|
|
| |
Haiti
Overview
Travel Warning
Unless on essential business we currently advise against all travel to Haiti and suggest you visit one of the following government websites for the latest risk assessment:
British Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Website: www.fco.gov.uk/travel/countryadvice.asp
Tel: +44 (0)20 7238 4503/4
US Department of State
Website: http://travel.state.gov/travel_warnings.html
Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade
Website: http://voyage.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/destinations/menu
General Information
Area: 27,750 sq km (10,714 sq miles).
Population: 7,180,294 (official estimate 2000).
Population Density: 258.7 per sq km.
Capital: Port-au-Prince. Population: 884,472 (official estimate 1996).
GEOGRAPHY: Haiti is situated in the Caribbean and comprises the forested mountainous western end of the island of Hispaniola, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Its area includes the Île de la Gonâve, in the Gulf of the same name; among other islands is La Tortue off the north peninsula. Haiti’s coastline is dotted with magnificent beaches, between which stretches lush subtropical vegetation, even covering the slopes which lead down to the shore. Port-au-Prince is a magnificent natural harbour at the end of a deep horseshoe bay.
Government: Republic. Gained independence from France in 1804. Head of State: President Jean-Bertrand Aristide since 2001. Head of Government: Prime Minister Jean-Marie Chérestal since 2001.
Language: The official languages are French and Creole. English is spoken in tourist areas.
Religion: The official religion is Roman Catholic (75 per cent) with Protestant minorities. Voodooism (an African religion) is still found in Haiti, despite the largely Christian population. Voodooism is a folk religion, manifested by a series of complex ritual drawings, songs and dances.
Time: GMT - 5.
Electricity: 115-125 volts AC, 60Hz.
Communications:
Telephone
IDD available. Country code: 509. There are no area codes. The internal service, operated by Telecommunications d’Haiti (Teleco), is reasonable. There are telephone booths in the towns which take cards.
Mobile telephone
The GSM network is run by Haïtel. Handsets can be hired locally.
Internet
Internet cafes can be found in towns and cities. ISPs include Compa (website: www.compa.net), Hintelfocus (website: www.haitiworld.com) and Netcom (website: www.dnetwork.net).
Post
Airmail to Europe takes up to a week. The main post office in Port-au-Prince, Cité de l’Exposition, is in place d’Italie. Post office hours: Mon-Fri 0800-2000, Sat 0830-1200. Letters posted after 0900 will not be despatched until the following working day.
Press
The two main dailies, Le Matin and Le Nouvelliste, are published in French.
BBC World Service and Voice of America frequencies: From time to time these change.
BBC (website: www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice):
Voice of America (website: www.voa.gov):
Passport/Visa
| | Passport Required? | Visa Required? | Return Ticket Required? | | British | Yes | No | Yes | | Australian | Yes | No | Yes | | Canadian | Yes | No | Yes | | USA | Yes | No | Yes | | OtherEU | Yes | No | Yes | | Japanese | Yes | No | Yes |
PASSPORTS: Passport valid for six months from date of entry required by all.
VISAS: Not required for touristic stays of up to 90 days except by nationals of China (PR), Colombia, Dominican Republic and Panama who do require a tourist visa.
Types of visa and cost: Visitor's Visas are issued for stays exceeding 90 days. These cost US$30.
Application to: The Consulate or consular section at the Embassy (see Contact Addresses section).
Application requirements: (a) Valid passport. (b) One completed application form. (c) One passport-size photo. (d) Fee payable by postal order only. (e) Self-addressed, stamped and registered envelope, if applying by post. (f) Photocopy of return ticket.
Working days required: Two days.
Temporary residence: Contact the Consulate (or Consular section at Embassy).
Money
Currency: Gourde = 100 centimes. Notes are in denominations of Gourde500, 250, 100, 50, 25, 10, 5, 2 and 1. Coins are in denominations of Gourde5 and 1, and 50, 20, 10 and 5 centimes. US currency also circulates.
Currency exchange: US Dollars are accepted and exchanged everywhere. Other foreign currencies are accepted for exchange only by some banks.
Credit & debit cards: American Express is widely accepted; Diners Club has more limited use. Check with your credit or debit card company for details of merchant acceptability and other services which may be available.
Travellers cheques: Accepted by most major shops and banks. To avoid additional exchange rate charges, travellers are advised to take travellers cheques in US Dollars.
Currency restrictions: There are no restrictions on the import and export of foreign or local currency. However, amounts in excess of Gourde100,000 or equivalent must be declared.
Exchange rate indicators
The following figures are included as a guide to the movements of the Gourde against Sterling and the US Dollar:
| Date | May ’02 | Aug ’02 | Nov ’02 | Feb ’03 | | £1.00= | 39.57 | 41.37 | 57.03 | 67.67 | | $1.00= | 27.15 | 27.20 | 36.06 | 42.50 |
Banking hours: Mon-Fri 0830-1600. Some banks open in the afternoons and Sat 0830-1300.
Duty Free
The following goods can be imported into Haiti without incurring customs duty:
200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 1kg of tobacco; 1l of spirits; small quantity of perfume or eau de toilette for personal use.
Note: In addition, Haitian nationals and foreign residents may bring in, once a year and for their personal use, new goods with a total value not exceeding Gourde2500.
Prohibited items: Coffee, matches, methylated spirits, pork, all meat products from Brazil and the Dominican Republic, drugs and firearms (except sporting rifles with prior permission).
Public Holidays
Jan 1 2003 Independence Day. Jan 2 Ancestors’ Day. Mar 4 Carnival. Apr 14 Pan-American Day/Bastilla’s Day. Apr 18 Good Friday. May 1 Labour Day. May 18 Flag and University Day. May 22 National Sovereignty. May 29 Ascension. Jun 19 Corpus Christi. Aug 15 Assumption. Oct 8 Anniversary of the death of Henri Christophe. Oct 17 Anniversary of the Death of Dessalines. Oct 24 United Nations Day. Nov 1 All Saints’ Day. Nov 2 All Souls’ Day. Nov 18 Battle of Vertières Day. Dec 5 Discovery Day. Dec 25 Christmas Day. Jan 1 2004 Independence Day. Jan 2 Ancestors’ Day. Feb 24 Carnival. Apr 14 Pan-American Day/Bastilla’s Day. Apr 9 Good Friday. May 1 Labour Day. May 18 Flag and University Day. May 22 National Sovereignty. May 20 Ascension. Jun 10 Corpus Christi. Aug 15 Assumption. Oct 8 Anniversary of the death of Henri Christophe. Oct 17 Anniversary of the Death of Dessalines. Oct 24 United Nations Day. Nov 1 All Saints’ Day. Nov 2 All Souls’ Day. Nov 18 Battle of Vertières Day. Dec 5 Discovery Day. Dec 25 Christmas Day.
Health
| | Special Precautions | Certificate Required | | Yellow Fever | Yes | 1 | | Cholera | No | No | | Typhoid and Polio | 2 | N/A | | Malaria | 3 | N/A |
1: A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required from travellers coming from infected areas.
2: Typhoid occurs in rural areas.
3: Malaria risk, in the malignant falciparum form, exists throughout the year in certain forest areas in Gros Morne, Hinche, Maissade, Chantal and Jacmel, and all other areas below 300m. In the other cantons, risk is estimated to be low. Chloroquine is the recommended prophylaxis.
Food & drink: All water should be regarded as being potentially contaminated. Water used for drinking, brushing teeth or making ice should have first been boiled or otherwise sterilised. Milk is unpasteurised and should be boiled. Powdered or tinned milk is available and is advised, but make sure that it is reconstituted with pure water. Avoid dairy products which are likely to have been made from unboiled milk. Only eat well-cooked meat and fish, preferably served hot. Pork, salad and mayonnaise may carry increased risk. Vegetables should be cooked and fruit peeled.
Other risks: Hepatitis A and Bancroftian filariasis occur. Tularaemia and seasonal meningococcal meningitis have been reported. Outbreaks of dengue fever occur in the area.
Rabies is present. For those at high risk, vaccination before arrival should be considered. If you are bitten, seek medical advice without delay. For more information, consult the Health appendix.
Health care: Health insurance, providing cover for repatriation in the event of serious illness, is strongly recommended. Medical facilities are fairly good. The local herb tea is said to be good for stomach upsets.
Travel - International
Note: Foreign travellers should not visit Haiti unless on essential business, owing to the current political climate. Port-au-Prince and the other major towns are particularly dangerous. For further information, consult a government travel advice department.
AIR: There are good connections with the USA, the French West Indies and France. American Airlines operates daily flights from London to Port-au-Prince via New York. Air Canada operates flights from London to Port-au-Prince via Montréal at weekends.
Approximate flight times: From Port-au-Prince to London is 12 hours (not including overnight stop in New York), to Los Angeles is 9 hours, to New York is 5 hours, to Miami is 1 hour and 40 minutes and to Singapore is 33 hours (with good connections).
International airports: Port-au-Prince (PAP) (Mais Gaté) is 8km (5 miles) from the city. There is a snack bar, duty-free shop, bank, bar and car hire facilities. Taxis are available to the city.
Cap-Haïtien (CAP) is Haiti’s second international airport and is approximately 10km (6 miles) from the town.
Departure tax: US$30 plus Gourde10 (security charge); transit passengers and children under two years of age are exempt.
SEA: Labadee is a port of call for several cruise lines, including Royal Caribbean.
ROAD: There are bus services from the Dominican Republic.
Travel - Internal
AIR: There are scheduled routes, operated by Caribintair, between Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haïtien, Hinche and Jérémie. Reservations should be double checked as delays and cancellations are common. Planes may be chartered.
SEA: Sailing trips can be arranged from Port-au-Prince to beaches around the island. Glass-bottomed boat trips over Sand Cay Reef are available. Cargo ships operating between Jérémie, Cap-Haïtien and Port-au-Prince can take passengers between these ports.
ROAD: During the 1980s all-weather roads were constructed from Port-au-Prince to Cap-Haïtien and Jacmel. Driving is on the right. Bus: Services depart from Port-au-Prince to Cap-Haïtien, Jacmel, Jérémie, Hinche, Les Cayes and Port-de-Paix on an unscheduled basis. Taxi: Station-wagons (camionettes) run between Port-au-Prince and Pétionville, as well as some other towns. Car hire: Available independently in Port-au-Prince and Pétionville, or through hotels and the airport. Petrol can be very scarce outside Port-au-Prince. All hired cars’ registration numbers begin with ‘L’. Documentation: An International Driving Permit is required.
URBAN: Bus: Tap-taps, which run within Port-au-Prince with a standard rate for any journey, are colourful but crowded. Taxi: Unmetered, with fixed route prices, otherwise fares agreed in advance. Taxi licence plates begin with the letter ‘P’. Shared taxis (publiques) are the cheapest form of taxi service in the towns. Drivers can be hired for tours by the hour or the day with price negotiated.
Accommodation
Accommodation is limited in Haiti. Existing facilities include modest small inns, guest-houses and palatial-style hotels. The majority of accommodation is in Port-au-Prince and Pétionville, while the beach hotels are north of the capital on the road to St Marc or west towards Petit-Gonâve. Accommodation is also to be found in Cap-Haïtien, Jacmel, the Gonâve Bay area, Les Cayes and the Petit-Gonâve beach area. Swimming pools and air-conditioning are essential in central hotels where the heat can become severe. All resorts offer substantial reductions between 16 April and 15 December. A ten per cent room tax will be added to all hotel bills. For more information contact the Secrétariat d’Etat du Tourisme (see Contact Addresses section).
Note: It is vital to make reservations well in advance for the Carnival period (see Special Events in the Social Profile section).
Introduction
Port-au-Prince: The capital is a bustling city with a population of almost one million. Places to visit include the busy Iron Market, the two cathedrals, the Museum of Haitian Art, the Statue of the Unknown Slave, the Gingerbread Houses and the Defly Mansion. The hillside suburb of Pétionville offers a calmer respite and some of the city’s best dining, gallery-hopping and nightlife. For views over Port-au-Prince and the Gulf of Gonâve, visitors should head for the suburb of Boutillier, high in the mountains.
Cap-Haïtien and the North coast: On Christmas Eve 1492, Columbus ran aground on the north coast of Hispaniola near the present-day site of Cap-Haïtien. The wreck of the Santa Maria lies nearby. Today, communications in the region are more convenient, and Cap-Haïtien is only 40 minutes by plane from the capital. Nestling at the foot of lush green mountains and surrounded by several fine beaches, the town has a more laid-back air than the capital and features many fine Spanish-style buildings. Haiti’s beautiful Citadelle, built by Henri Christophe after the French were overthrown, is not to be missed – a remarkable fortress in the mountains, 40km (25 miles) south of Cap-Haïtien, and the nearby ruins of Sans Souci Palace. A half-hour drive leads to the village of Milot, gateway to the Citadelle and site of the palace ruins. Versailles was the model for Sans Souci, and the ruins still suggest a link.
Jacmel and the South coast: Since the completion of the well-marked road over the mountains, the drive to Jacmel is a pleasant two hours or less through spectacular scenery. Jacmel itself is an elegant town of Victorian stuccoed palaces adorned with filigree balconies. It is an important centre for voodoo and there are several interesting temples to visit. Artists come from all over Europe, America and the Caribbean to work in Jacmel, providing a lively Arts scene that is further enhanced at Carnival time, when dancers in papier maché costumes parade the streets and a host of street theatre performances take place. There are several beaches in this region. High in the mountains, south of the capital, is the town of Kenscoff, much favoured by Haitians as a summer resort. Parc Macaya is perhaps Haiti’s most famous national park, offering the visitor trails through spectacular mountain scenery covered in lush rainforest. Twelve kilometres outisde Jacmel lie the Bassins Bleus, a series of three pools joined by waterfalls; the best way to reach the pools is on horseback from Jacmel.
Sport & Activities
Watersports: Kyona and Ibo beaches (Ibo is on Cacique Isle) are best for swimming, snorkelling, spearfishing, sailing, boomba racing in dugout canoes and water-skiing. La Gonâve is a popular location for fishing.
Spectator sports: Football is the favourite national sport, followed by basketball.
Other: There is a 9-hole golf course at the Pétionville Club. Tennis courts can be found at Pétionville Club, El Rancho, Ibo Beach, Ibo Lake, Kaloa Beach, Royal Haitian hotels, Habitation Le Clerc and at the Club Med in Montraus. The national parks of La Visite and Parc Macaya offer excellent hiking opportunities.
Social Profile
Food & Drink: The French cuisine is good and the Creole specialities combine French, tropical and African influences. Dishes include Guinea hen with sour orange sauce, tassot de dinde (dried turkey), grillot (fried island pork), diri et djondjon (rice and black mushrooms), riz et pois (rice and peas), langouste flambé (local lobster), ti malice (sauce of onions and herbs), piment oiseau (hot sauce) and grillot et banane pese (pork chops and island bananas). Sweets include sweet potato pudding, mango pie, fresh coconut ice cream, cashew nuts and island fruits.
French wine is available in the better restaurants. The island drink is rum and the best is probably ‘Barbancourt’, made by a branch of Haiti’s oldest family of rum and brandy distillers.
Nightlife: There is plenty of choice ranging from casinos to African drum music and modern Western music and dance. There is something happening in at least one major hotel every evening with the main attraction being folkloric groups and voodoo performances. On Saturday nights bamboche, a peasant-style dance, can be seen in one of the open-air dance halls. Hotels can give further up-to-date information on local nightlife.
Shopping: Bargaining is recommended at the Iron Market, where good- and bad-quality local items can be bought, including carvings, printed fabrics, leatherwork, paintings (particularly in the naïf style, for which Haiti is famous), straw hats, seed necklaces and jewellery, cigars and foodstuffs. Port-au-Prince has a good selection of shops and boutiques selling a wide range of local and imported items. Bargaining is an accepted practice. Shopping hours: Mon-Fri 0800-1200 and 1300-1600, Sat 0800-1200.
Special Events: For a complete list of carnivals and festivals held during 2003, contact the Secrétariat d’Etat au Tourisme (see Contact Addresses). The principal annual festivals in 2003 are:
Mar 3-5 Carnival, throughout Haiti. Mar 5-Apr 20 Ra Ra, Leogane. Apr 14 Pan-American Day. Dec 5 Discovery Day (celebrations to commemorate Columbus’ landing on the north coast in 1492). Jul/Aug Local traditional and religious festivals, many towns, including Limonade, Plaine du Nord, Petit Goaves and Ouanaminthe.
Social Conventions: Informal wear is acceptable, although scanty beachwear should be confined to the beach or poolside. Only the most elegant dining-rooms encourage guests to dress for dinner. Tipping: Ten per cent service charge is added to hotel and restaurant bills. Taxi drivers do not expect tips.
Business Profile
Economy: Haiti’s average annual income of about US$500 per head is the lowest in the western hemisphere; moreover, vast disparities exist between the incomes of rich and poor. The World Bank estimates that 85 per cent of the people live below the absolute poverty line. Two-thirds of the employed population work in agriculture, mainly in the coffee plantations which generate 25 per cent of Haiti’s export earnings, although these have suffered from periodic droughts and persistently low world prices. Sugar cane, sweet potatoes, cocoa and sisal are also grown for export. The mining industry extracts marble, limestone and clay; there are also unexploited deposits of copper, silver and gold. The rest of the manufacturing sector involves food processing, metal products and textiles. Tourism, once promising, has all but vanished thanks to the country’s chronic political instability.
Haiti’s problems are so intractable that even after repeated, large injections of foreign aid and an IMF-approved economic plan, the economy remains stubbornly inert. The appalling state of the country’s infrastructure has much to do with this. Haiti’s major trading partners are the USA followed by Japan, France, Italy and Belgium. Haiti joined the Caribbean trading bloc CARICOM in 1997 as a provisional member.
Business: It is usual to wear a suit for initial or formal calls. The British Trade Correspondent can put visitors in touch with a reliable English–French translator if required. Business visitors are generally entertained to lunch or dinner by their agents or important customers and should return invitations either at their hotel or a restaurant. Best time to visit is November to March. Office hours: Mon-Fri 0800-1600.
Commercial Information: The following organisations can offer advice: Chambre Haïtienne de Commerce et d’Industrie, BP 982, Boulevard Harry Truman, Cité de l’Exposition, Port-au-Prince (tel: 222 0281 or 222 2475 or 222 8661; fax: 220 2281); or Chambre Franco-Haïtienne de Commerce et d’Industrie, BP 1449, Holiday Inn Plaza, Suite 327, rue Cabois, Port-au-Prince (tel: 223 8404 or 223 8424; fax: 223 8131 or 223 8846).
Climate
Tropical, with intermittent rain throughout the year. Much cooler temperatures exist in hill resorts and there is a high coastal humidity.
Required clothing: Tropical lightweights with rainwear and warm clothing for hill regions.
History and Government
History: One of the first places at which Columbus landed during his epic voyages of the 1490s was the island of Hispaniola. The island was then known as Santo Domingo, and is now divided between the countries of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Columbus became the first governor of Santo Domingo. The Arawak Indian inhabitants were rapidly and brutally supplanted by the Spanish who used the island as a base to launch their conquests of the Caribbean and Central America (Columbus became Santo Domingo’s first governor). At the end of the 16th century, Spain’s European rivals started to challenge it for control of the island and, in 1697, the Spanish ceded the western half of the island to France. The French turned their new territory into a major centre for the slave trade, and this eventually led to the birth of Haiti as an independent nation. In what was to be the only successful slave rebellion, the French were defeated in a 12-year campaign, led by Toussaint L’Ouverture and others, which ended in 1804.
During the rest of the 19th century, Haiti was under the control of a succession of dictators, none of whom had the wherewithal to resolve the conflict between the country’s two main ethnic groups: the mulattos, who held political power, and the blacks. Early in the 20th century, the US took control of Haiti, sending troops in at one stage to support the regime. After 30 years as a US protectorate, Haiti was returned to local rule after World War II.
Elections in 1957 brought to power Dr Francis Duvalier, a country physician, who subsequently presided over a uniquely vicious authoritarian regime. With the help of a private militia known as the Tontons Macoutes (the Creole phrase for ‘bogeymen’), political dissent was systematically eradicated and opponents jailed or murdered. The traditional Voodoo religion was widely abused in order to intimidate critics. Duvalier (commonly known as ‘Papa Doc’) died in 1971, handing the leadership over to his son Jean Claude (‘Baby Doc’) who ruled the country for the next 15 years in the same manner as his father. Half-hearted efforts – such as the elections in which all opposition candidates were arrested on polling day – were made to present a more acceptable face to the outside world, primarily in order to secure foreign aid. Despite the constant attentions of the Tontons, political opposition continued to grow, crucially within the army; in the spring of 1986 these elements finally turned against the regime and forced Duvalier’s flight from the country.
A succession of military governments followed before Haiti began the transition to civilian rule. Presidential elections were held in mid-December 1990 under the supervision of the United Nations and brought to the presidency the radical priest Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Nine months later, army chief Brigadier-General Raoul Cedras seized power in a military coup. Aristide was exiled. In June 1992, the army installed a civilian government under Marc Bazin, one of the conservative presidential candidates defeated by Aristide. Twelve months later, as the country suffered under the weight of international opprobrium, a deal between the Cedras/Bazin regime and Aristide allowed the latter to come back to the country. Political violence, orchestrated by a right-wing militia known as the Front Revolutionnaire pour l’Avancement et le Progrès d’Haiti (FRAPH), composed largely of ex-Tontons and financed by American intelligence (which was opposed to Aristide’s alleged radicalism) delayed Aristide’s resumption of the presidency. Ironically, it took the intervention of several thousand American troops at the end of 1994 – followed by a UN force – to restore some semblance of order.
In December 1995 Aristide’s truncated term of office came to an end. The presidential election that followed – from which Aristide was constitutionally barred – brought to power one of his close associates, René Préval. The Préval administration was dogged by violence and instability throughout its term and, in January 1999, Préval dissolved parliament pending parliamentary elections. These were repeatedly postponed until May 2000, when Aristide himself was able to stand once again under the banner of the ‘Famni Lavalas’ (literally, ‘Waterfall Family’). The poll had to re-run in November but both polls produced a decisive victory for Aristide. The UN pulled out, but political violence re-emerged with an attempted coup in December 2001 and serious street protests the following summer. The main cause was the country’s deteriorating economic situation. Aristide appointed a new premier, Yvon Neptune, in March 2002 after the removal of his predecessor, Jean-Marie Cherestal.
Government: Haiti is formally governed according to the terms of the Constitution promulgated in 1987 which allows for an executive president and a bicameral legislature (an 83-member Chamber of Deputies and 27-member Senate). The President is elected by popular vote every five years. The Chamber of Deputies is elected every four years; and the Senate every six years. The Constitution was restored in September 1994 after a three-year interruption following a military coup.
Copyright © 2003 Columbus Publishing Ltd.
|
|
|
|
|