Haiti 2008 : The Road to Gonaives (21 images)

Traveling Haiti's National Highway #1 from Port-au-Prince to Gonaïves, one encounters scenes of beauty too rarely seen in the contemporary photographic record of the country. However, below the surface of the idyllic imagery, a struggle for survival is being waged.

The highway itself is part of the story. The equipment used to resurface the road was destroyed in the tumult leading to the 2004 coup d'état. As a result, there are stretches of road so rocky that tires...
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Traveling Haiti's National Highway #1 from Port-au-Prince to Gonaïves, one encounters scenes of beauty too rarely seen in the contemporary photographic record of the country. However, below the surface of the idyllic imagery, a struggle for survival is being waged.

The highway itself is part of the story. The equipment used to resurface the road was destroyed in the tumult leading to the 2004 coup d'état. As a result, there are stretches of road so rocky that tires split, axles crack and wheel bolts break, adding onerous expenses to transport services. Just outside of Gonaïves, the town of Lestere's main street is lined with mechanics all doing a brisk business.

The road winds through the Artibonite Valley, the heartland of Haitian agriculture, where peasants work with rudimentary tools and technology. The idyllic surroundings contrast the daunting struggle that peasants lead against international trade policies that are driving them off their land and into the slums of Port-au-Prince. What's more, in early 2008, entire sections of the valley were still flooded from 2004's hurricane Jeanne.

The rural region of Souvenance offers temporary respite from some of these struggles: dignified dwellings, a secure community, gentle healthy people, and an inspiring quality of life unknown in Haiti's urban centers.

Arriving in Gonaïves in January 2008, when I first traveled this road, haunting scenes of devastation wrought by the 2004 hurricane Jeanne were still visible throughout the city. However, a much greater disaster was only months away: hurricanes Fay, Gustav and Hanna would leave much of Gonaïves underwater and drive 15% of the country's entire population out their homes.
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