- that one of the most popular songs in Haiti right now is titled "Aba Dekomb." If you can ignore the English curse words blaring at you through the loudspeakers and focus on the Creole words, it's a pretty clever song. "Aba Dekomb" means "Under the Rubble".
- that when this structure was built by President Aristide it was intended to be an eternal flame and a site for human sacrifices. It was never completed.
- that Haitian drivers can squeeze through spaces with less than a millimeter to spare.
- that a famous Haitian artist has adorned walls all over the city with this drawing of a crying Haiti. Underneath the grafitti is frequently written, "Obama, we need change!"
- that this is a pharmacy!
- that after more than 4 months, this is as far as the deconstruction has advanced on the palace.
- that May 18th is Flag Day, an equivalent to American 4th of July. The celebrations were subdued this year because all of the empty spaces generally used for partying were full of tents. Instead, there were protests downtown. President Preval, who has not accomplished much during his term, was petitioning the Senate to extend emergency powers that would allow him to stay in office for an additional 18 months. The people don't like the idea so they protested. The police don't like protests, so they shot on the crowd and killed a handful of people. The president doesn't like people getting killed, so he abandonned his quest.
- that no one in Haiti walks their dogs, but they do walk their cows!
1 comment:
what wonderfully informative posts .. and sensitive photos! thank you! joyfully! Debbie :-)
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