On January 12, 2010, a magnitude 7 earthquake caused the death of about 230,000 people in Haiti and left millions homeless in Port-au-Prince the capital and provincial towns. Continue...
n January 12, 2010, a magnitude 7 earthquake caused the death of about 230,000 people in Haiti and left millions homeless in Port-au-Prince the capital and provincial towns.
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Port-au-Prince’s historical center was totally devastated
In Port-au-Prince, the Capital, the historical center was severely damaged. The HQ of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) was destroyed and nearly one hundred of its staff lost their lives. A seemingly endless refugees camp was set out amid the Presidential Palace and Cathedral rubble. The earthquake also severely hit other cities in Haiti, like Jacmel, a town south of Port-au-Prince, famous for its cultural and artistic life.
The city of Jacmel, famous for its carnival and cultural life, was also severely damaged
Jacmel, a town south of Port-au-Prince, was famous for its cultural life and its annual carnival. It had been attracting tourists from across the Caribbean island and all over the world. Sadly, the earthquake also severely hit the city. Destruction of the hotels and impoverishment of large sections of the population have deprived the artists of their wages, income and arts promoting places.
In June 2010, large parts of Jacmel were still buried under the rubble of buildings. Six months after the disaster, some of the artists still lived in tents or in their house cracked. Nightmarish, the victims condition was made even more precarious with the rainy seasons and the hurricanes.
Continuing to live despite the disaster
I came back with the aim to live in my house, this is where my life is, I’m alive. My heart is still beating and it’s sunny and when it’s hot; I prefer to live there. I didn’t feel so comfortable. It’s true because there’s no wall anymore, it’s just a curtain now, but it’s a way of living anyway
The artist Sevenson Joseph, six months after the earthquake.
Despite the disaster that hit their country on 12 January 2010, some artists had not given up developing their art..
A story from June 2010.
