I'm well into my second trip to Haiti now, having spent a few nights in the mountains above Port au Prince in Gwo Jan. Besides visiting with cut metal artists in Croix des Bouquets, I also shopped for arts/crafts in Port au Prince. We ate lunch one afternoon on the veranda at the Hotel Olaffson (pictured here), a famous gingerbread Victorian hotel near the center of the capital. It was the setting for "The Comedians" by Graham Greene. I also purchased 25 pounds of raw coffee beans at an open air market which are being Haitian roasted/grilled for me this week! I can already see that it will be a challenge for me to get everything home that I’ve found on this trip.
I received a rare treat on Saturday night, as I got to experience a jam session of the band 2 Rasin (2 Roots) with their six members Carla, Welele, Mona, Ron, Nicole and Levy (pictured here). They have a great repertoire of more than a dozen original pieces written in Kreyol on current Haitian social and political topics with a blend of Haitian and American rhythms. I know they would be well received in the States, should they choose to tour there!
Yesterday I rode with friends some 6 hours or so up to the north coast. We are now in Cape Haitian for a few nights. It was a beautiful drive through, up, down and around many mountains. We passed the Citadel (pictured here in the distant center), built by Henri Christophe as a stronghold against the French if they should attempt to re-conquer Haiti in the early 1800s. I found a good article on this topic, if you'd like to read further: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5018/.Towards the middle of this week I'll be in Jacmel for a few days again, meeting more artists and enjoying the south coast, before starting home on Saturday. I will then be posting pictures of the artwork I found, which will be on display and for sale in my shop once it opens in early June, and the artists who created it.
