Petit Goave - Haiti Observer Blog

On Wednesday, October 21, 2015, President Martelly inaugurated the port of Petit-Goâve in the presence of both the Director General of Customs (AGD) and the Director General of the National Port Authority (APN). The construction of the port in an area covering 52 square meters took ten months to complete with a State fundings of $2.3 million.

The new port has been renovated with new customs offices and bonded warehouses built in accordance with the ISPS Code (International Code Ship and Port Security). It has the capacity to receive 2,000 tones boats along a long coastline of 1,500 meters. The construction work was a part of the area development work for enhancing competitiveness and overall development of Haiti.

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Some arrests have been made in connection with the burning of the Capital Coach Line Bus in Petit Goave. Authorities have announced that two individuals have been arrested and they are currently looking for more suspects.

It has been estimated that the type of transportation bus use by Capital Coach Line costs the company around $300,000 before transportation, shipping and other costs. This kind of lost is likely to set the company several years back.

History:
A capital coach line assuring the transport between Port-au-Prince and Les Cayes was burned to the ground in Petit Goave. According to eyewitnesses, some individuals stopped the bus that was driven by a Dominican national and set it on fire.

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Faced with a 350 year landmark anniversary coming up, the city of Petit-Goâve, at the end of last year, breathed a sigh of relief when the efforts of various security groups on-rolled a plan that put paid to the unrest and lawlessness that had threatened the old, dignified town.

Realizing the point of pride 350 years brought to the residents, the coastal city's mayor, Sandra Jules, welcomed the initiative orchestrated by the country's National Police and the United Nation's peacekeeping mission to eradicate the gangs bringing havoc to the city in time for their anniversary celebration. In this they were successful; the large of number of deployed anti-riot police was able to weed out the gangs who were robbing motorists along the course of National Road 2, killing police and generally terrorizing the city.

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Petit-Goâve, one of the first cities to be established in Haiti, was inhabited by the Amerindians, who named it Goâve. It became Aguava when the Spanish colonists settled it. Eventually the French acquired and divided it, re-naming it Grand-Goâve and Petit Goâve. Petit Goâve, served as the temporary capital of Saint-Domingue, a wealthy colony.

Petit-Goâve was seriously damaged in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake when a strong 5.9 aftershock struck at the epicenter of which Petit-Goâve lay close to. A week later the U.S. Marines arrived in Petit- and Grand-Goâve to bring aid supplies.

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Haiti has grown in national pride with the election of Haitian-Canadian author, Dany Laferriere, to the Academie Francaise. President Martelly made the announcement of Laferriere's selection to the Academie public on December 12, 2013. It is a great honor for Haiti, Martelly said, that Laferriere who rose from Petit-Goâve to national prominence has now become part of an international community of renowned writers.

Prime Minster Lamothe also commented on Laferriere's selection as a reflection of the importance and immensity of his work, international reputation and contribution to literature

Laferriere, a sexagenarian, lives in Montreal and has written more than a dozen novels and as many essays. His 2009 autobiographical novel, L'enigme du retour, which recounted his return to Haiti after his father passed away, nabbed the distinguished Prix Medicis award. His first novel, Comment faire l'amour avec un negre sans se fatiguer, was published in 1985. He later wrote the screenplay adaptation for the film.

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How many people , after being admitted to such a prestigious place as the Académie française would want the world to know of his humble upbringing? Someone like Dany Laferrière would and that is what made him so special. Last Saturday, Dany Laferrière who was just elected to the French Academy arrived in Petit-Goâve to share some of that success and his new fame.

While in Petit-Goâve where he grew up, Dany Laferrière met several people who came to greet and congratulate him. He is now considered to be the pride of Haiti and especially the town of Petit-Goâve. He said that the city of Petit-Goâve had been his inspiration and actually played a key role in his writings.

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Born in Petit Goave on August 20, 1932, Hubert Deronceray, lived to the ripe old age of 78 before becoming one of the many victims of Haiti's catastrophic 2010 earthquake. Growing up, Deronceray attended the Christian Brothers Institution before moving on to classical studies at the Alexandre Petion High School. He would attain a tertiary education at the State University of Haiti and Laval University in Quebec, Canada, where he earned a Master's and PhD in Sociology.

He would return to Haiti to teach in 1966 before founding the CHISS (Center for Investigation in Haitian Social Sciences) and he was made Secretary of State for National Education in 1972, UNESCO's Haitian Minister Counselor and Human Rights Committee chairman.

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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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Faustin-Élie Soulouque was ushered into office as Haiti's 9th President in 1847. He was installed by advocates of the Boyerist movement as a figurehead ruler. But he soon rebelled, staging a coup against his supporters and turning his government into a dictatorship. Faustin ensured his totalitarian rule through devotion of a citizen militia, and finally persuaded Parliament to crown him Emperor of Haiti in 1849.

As emperor Faustin-Élie Soulouque ruled with a centralist government and created a black nobility with dukes, marquis, counts, barons, and nobles of lower rank. He formed military, civil, and religious orders, and created a Royal Academy of Art.

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Haitian radio is the chief means of media communication on the island. Few have income to buy a TV, and those who have sets are subject to unreliable electricity service. Going online to access news coverage is impossible for all but the rich. Not only is newspaper distribution minimal, but 80% of the population are illiterate. The only information source available to everyone is the radio and radio stations are plentiful in Haiti. Reception is widely accessible in virtually every village on the island. Radios cost little to own and run on batteries.

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