Saturday, February 25, 2012

Why Didn't the Team Go to Les Cayes?

The Haitian Carnival (i.e., Mardi Gras celebration) was taking place during our stay in Haiti from Feb. 20-22. Carnival is normally held in the capital city of Port-au-Prince. However, because so much of the city still lies in ruins from the earthquake of 2010 and because thousands of people are still living in tent cities there, Haitian President Michel Martelly decided to move the celebration to Les Cayes. He issued a mandate that all taxi drivers would be required to take revelers to Les Cayes for a certain low fare. At least 300,000 Haitians are reported to have descended upon Les Cayes this week.

The environment during Carnival is quite lawless. Murders, rapes, thefts, and beatings characterize the "celebration." Pastor Daniel Jean made did not want our team to be endangered by this environment. So, he strongly recommended that we remain in Port-au-Prince during our stay. The decision to keep our team out of Les Cayes appears to have been a wise one. The Associated Press reports this week that at least 1 person was killed and more than 120 were injured in street fighting in Les Cayes during Carnival.

No comments:

Post a Comment