Croix-des-Bouquets

Croix-des-Bouquets (/krwɑː deɪ buːˈkeɪ/, /-bʊ-/, French pronunciation: ​[kʁwa de bukɛ]; Haitian Creole: Kwadèbouke or Kwadèboukè) is a commune in the Ouest department of Haiti. It is located 12.9 kilometers (8.0 mi) to the northeast of Haiti's capital city, Port-au-Prince. Originally located on the shore, it was relocated inland after the 1770 Port-au-Prince earthquake. Due to this fact, it was not as badly affected in the 2010 Haiti earthquake. The city will be home to refugee tent villages of about 10,000 refugees each when the first wave of refugees begins to be resettled there.

For other places with the same name, see Croix-des-Bouquets (disambiguation).
Croix-des-Bouquets

Kwadèbouke
Commune
Croix-des-Bouquets
Location in Haiti
Coordinates: 18°34′34″N 72°13′37″W
Country Haiti
DepartmentOuest
ArrondissementCroix-des-Bouquets
Area
 • Total5.46 km2 (2.11 sq mi)
Elevation
64 m (210 ft)
Population
 (2009)[1]
 • Total284,812
 • Density52,000/km2 (140,000/sq mi)

Culture

Croix-des-Bouquets is a northern suburb in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area. Haiti is world-famous for its exuberant art, richly influenced by nature, history and religion, both Christian and Vodou. The entire village of Croix des Bouquets is a good example of Haitian creativity - it resonates with the sounds of clanging and banging of the mallets and chisels in the process of transforming raw metal into stunning, and often haunting, iron sculptures. The city of Croix-des-Bouquets is on the Plaine du Cul-de-Sac, where many people grow organic foods such as beans, sweet potato, and corn.

People
  • Wyclef Jean, a Haitian rapper, musician and member of the trio the Fugees, was born in Croix-des-Bouquets, where he lived until he was nine years old.
  • Junior Galette, a Haitian-American professional football player, was born in Croix-Des-Bouquets, where he lived until he was 8 years old.

History

On March 22, 1792, the city was the scene of one of the first battles of the Haitian Revolution.[2]

Prior to the 12 January 2010 earthquake, the once crowded city had been restored. The streets had been cleaned up, wholesale merchants and other commerce had been relocated to Port-au-Prince. Retail commerce which once crowded sidewalks downtown now had a dedicated building.

In the wake of the 12 January 2010 quake, the Cuban medical mission set up a field hospital in the region.[3]

Education

One school close by is Anís Zunúzí Bahá'í School to the north east which opened its doors in 1980[4] which survived the 2010 Haiti earthquake[5] and its staff were cooperating in relief efforts and sharing space and support with neighbors.[6] A clinic was run at the school by a medical team from the United States and Canada.[7] Currently it is a K-10 school and offers classes to transition from Haitian Creole to the French language but also a secondary language in English.[8] The founders of Institution Chrétienne D'Haïti are seeking to build the Université Chrétienne D'Haïti here.

Another organization is the Haitian-American Caucus (HAC), which runs the École Shalom des Frères (Peace Be With You School of Brothers) in Michaud, a small community in Croix-des-Bouquets. The school is also known as the Alpha Academy and is funded in part by Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. This school was established in 2003 and as of school year 2010-2011, 75 students were enrolled. HAC is only able to accept additional students through child education sponsorships and partnerships with other organizations. Students can be sponsored for $125 a year. M.A.D.E has joined HAC in providing 3 vegetarian meals a week for students. The school also offers community English courses taught by Haitians who went through previous versions of the course, and supplemented with the help of English-speaking volunteers.[9]

Settlements

References
  1. "IHSI" (PDF). Institut Haïtien de Statistique et d’Informatique. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 24, 2014. Retrieved 6 September 2014.
  2. Victor Schœlcher (1982) [1889]. Vie de Toussaint Louverture (in French). Éditions Karthala. pp. 60–61.
  3. Caribbean Net News, "Cuba to open fifth field hospital in Haiti", 5 February 2010 (accessed 5 February 2010)
  4. "About The School". Anis Zunuzi Baha'i School. Anís Zunúzí Bahá'í School. Retrieved 2010-02-06.
  5. Thimm, Hans J. (2010). "Anís Zunúzí Bahá'í School". Facebook Page. Retrieved 2010-02-06.
  6. "New Events and Updates". Projects & Initiatives; Projects we support; Anis Zunuzi School. Mona Foundation. 2009. Archived from the original on January 22, 2010. Retrieved 2010-02-06.
  7. "Amid wreckage in Haiti, new birth brings hope". Bahá'í World News Service. Bahá'i International Community. 5 February 2010. Retrieved 2010-02-06.
  8. "Development - A look at programs around the world; Americas; Agriculture and forestry;". Bahá'í News. No. 682. January 1987. p. 4. ISSN 0195-9212.
  9. "Haiti Operation". Haitian American Caucus. Archived from the original on 2 April 2012. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
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