank began with 70 partners in a joint-venture effort born of an agreement signed by the Haitian-American Diaspora, Haitian small- and mid-size businesses, and investment capitalists. The Haitian and U.S. shareholders would share the equity between them equally.

PromoCapital is sub-divided into two financial entities, PromoCapital, S.A., set up as Société Fiancière de Dévelopment, in Haiti, and PromoCapital USA, Inc., a general partnership corporation licensed to operate in Delaware State. PromoCapital appointed two directors to represent its financial entities: Chairman Henri Deschamps of PromoCapital Haiti, and Dumarsais M. Siméus, Chairman of PromoCapital USA.

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At the age of 22, Robert 'Boby' Duval, a popular soccer player sat as Haiti's political prisoner in a jail cell. He knew one thing and that was, his country required a change soon. He was imprisoned for one and half years for playing a major role in the Democratic Movement which could affect Haiti positively.

He Paid a Price for Standing Up To His Belief
For standing up for whatever he believed, he had to pay the price of an illustrious career in soccer. He tried a lot to end the Haitian struggle and remained dedicated to athletics and his lifelong love for the soccer game. By providing a career in soccer he has plans to bring in a positive change in Haiti.

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Haiti's Petion-Ville now has a new mayor. Reports said that the government revoked former Mayor Claire Lydie Parent's mandate. According to Minister of the Interior and Local Authorities Ronsard St. Cyr, the revocation will take effect for over a year. Yvanca Jolicoeur Brutus is now Petion-Ville's new mayor. She was installed recently and is expected to receive assistance from officials Kerna Duval and Dominique Saint-Roc.

Claire Lydie Parent confirmed the revocation but she said that she was not aware that the government was making such a decision. The incident came after Parent issued a statement wherein she blamed government supporters for bringing trouble to the city. In her statement, Parent said that people in Petion-Ville are now suffering because the municipal government's function has been limited. She claimed that government supporters are creating trouble in the city in order to prevent the municipal government from doing its job to the fullest.

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