Pretty amazing, right? Still sailing. Not a single bit of electronic technology on the boat. Only the technologies that have been used for eons.
This is a pretty common sight at the wharf in Cité Soleil, west of Port-au-Prince, is one of the densest populated areas in all the country. Shantytowns and slums stretch solid for miles. If you’ve seen the movie District 9, that’s the sort of look we’re talking about here.
(Don’t forget the tree.)
A mere feet from the above photo is this scene. The shoreline is dense with trash, human waste and fisherman’s boats. In fact, it builds up so dense, it actually extends the shore a few feet per year. Gradually, the flood plain becomes filled in and more people build these shacks on top of the compost.
You might have noticed the black ground. Its sorta like compost.
While Philip was here a few years ago when the gangs were excessively active and Cite Soleil was locked down, he met a family. The family of this girl:
After visiting her family in the slums we took her to school.
I hate being a little “touristy” about things when we’re on a schedule. Wish I had time to spend there so the kids would be more used to us.
We were a novelty still, even as we left.
Speaking of tourism. In a little fit of disaster tourism, we headed through the city past the National Cathedral.
Its still exactly how it was 6 months ago.
Interestingly enough, its become a bit of a pilgrimage site.
In this post-apocalyptic world, its not unusual. Its the way it is in the movies. The churches become symbols of strength even though they, themselves, have crumbled.
Everything is crumbled. Still.
You know what I see when I look at that photo? I see what September 11th could have been had Flight 93 not been downed in a Pennsylvania field. Remember, there was a dome in the middle here at one point, too.
Still ya gotta wonder if this happened to the US capital, would it still be sitting like this 6 months later? Different places, different priorities, I guess…
Speaking of that… there are demonstrations and strikes and little public disturbances all the time.
The normal people just find a way around them.
I guess I’m not normal.
The way some of the press corps show this mess is a big as possible as if there are MASSIVE crowds. Well, that may be, near the end, but only a small handful actually start these things. Believe me, I saw the beginning.
Okay, yes, at the end when it arrives at the US Embassy or whatever there might be several hundred, but… I’m not sure if you’d exactly call them supporters. I’d probably call most of them “bored” and they just want to see what happens. Where you have no television, you go see what the riot’s about.
Still, these guys above are ardent supporters of whatever it is they’re supporting – I think they want Aristide back from exile. As insane as that might be…
I’m sad that people see the above photos as “Haiti.”
I wish they saw Haiti as I do… like this:
Yes, there is poverty and shantytowns aplenty. But the people are strong. They will figure this out. Slow in coming because of no government help, but its coming.
Stay tuned,
-Noah D.
