Information about Haiti

République d'Haïti Repiblik d Ayiti Republic of Haiti
Flag of Haiti Flag Coat of arms
Motto "L'Union Fait La Force"  (French) "Unity makes Strength"
Anthem La Dessalinienne
Location of Haiti
Capital (and largest city)		Port-au-Prince
Official languages		French, Haitian Creole
Demonym		Haitian
Government		Republic
-	President	René Préval
-	Prime Minister	Jacques-Edouard Alexis
Formation
-	as Saint-Domingue	1697
-	Independence from France	January 1, 1804
-	Water (%)	0.7
Population
-	July 2005 estimate	8,528,0001 (88th)
-	1982 census	5,053,792
GDP (PPP)		2006 estimate
-	Total	$14.76 (2006 est.) billion (124th)
-	Per capita	$1800 ((2006 est.)purchasing power parity): GDP (official exchange rate): $5.953 billion (2006 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 2.3% (2006 est.) (153th)
Gini? (2001)		59.2 (high)
HDI (2004)		0.482 (low) (154th)
Currency		Gourde (HTG)
Time zone		(UTC-5)
-	Summer (DST)	(UTC-4)
Internet TLD		.ht
Calling code		+509
1	Note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and gender than would otherwise be expected.
2

Haiti (IPA: [ˈhaiːti]), officially the Republic of Haiti (République d'Haïti, Repiblik d Ayiti), is a French and Creole speaking Latin American country located in the Greater Antilles archipelago on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Haiti includes many smaller islands such as La Gonâve, La Tortue (Tortuga), Les Cayemites, Île de Anacaona, and La Grande Caye. The uninhabited island of Navasse is claimed by both Haiti and the United States. 'Ayiti' (Haiti) was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island. Its highest point is Pic la Selle, at 2,680 meters. The total area of Haiti is 27,750 km² (10,714 square miles) and its capital is Port-au-Prince.

A former French colony, Haiti bears several historical feats: Haiti became the first independent black republic and the only nation ever to form from a successful slave rebellion. Haiti is also the second non-native country in the Americas (after the United States) as well as the first (and therefore the oldest) nation in Latin America to declare its independence, on January 1, 1804.

Haiti has recently undergone a state of transition following the forced ousting of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide on February 29, 2004. The circumstances surrounding his departure from office are disputed. René Préval was elected president in his place on February 7, 2006, and took office in May of that year.

History

Main article: History of Haiti

The island of Hispaniola, of which Haiti occupies the western third, was originally inhabited by the Taíno Arawak people. Christopher Columbus landed at Môle Saint-Nicolas on December 5, 1492, and claimed the island for Spain. Nineteen days later, the Santa Maria ran aground near the present site of Cap-Haitien; Columbus was forced to leave 39 men, founding the settlement of La Navidad . Ayiti, which means "mountainous land", is a name that was used by its early inhabitants, the Taíno-Arawak people, who also called some sections of it Bohio, meaning "rich villages". Quisqueya is yet a third term that has been attributed to the Taínos for the island.

The Taínos were a seafaring branch of the South American Arawaks. Taíno means "the good" or "noble" in their language. A system of cacicazgos (chiefdoms) existed, called Marien, Maguana, Higuey, Magua and Xaragua, which could be subdivided. The cacicazgos were based on a system of tribute, consisting of the food grown by the Taíno. Among the cultural signs that they left were cave paintings around the country, which have become touristic and nationalistic symbols of Haiti. Xaragua is modern day Leogane, a city in the southwest.

One of the earliest leaders to fight off Spanish conquest was Queen Anacaona, a Taíno princess from Xaragua who married Chief Caonabo, a Taíno king (cacique) from Maguana. The two fought hard against the Europeans; she was captured by the Spanish and executed in front of her people. Other noted Taíno leaders from Haiti are Chief Guacanagari, Chief Guama and Chief Hatuey (who later fled to Cuba and helped fight the Spaniards there). Cacique Henri, another Taíno chief, fought victoriously against the Spaniards in the Bahoruco to gain freedom for himself and his people. The town associated with this history is Anse a Pitres, near the south-eastern town of Jacmel. The Taínos as the Europeans saw them on the island of Hispaniola are virtually extinct. The survivors that escaped death mixed with African slaves (runaways called maroons), producing a small generation of zambos. The mestizo increased in number as native women conceived to European men. The Taíno bloodline in Hispaniola diluted more and more as the decades went by primarily due to the establishment of Africans and mulattos on the island; however, it is believed that a small number of Haitians and Dominicans retain some native ancestry.

Colonial rule

Main article: Saint-Domingue

Enslavement, harsh treatment of the natives, and especially epidemic diseases such as smallpox caused the Taíno population to plummet over the next quarter-century. In response, the Spanish began to import African slaves to search for gold on the island. Spanish interest in Hispaniola waned after the 1520s, when vast reserves of gold and silver were discovered in Mexico and South America.

Fearful of pirate attacks, the king of Spain in 1609 ordered all colonists on Hispaniola to move closer to the capital city, Santo Domingo. However, this resulted in British, Dutch and French pirates establishing bases on the island's abandoned northern and western coasts. French settlement of the island began in 1625, and in 1664 France formally claimed control of the western portion of the island. By the 1697 Treaty of Ryswick, Spain ceded the western third of Hispaniola to France. France named its new colony Saint-Domingue.

While the Spanish side of the island was largely neglected, the French side prospered and became the richest colony in the Western Hemisphere, exporting large amounts of sugar and coffee. French colonial society contained three population groups: Europeans (about 32,000 in 1790) who held political and economic control; the gens de couleur, some 28,000 free blacks (about half of which had mulatto background) who faced second-class status; and the slaves, who numbered about 500,000.^[1] (Living outside French society were the maroons (escaped ex-slaves who formed their own settlements in the highlands.) At all times, a majority of slaves in the colony were African-born, as the very brutal conditions of slavery prevented the population from experiencing growth through natural increase.^[2] According to a study, 49.2 % of the slave population of Haiti was originally from the Congos during this period.^[3] African cultures thus remained strong among slaves until the end of French rule.

Revolution

Main article: Haitian revolution

Inspired by the French Revolution, the gens de couleur pressed the colonial government for expanded rights. In October 1790, 350 revolted against the government. On May 15, 1791, the French National Assembly granted political rights to all blacks and mulattoes who had been born free - but did not change the status quo regarding slavery. On August 22, 1791, slaves in the north rose against their masters near Cap-Français (now Cap-Haïtien). This revolution spread rapidly and came under the leadership of Toussaint L'Ouverture. He is commonly referred to as the "Black Napoleon." He soon formed alliances with the gens de couleur and the maroons, whose rights had been revoked by the French government in retaliation for the uprising.^[4]

Toussaint' armies defeated the French colonial army, but then joined forces with it in 1794, following a decree by the revolutionary French government that abolished slavery. Under Toussaint's command, the Saint-Domingue army then defeated invading Spanish and British forces. This cooperation between Toussaint and French forces ended in 1802, however, when Napoleon sent a new invasion force designed to subdue the colony; many islanders suspected the army would also reimpose slavery. Napoleon's forces initially were successful at fighting their way onto the island, and persuaded Toussaint to a truce. He was then betrayed, captured and died in a French prison. Toussaint's arrest and the news that the French had reestablished slavery in Guadeloupe, led to the resumption of the rebellion, under the leadership of Jean-Jacques Dessalines and Henri Christophe, two of Toussaint's generals. Napoleon's forces were outsmarted by the combination of Jean-Jacques Dessalines, Henri Christophe, and Alexandre Petion, the "Generals of the Revolution."

Independence

Dessalines's armies won their final and decisive victory over the French forces at the Battle of Vertières on November 18, 1803, near Cap-Haitien. On January 1, 1804 the nation declared its independence, securing its position as the second independent country in the Americas, and the only successful slave rebellion in world history.^[5] Dessalines was its first ruler. The name Haiti was chosen in recognition of the old Arawak name for the island, Ayiti.

The new State of Haiti supported the abolitionist cause wherever possible. Haiti aided Francisco de Miranda and Simón Bolívar, giving them refuge and supporting their revolutionary efforts under the condition he free Latin America's slaves. The slaveholding powers surrounding Haiti isolated the new nation under a cordon sanitaire, fearing slave revolutions of their own. The Haitian Revolution is thought to have inspired numerous slave revolts in the Caribbean, Brazil and United States. The blockade was virtually total. The Vatican withdrew its priests from Haiti, and did not return them until 1860. France refused to recognize Haiti's independence until it agreed to pay an indemnity of 150 million francs, to compensate for the losses of French planters in the revolutions, in 1833. Payment of this indemnity brought the government deeply in debt and crippled the country's economy.

In 1806, Dessalines, by now Emperor, was murdered in a power struggle with political rivals who thought him a tyrant. The nation divided into two parts, a southern republic founded by Alexandre Pétion (mulatto), becoming the first black-led republic in the world,^[6] and a northern kingdom under Henri Christophe. The idea of liberty in the southern republic was as license, a fondness for idleness shared by elite and peasant. Christophe believed that liberty was the opportunity to show the world that a black nation might be equal, if not better than the white nations. Consequently, he worked the field hands under the same unrelenting military system that Toussaint had developed and that Dessalines tried to continue. He also built more than 100 schools, eight palaces, including his capital Sans Souci and the massive Citadelle Laferrière, the largest fortress in the Western hemisphere.

In August 1820, King Henri I (Henri Christophe) suffered a stroke that left him partially paralyzed. When the news spread of his infirmities, the whispers of rebellion, deceit and treachery began. On October 2, 1820, the military garrison at St. Marc led a mutiny that sparked a revolt. The mutiny preempted a conspiracy of some of Christophe's most loyal generals. Some of his trusted aides took him from the palace of Sans-Souci up to his Citadel, to await the inevitable confrontation with the rebels. Christophe ordered his attendants to dress him in his formal military uniform and for two days desperately tried to raise the strength to lead out his troops. Finally, he ordered his doctor to leave the room. Shortly after he left, Christophe raised his pistol and shot himself dead through the heart.^[7]

Following Christophe's death, the nation was reunited as the Republic of Haiti under Jean-Pierre Boyer, Petion's successor. Boyer invaded the Spanish colony of Santo Domingo and proclaimed the entire island under Haitian rule, until 1844 when the Dominican Republic that was formed as white-Catholic nation separate from Haiti for reasons of differences in culture, language, religion, and discontent of the population after abuses of the Haitian army against the population. This constitutes the only independence from one American country from another American country with a war.

American occupation

Throughout the nineteenth century, Haiti was ruled by a series of presidents, most of whom remained in office only briefly. Meanwhile, the country's economy was gradually dominated by foreigners, particularly from Germany. Concerned about German influence and growing military presence, and disturbed by the savage public dismembering of President Guillaume Sam by an enraged crowd, the United States invaded and occupied^[8] Haiti in 1915. The United States imposed a constitution written by future president Franklin D. Roosevelt, and applied an old system of compulsory corvée labor to everyone. Previously this system had been applied only to members of the poor, black majority. The occupation had many long-lasting effects on the country. United States forces built schools, roads and hospitals, and launched health campaigns that eradicated yellow fever, malaria, and yaws from the island. The vast network of roads, bridges, and clean water systems drastically reshaped Haiti's infrastructure. Unfortunately, the sum of the structural changes to Haiti's systems was not enough to enable any degree of indigenous progress. The U.S. established the Forbes Commission to investigate the lack of progress, and the Commission concluded, amongst other things, that "the social forces that created (the social instability) still remain - poverty, ignorance, and the lack of a tradition or desire for orderly free government."^[9] Order and freedom could not be imposed by force of will.

As the U.S. occupation resulted in a degree of central organization of government, finance, and industry, the focus of the country shifted from the provinces to the capital, disadvantaging the loose rural socio-economic fabric of the country in favor of the major urban centers. Inevitably this created an exodus of the rural poor from the countryside. Nationalist rebels, called Cacos^[10], were simultaneously waging a persistent guerilla warfare, headed by Charlemagne Péralte (until 1919) and Dominique Batraville (until 1920). As a consequence, the U.S.-controlled government created a National Guard which in future decades would become the Armée d'Haiti, and be said to commit many atrocities against its own people. Roosevelt was disenchanted with the burden and negative social aspects of trying to organize Haiti, and proceeded to implement an earlier disengagement agreement, thereby ending the U.S. occupation in 1934.^[11]

The Duvaliers

The United States left Haiti in the hands of the mulatto minority, but in 1946 Dumarsais Estimé became the country's first black president since the US occupation began. His efforts at reform sparked disorder, and when he attempted to extend his term of office in 1950 (as most previous presidents had done) there was a coup, followed by the second formal Military Council of Government led by Paul Magloire.

François Duvalier, also known as Papa Doc, was an ex-doctor who ruled as dictator of Haiti from 1964 to his death in 1971. In 1957, Dr. François Duvalier ("Papa Doc") came to power in the country's first universal suffrage election; many believed this outcome was manipulated by the army. In 1964, he declared himself president for life. Duvalier maintained control over the population through his secret police organization, the Volunteers for National Security - nicknamed the Tonton Macoutes ("boogeymen") after a folkloric villain. This organization drew international criticism for its harsh treatment of political adversaries, both real and suspected.^[12] Upon Duvalier's death in 1971, he was succeeded by his nineteen year-old son Jean-Claude Duvalier (nicknamed "Baby Doc") as Haiti's new president for life. The younger Duvalier regime became notorious for corruption, and was deposed in 1986, ushering in a new period of upheaval.^[13]

Roman Catholic pro-democratic movement

The unravelling of the Duvalier regime began with a popular movement supported by the local church and set in motion by the visit of Pope John Paul II in 1983, who before embarking his plane gave a rousing speech ending with an angry exclamation: "Things must change here!"^[14] In 1984, anti-government riots broke out throughout the nation and the Haitian Catholic Bishops' Conference initiated a literacy program designed to prepare the Haitian public for participation in the electoral process.^[15]

Aristide

The priest Jean-Bertrand Aristide was elected president in 1990, but was deposed in a coup shortly after his inauguration in 1991. There followed three years of control by a military junta led by Raoul Cedras, before a second US invasion and occupation in 1994 returned Aristide to power. One of the first acts of the re-installed government of Aristide was to disband the army.^[16]

Aristide was succeeded by a one-time ally and former prime minister, René Préval, in 1996. Aristide was the first democratically elected president in Haitian history. Préval's administration is notable for the fact that he was the first president in Haiti's history to constitutionally succeed a former president, serve a complete term, and leave his office voluntarily at the prescribed time. Every previous president had either died in office, been assassinated, been deposed, overstayed his prescribed term, or been installed by a foreign power.

Aristide returned to office in 2001 after elections that were boycotted by many of his opponents, who accused his party, Fanmi Lavalas, of counting votes improperly in a previous senatorial election, as well as threatening critics. Aristide denied the charges and accused his opponents of accepting U.S. assistance, and plotting to overthrow his government. The opposition mostly denied this, but many of its members continually called for his early resignation.

In February 2004, following months of large-scale protests against what critics charged was an increasingly corrupt and violent rule, violence spread through Haiti, involving conflicts between the government and various rebel groups. Under pressure from both foreign governments and internal sources, Aristide left the country for the Central African Republic on February 29. Aristide later alleged that he faced pressure from the US Armed Forces and American officials from the United States' embassy in Port-au-Prince, who he claimed threatened that he "and a lot of Haitians... would be killed" if he did not leave, and said he "has to go now." [1] At the time, the United States and some of Aristide's own security agents claimed that Aristide had agreed to leave the country willingly and that it had escorted him to Africa for his own protection.^[17] As Aristide departed the country, many members of his government fled or went into hiding, and the United States again sent Marines into Port-au-Prince. After Aristide's departure, Supreme Court Chief Justice Boniface Alexandre succeeded to the presidency appointed by a council of elders and supported by the United States, Canada, and France.

In the months following the February Coup, the country was engulfed in violence between the interim government's forces and Lavalas supporters, and many members of the Lavalas party were sent to jail, exiled, or killed. Over 10,000 workers in Haitian civil enterprises lost their jobs following the coup.^[18]

Elections were held in February 2006, and René Préval was again elected president. Preval has promised to bring peace and stability to the country. (See Haitian elections, 2006.)

See also:

Politics

Main article: Politics of Haiti

The politics of Haiti takes place in the framework of a presidential republic, and of a pluriform multi-party system, whereby the President of Haiti is the head of state, while the Prime Minister is head of government. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the two chambers of the National Assembly of Haïti.

Departments, arrondissements, and communes

Main article: Departments of Haiti

Further information: Arrondissements and communes of Haiti

Haiti is divided into 10 departments. Please note that the names of departmental capital cities are provided in parentheses.

The departments are further divided into 41 arrondissements, and 133 communes which serve as second and third level administrative divisions.

.

Artibonite (Gonaïves) Centre (Hinche) Grand'Anse (Jérémie) Nippes (Miragoâne) Nord (Cap-Haïtien) Nord-Est (Fort-Liberté) Nord-Ouest (Port-de-Paix) Ouest (Port-au-Prince) *national capital* Sud-Est (Jacmel) Sud (Les Cayes)

Geography

Main article: Geography of Haiti

Haiti is situated on the western part of the second largest island in the Greater Antilles, Hispaniola. Haiti is the third largest country in the Caribbean only behind Cuba and the Dominican Republic respectively. Haiti at its closest point is only 80km away from Cuba. Haiti's terrain consists mainly of rugged mountains with small coastal plains and river valleys. The country's largest crop-producing and one of Haiti's most fertile river valleys is the Plaine de l'Artibonite. The east and central part of the island is a large elevated plateau. The highest point in Haiti is Pic la Selle at 2,680 m (8,793 feet). The 360-km (224-mile) border is shared with the Dominican Republic. Haiti also contains several islands. The famous island of Tortuga (Île de la Tortue) is located off the coast of northern Haiti. The arrondissement of La Gonâve is located on the island of the same name, in the Gulf of Gonave. Gonave Island is moderately populated by rural villagers. Île à Vache (Island of The Cow) is located off the tip of southwestern Haiti. It is a rather lush island with many beautiful sights. Also part of Haiti are the Cayemites and Ile de Anacaona.

In 1925, Haiti was a lush tropical paradise, with 60% of its original forest covering the lands and mountainous regions. Since then, the population has cut down all but 2% of its forest cover, and in the process has destroyed fertile farmland soils, while contributing to desertification.^[19] Erosion has been severe in the mountainous areas. Pictures from space glaringly show the stark difference in forestation between Haiti and the neighboring Dominican Republic. Most Haitian logging is done to produce charcoal, the country's chief source of fuel. The plight of Haiti's forests has attracted international attention, and has led to numerous reforestation efforts, but these have met with little success to date. Despite the large environmental crises, Haiti retains a very high amount of biodiversity in proportion to its small size. The country is home to more than 6,000 plants in which 35% are endemic and 220 species of birds in which 21 species are endemic. The country's high biodiversity is due to its mountainous topography and fluctuating elevations in which each elevation harbors different microclimates and its own endemic fauna and flora. The country's varied scenery include lush green cloud forests (in some of the mountain ranges and the protected areas), high mountain peaks, cactus-strewn desert landscapes (due to the deforestation), and palm tree-lined beaches.^[20]

Environmental issues

In addition to soil erosion, the deforestation has also caused periodic flooding, as seen on September 17, 2004. Tropical storm Jeanne skimmed the north coast of Haiti, leaving 3,006 people dead in flooding and mudslides, mostly in the city of Gonaïves.^[21] Earlier that year in May, floods killed over 3,000 people on Haiti's southern border with the Dominican Republic. ^[22]

Currently the country is seeking to implement a biofuel solution to its energy problems.^[23]

There has been a dispute between the United States and Haiti about Navassa Island (Navasse), which both countries claim. The Haitian claim relies on documentation that Navassa became part of Haiti after a 1697 agreement between France and Spain that gave France the western third of Hispaniola plus nearby islands, including Navassa Island. The United States claims the island pursuant to its own Guano Islands Act of 1856.

Economy

Main article: Economy of Haiti

Haiti remains the least-developed country in the Western Hemisphere, largely due to political instability and repeated episodes of violence. Comparative social and economic indicators show Haiti falling behind other low-income developing countries (particularly in the hemisphere) since the 1980s. Haiti now ranks 154th of 177 countries in the UN’s Human Development Index (2006). About 80% of the population were estimated to be living in poverty in 2003.^[24] Haiti is the only country in the Americas on the UN list of Least Developed Countries.^[25] Economic growth was negative in 2001 and 2002, and flat in 2003. Since the seating of President Preval in 2006, Haiti's economy has been growing.

About 66% of all Haitians work in the agricultural sector, which consists mainly of small-scale subsistence farming, but this activity makes up only 30% of the GDP. The country has experienced little formal job creation over the past decade, although the informal economy is growing. It has consistently ranked among the most corrupt countries in the world on the Corruption Perceptions Index.

Foreign aid makes up approximately 30%-40% of the national government's budget. The largest donor is the United States, and European nations also contibute. Venezuela and Cuba also make various contributions to Haiti's economy, especially after alliances were renewed in 2006-7.

U.S. aid to the Haitian government was completely cut off in 2001-2004 after the 2000 election was disputed and President Aristide was accused of various misdeeds. After Aristide's departure in 2004, aid was restored, and the Brazilian army led the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti peacekeeping operation.

Education

Main article: Education in Haiti

A list of universities in Haiti includes:

• Collège Universitaire Caraibe
• Université Chrétienne du Nord d'Haiti
• Université d'Etat d'Haiti
• Université Lumière / MEBSH
• Université Notre Dame d'Haiti
• Université Quisqueya
• Université Roi Henri Christophe

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Haiti

About 95% of Haitians are of predominantly West African black descent. The rest are white or of Mulatto descent, with a moderate number of Arab heritage (primarily Syrian and Lebanese). A small number of Haitians are believed to possess both African and Taino/Arawak heritage (called marabou) due to the history of the island; however, the number of native-descended Haitians is not known. There is a very small percentage within the minority who are of Asian descent; nearly all are immigrant residents. The very small number of Asians in Haiti are virtually all concentrated in the country's largest urban areas (primarily Port-au-Prince).

Haitian diaspora

As with many other poor Caribbean nations, there is a large diaspora, which includes many illegal immigration to nearby countries. Millions of Haitians live abroad, chiefly in the Dominican Republic, Bahamas, Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Lesser Antilles, Canada, France, and the United States.

In the United States

There is a sizeable community of Haitian emigres residing in Miami's "Little Haiti" section. In New York City, the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Flatbush, Crown Heights, and Canarsie is also home to a thriving emigre community. In In the neighboring Queens, communities can be found in the Jamaica, Queens Village, Rosedale and Cambria Heights sections of that borough. Other cities where notable communities have formed include Boston, Cambridge, Malden and Brokcton (all found in Massachusetts) Chicago, Orlando and Newark.

Culture

Main article: Culture of Haiti

Haitian culture is a mix of primarily African and French elements with minor influences from Spanish and Taíno culture. The African and European influence is greatest however in nearly all aspects of society. Haiti's official languages are French and Haitian Creole (Kreyòl Ayisyen). Nearly all Haitians speak the latter, a creole based primarily on French and African languages, with some Spanish, Portuguese, and Taíno influences. Spanish is spoken near the border with the Dominican Republic, and is increasingly being spoken in more westward areas, as Venezuelan, Cuban, and Dominican trade influence Haitian affairs, and Haiti becomes increasingly involved in Latin American transactions.

Religion

Roman Catholicism is the official state religion in which the majority, approximately 80%, of the population professes. An estimated 20 percent of the population follows the teachings of various Protestant churches. Many Haitians, especially Roman Catholics, also practice Vodou^[26] (Voodoo), almost always in addition to traditional Catholic observances. Vodou followers believe that spirits called "Lwa," quite similar to the saints of Catholicism, have great power in dictating the course of their lives, though the religion is monotheistic, as Bon Dye (literally translated from French, Good God) is respected as the supreme divinity. Some Haitians, (mainly Protestants), have trouble acknowledging the role Vodou has played in Haiti's history because of the West's misinterpretation and misrepresentation of the religion as related to sorcery and witchcraft. ^[27]. Haitian Vodou is very similar to the Santería practiced in Cuba and the Dominican Republic, Espiritismo in Puerto Rico, Obeah in Jamaica and the Candomblé in Brazil.

Music

Main article: Music of Haiti

Haiti's most well known music style is kompa, a very vibrant music and dance genre similar to the music of their Cuban neighbors, but often employing African drumming, modern guitars/synthesized sounds, saxophones, and lyrics sung in Haitian Creole. Merengue of the Dominican Republic is also popular in Haiti. The origins of merengue are unclear and the origins vary depending on which country the story is from however many Haitians believe it is an offshoot variant of Haitian Méringue, a similar-sounding style. Nonetheless, Haitians enjoy both sounds. Rasin and kadans are two other popular genres in the country. Other popular genres in Haiti include Salsa music, Trinidadian Soca, and zouk (a combination of kompa and music from the French Antilles). Musicians such as T-Vice, Djakout Mizik, Bonga, Zenglen, NuLook, K-dans, and Carimi perform regularly in the United States and Québec. Sweet Micky is a praised legend of Kompa music. One of the most celebrated Haitian musical artists of today is Haitian-born rapper and musician Wyclef Jean.

Haiti is also famous for its distinctive art, notably painting and sculpture. See Haitian art, and

Cuisine

Haitian Cuisine is influenced in large part by the methods and foods involved in French cuisine as well as by staples originating from African and Taíno cuisine, such as cassava (kasav), yam, and maize (mayi). Haitian food, though unique in its own right, shares much in common with that of the rest of Latin America.

References