Haiti Condition in the Twenty First Century

By Scheeler Devis, Heritagekonpa Magazine

Publish June 6, 2004

It was beyond my comprehension to find Haiti, after 18 years of living abroad, devastated by selfishness, poverty, ignorance, and the horrible discord of its own educated citizens. The first thing that captured my attention on April 9, 2004, while landing at the International Airport of Haiti aboard American Airlines, was the wretched state of Haiti’s mountains and land. The mountains around the capital and the neighboring cities were all stripped of their natural forestation, scenic beauty, and rich soil. There were no more trees and vegetation. These natural resources had been destroyed by Mother Nature’s fiercest hurricane, in addition to being devastated by the tornado that resides within each Haitian, or more exactly in the so-called “Haitian Political Leaders.”

Leaving the airport was a nightmare. There was a mass of people waiting outside the gate, everyone trying to get quick jobs from the newly arrived passengers. Even when a passenger refused their help, they invaded their personal space just like a gang of ants invading a bottle of syrup. The scene was scary for both foreigners and Haitians alike, who were visiting the country either out of curiosity or for other reasons. The road that led to and from the airport was adequate enough for light traffic, but as the traffic became heavier, the trip almost turned into a nightmare. As you continued to drive along the road, there were numerous piles of garbage (like a bed of roses to welcome visitors) throughout the streets. Less than a mile away from the airport, the piles of garbage seemed to grow by tenfold. There were merchants on both sides of the road trying to sell all kinds of goods to visitors in order to bring food home for their families.

When I finally reached my destination, I was amazed by the sight of newly built houses on the mountains and in the nearby neighborhoods. Gigantic and expensive houses were built all around Tabarre, Torcelle, and Montagne Noir. One thing that was apparent was the lack of decent roads in the newly developed areas. The so-call roads were in deplorable condition. They were so tight that barely two cars could get through at once

A Haitian vendor scraping dust off the bread to be sold, Petion Ville Market( see pcitures inside)

I drove by one newly developed zone known as Route Des Freres, a semi-developed area with tremendous economic potential. Houses and small merchant tents were built all along the roads. While some of the houses in the developed zone looked very modern, they were built on top of each other. The phenomenon of overbuilding is observed throughout Port-au-Prince. While there is nothing inherently wrong with expanding and remodeling a community to inject it with new life, problems come when these housing projects begin to overwhelm the environment through the practice of unsanitary and dangerous living conditions, which creates the potential for serious disasters (fire, mudslide, etc.). As is the case with most of the country, Route Des Freres’ residents lack adequate resources for the provision of basic infrastructure, such as roads, drains, electricity and water, all the necessities that make housing development easier.

Starved for cash, some developers have abandoned numerous unfinished housing projects throughout the Haitian capital. A number of housing projects have become havens for crime, and most are deteriorating to the point where they will need major renovations to become operational. The skeletons of dead construction projects have also lured homeless to take over some areas, which eventually turn into bidon villes (slum villages) like, for example, “Cite Soleil” and “Cite Carton,” both crime ridden cities notorious for serving as headquarters for various gangs.

The potential to revitalize blighted areas in Port-au-Prince is worth all of the efforts. Many people stand to improve their economic status as well as their living conditions. But the Haitian private sector and the government must take charge to establish agencies to oversee new construction projects, ensuring they follow proper environmental and architectural guidelines to ensure that they meet the growing needs and provide for the safety of the population.

The current and future Haitian government must take the necessary steps to create legislation that will prevent the citizenry and investors from destroying farmlands and wetlands that have historically been devoted to agriculture. Some of the most fertile lands in Haiti, including La Plaine, Kenscoff, and Montagne Noir, are now over populated with shanty and modern houses. During the past 30 years or so, these areas were mostly reserved for farming and agricultural development. Now no one wants to farm anymore, which is one of the main reasons why Port-au-Prince and the rest of the country are stressed to find agricultural products made in Haiti. Currently most of these products are either coming from Santo Domingo, Asia, or the United States. <<next | 1 | 2 | 3