port-au-prince - Haiti Observer Blog

A great Haitian has passed away. Prominent Haitian historian Georges Corvington. According to the report, he died of heart failure at the age of 88, this Wednesday, April 3, 2013.

Historian Georges Corvington was born in 1926 in Port-au-Prince. He became President of the Society of History and Geography and was decorated Living National Treasure in January 2009

Mr. Corvington started his writing career in the 70s. His subjects include Port-au-prince, the national Palace and Haiti National Cathedral. These buildings were bot destroyed by the 2010 Haiti earthquake. One of his most successful publication was "Port-au-Prince Through the Ages" , a history of Haiti from the colonization period all the way to the government of Paul Eugene Magloire in 1956.

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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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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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Being the country's capital, Port-au-Prince has a lot to offer. It is the main commercial district in the country, as businesses thrive in the city. It has a population of more than 1.2 million, most of whom are Africans but many businesses are owned by people with various races.

As the national capital, Port-au-Prince is the center of the country's economy. It is one of the leading exporters of coffee and sugar. It also used to export baseballs, shoes and other goods. Many food-processing plants and factories of soap, cement and textile, as well as construction companies can be found in Port-au-Prince. Tourism used to have a lot of potential, as the capital was once a popular destination for cruises. However, political unrest, higher crime rate and other factors made it a little less attractive to tourists, leading to a huge drop in tourism. Currently, there are no more cruise ships coming to the city's ports.

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The commune of Delmas in the Ouest Department is known as the "extension" of the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince. Covering 80 square kilometers of land, Delmas is part of the capital's expansion and is now housing some 400,000 residents.

The best thing about Delmas is its road construction. Unlike other towns and cities in Haiti, Delmas features an efficient and useable road networks. Its road network provides links to the major highway of Route National No. 1. It also makes it easier for motorists to travel to the Toussaint Louvre International Airport in Port-au-Prince, providing simple access to air travel.

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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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Segundo Cardona, principal of Architectos de Guaynato Design Firm, has won the design competition for restoration of the Port-au-Prince (PAP) Cathedral, almost completely collapsed during the 2010 earthquake. But the cathedral's colonial façade survived intact. Cardona won out over 250 architecture firms from across the globe. The University Of Miami School Of Architecture partnered with the Archdiocese of PAP to select the winning design.

Competition guidelines required that preservation of Haiti's architectural tradition be the dominant element in creating the cathedral's design. The guidelines also required practicality in using environmentally safe materials in the interior of the cathedral, as well as adherence to seismic requirements.

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In a bid to keep Haiti communities safe and secure, the authorities are now going after criminals and suspicious individuals. Commissioner of the Government Me Lucmane Delile launched the "Gason Pa Kanpe" campaign that is meant to catch criminals and stop them from inciting fear among the public. The campaign started strong, with more than 25 arrests in just a couple of days. Every kind of criminals, including kidnappers and drug dealers, are getting targeted by the campaign.

Lucmane Delile said the campaign"Gason Pa Kanpe" is just beginning, as they plan to go after criminals even harder. He shared that officials started rounding out criminals in the capital of Port-au-Prince, where they questioned and investigated a number of suspects. Officials are also setting their sights on various areas such as banks and neighborhoods with high crime rates. They are determined to make people safe in going to banks because there were instances wherein criminals went after their victims while the latter are doing bank transactions.

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Laurent Lamothe, Haiti's new Prime Minister (PM), flew to New York on June 16, 2012 to conduct exploratory talks with Haiti Consul General Charles Forbin about New York labor laws. As part of his visit, PM Lamothe was scheduled to meet with Oscar-winning Actor, Robert De Niro, to discuss his plans to build a hotel in Haiti. If the actor commits to building one, this would be more good news for Haiti, who needs to ramp up its tourism trade as part of the recovery effort from 2010's earthquake, which completely leveled the Port-au-Prince region. Recently, U.S. Best Western began construction on a luxury hotel in Petionville, near Port-au-Prince.

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Haitian-Canadian mixed martial artist (MMA) Yves Jabouin, born on May 30, 1979, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, fights in the bantamweight category in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) events. He began his MMA career in 2001, traveling on its circuit. During a fight he strikes like tiger, and fans have nicked-named him Tiger.

In October 2009, Yves Jabouin fought his introductory match at the World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) event, taking on Rafael Assuncao, but losing by a split decision. Set to challenge opponent Mark Hominick at the January 2010 WEC event, Jabouin suffered a disappointment, when he sustained an injury during practice, and had to cancel. The fight was re-scheduled for June 2010, and in a second disappointment for Jabouin, Hominick won with a round two TKO. But in November 2010, at the WEC, Jabouin rebounded, beating Brandon Visher in a unanimous decision.

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