Montreal celebrates the 100th anniversary of the birth of King Coupé Cloué and Queen Celia Cruz

Haiti: JACMEL, a city of hidden treasures for 326 Years

Jacmel, Haiti’s hidden gem, is celebrating its 326th anniversary this year. Located on the country’s southeastern coast, this picturesque city, known for its enchanting landscapes and rich cultural heritage, is an inexhaustible source of beauty and creativity.

Enjoying Haiti’s Beaches All Summer Long: An Unforgettable Tropical Escape

Summer is the perfect season to explore beach destinations, and Haiti, with its heavenly beaches, is the perfect place for a tropical escape. This Caribbean gem offers a variety of beautiful beaches that will delight lovers of sun, turquoise water and fine sand. Discover the hidden treasures and must-sees of the Haitian coast for an unforgettable summer.

The 50s parade in Cap-Haïtien for a historic anniversary

To mark the 345th anniversary of Cap-Haïtien, Okap Fashion Men is organizing an exceptional event: a fashion day dedicated to the 50s. This unique event immerses participants in the elegance of a bygone era, where sophistication and refinement were at the heart of fashion.

Haiti: History and Geography

Haiti, the pearl of the Caribbean, is a country that shines with its unique history and spectacular geography. This territory, rich in culture and traditions, deserves to be rediscovered, by highlighting its assets and its exceptional contributions to world heritage.

Pity or the work of an old soul crushed under the weight of an absinthe-flavored existence

The word crisis carries an infinite number of meanings. No intention of revealing them all this afternoon. However, a few clarifications are necessary. A kid whose parents do not have enough money at Christmas to buy her a Little Black Mermaid doll has a fit and locks herself in her room without touching her meals for the day. A boy whose dog was suddenly poisoned by a neighbor in revenge or shot after contracting rabies, losing a faithful friend overnight, enters into crisis. Finally, a society in the grip of all sorts of mutations and whose leaders are weak, perhaps prolonged in a deep crisis. In the first case, the young girl sulks to attract the attention of her parents in order to feel appreciated by children her age at school or in the neighborhood. Today, thirty minutes of negotiations can be enough to find a lasting solution. In my day, a few well-aimed belt blows would have overcome this whim. But, humanity evolves, they say. In the second case, this boy can find his smile again after a few weeks. He needs a little attention and, probably, another dog. As Stendhal would say, only passion triumphs over passion. In the last case, this society led by inepts is shaken to its deep foundations. Its institutions can disintegrate one by one. The vital forces dissolve in no time. This situation creates a societal tsunami that destroys all life within this community. It is indeed a crisis. The crisis from this point of view constitutes an alarming, desperate situation in the existence of a community where nothing is going well. Chaos reigns supreme. The very essence of life disappears. The individual can take precedence over the community. Everyone tries to solve their problems without worrying about others. The closest neighbor is relegated light years away from you. How can we turn to creation? How can we continue to conceive of otherness? How can the artist absorb this great collective disarray as a source of motivation? These are the questions I must answer. An artist sees and feels what ordinary mortals cannot even imagine in a thousand-year life. He creates to denounce, when his conscience as a human being is revolted. He exalts heroes or the homeland according to his feelings. He sings the beauty of an irresistible, captivating or ugly resplendent woman. He can also use the ambient desolation to give meaning to life. Creating in literature as in the arts in general does not depend on the situation. The act of creation depends on the creator’s disposition. Events paralyze some and galvanize others. Creating is enjoyable. Everyone therefore enjoys according to their own whim. Writing opens the way to change. The writer takes a different look at the world. By embedding himself in reality, he embellishes it, makes it better or hideous depending on the message he intends to share. All things considered, with him, life is never fixed. Writing is putting the world in a jar to travel the universe. The artist broods over his work in all weathers. Oswald Durand was delighted to see Choucoune’s beautiful body from his secret observatory. Musset, on the other hand, was in pain writing his October night. As for Dany Laferrière, in exile, he described the horrors of the Duvalier dictatorship and the carefree attitude of the young girls in his neighborhood in this violent and dangerous world. Ultimately, the writer lives in a society with values ​​that he shares or not. They condition his existence or have no hold on him. In many ways, the surrounding world serves as his laboratory. He carries out his experiments there. He casts a new, worn, disillusioned, melancholic, violent, bitter look at the world depending on his mood. Pitié is the work of an old soul crushed under the weight of an existence that tastes of absinthe. Young Mike Bernard Michel lives by expedients and lies. The hands of life fall on him with indescribable violence. Misfortune embraces him day and night. Should we give up? Musset liked to say: "Man is an apprentice, pain is his master. And no one knows himself until he has suffered." The artist must produce under all skies. Such is his vocation. Incompetents in power, legal or highway bandits, the high cost of living, unemployment, heartaches are all subjects of concern for him. If it is true that a hungry belly has no ears, the fact remains that it keeps the brain awake. What am I saying, it stimulates it to the point of creating timeless works. Mr. Pitié, you have a bright future ahead of you. Work of Jean Rony Charles, the book is available from Éditions Repérage.

And if you were Chef Leen, what dish would you choose to showcase Haiti?

Cheffe Leen! A name that’s been making the rounds on social media in recent weeks! And for good reason: the Haitian chef represented Haïti in the Guinness World Records in an extraordinary culinary competition. This challenge consisted of cooking for eight days non-stop, a bold way to showcase the richness of Haitian cuisine. It was in France, more precisely at the Anba Le Pont restaurant, located in Saint-Denis, that Leen Excellent embarked on this exceptional adventure. Starting on Monday, April 7, 2025, she cooked non-stop for nine consecutive days, totaling 187 hours of actual cooking time (after deducting statutory breaks). A historic achievement, combining endurance, passion, and cultural pride. So, if you were Chef Leen, what would be the first dish you would cook to represent Haitian cuisine to the world? The Haïti Wonderland editorial team asked a few readers this question: some readily answered white rice with pea and vegetable sauce, which they call GOAT. Others opted for a good lalo, a tasty pye kochon stew, a good tchaka, or even the famous morning rice. Given this diversity, I’ve chosen to present each dish mentioned in the survey over the weeks.