A Journey Through Time
To the east of Cap-Haïtien, formerly named Guarico by the Amerindians, Christopher Columbus had a fort named La Navidad built in 1492 from the debris of the Santa María which had been shipwrecked. He left 39 men there who were all killed by the natives before his return, tired of the abuses committed by the settlers.
In 1695, the city was attacked and pillaged by the English in retaliation for an expedition to Jamaica led by Jean-Baptiste du Casse. Thus, during the French colonial period, Cap-Français became the capital of Saint-Domingue, the richest French colonies, until the Haitian Revolution. During the period of the Haitian Revolution from 1791 to 1804, Cap-Haïtien was the scene of violent clashes. In 1793, the city was burned during a conflict between revolutionaries and counter-revolutionaries. Later, in 1802, during the Saint-Domingue expedition, General Henri Christophe, faced with French military superiority, started a fire which ravaged the city entirely. After the Battle of Sibert where the country was divided into two states , it was the capital of the State of Hayti led by King Henri 1st. In the decades later this city was designated, by President Louis Pierrot, capital of the country on November 1, 1845, losing its place a few years later in profit from Port-au-Prince.
I love Cap lived there for years and would return in a minute if there were stability and
September 11, 2024 - 01:27:39 PMless dangerous for foreigners.
With all these nice things being said about Cap-Haitien, one would imagine to see a completely different spectacle when you visit this historical city. However, I was in Cap-Haitien recently what I saw is beyond my imagination in the negative way. One wonders if there are any authorities in charge in that city. How come they don't see what I saw? How come they don't do anything about it? How come the population accept to live in those conditions? These were the questions that came to my mind. All you see everywhere sooner you leave the airport are piles of trashes everywhere, traffic congestions beyond imagination, dust filling the air everywhere, holes in all the streets, stagnant waters in most of the streets just to name a few. Cap-Haitien is a complete disaster. I suggest this city should be closed for a few days for cleanup. I truly believe Haitians can do better than that.
September 18, 2024 - 07:19:21 PM