Haiti - How Cite Soleil was born?

Cite Soleil has the reputation for being the worst bad ass slum in Haiti but did you know? Cite Soleil is a good idea in Haiti gone bad!

I just found out...

Site Soleil was born in 1958 with the construction of homes for 52 families, sugar workers at the old Haitian American Sugar Company complex (HASCO).

And then...

In the summer of 1966, there was a serious fire in La Saline. The fire displaced many of the La saline Residents.

So...

1,197 new shacks, I mean homes, were built in Cite Soleil, and then Cite Soleil was was renamed "Cite Simone."

Yeaaaaa... Viv Manman Simone!

Ou sonje Manman Simone? Wi... Madan PapaDoc, Manman BabyDoc!

And then...

In 1972, There was a major fire near the Central market in Port-au-Prince. More people were displaced.

So...

What did the Duvalier Government do? Shove them in Cite Soleil... I mean Cite Simone! This is when Cite Boston was born (an area of Cite Soleil name after the US city of Boston)

Oh... Yeaaa.... Viv Duvalier!!!! A vi... SHM...

By 1983, twenty five years later, there there were more then 82,000 people living in Cite Soleil. That's from 52 families 25 years earlier.

By 2009, with poor Haitian souls coming into the city hoping to find a job, Cite Soleil had more than 240,000 residents and no jobs... That's over 240,000 people living in 8.4 square miles.

From a 52 family housing project to 1/4 million people in 50 years.

I don't know what to think. I guess I am a little bit scared of what may happen if the brains we elect to decide what's best for us are WITHOUT a 50 year plan.

Obviously, we cannot let that happen again. So how do we prevent it???

Write a comment  (8)

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All Comments (8)

Yiehom says...

Si tu ne sais pas d'ou tu viens, tu ne sauras pas ou aller.

Si tu ne sais pas ou aller, tu n'y arriveras

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Jean Rhau says...

You are correct!however, knowing what had happened in the past may prevent us repeating the mistakes of the past. The future can definitely be better for all

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Marc A Museau says...

Why concern on how cite Soleil Haiti was born. It is in the pass. What we can do now is to make corrections on how to embellish Cite Soleil for the better so we all can take pride of it.

It will accomplish nothing to criticize on how or who make Cite Soleil what it was. The most important let us analize on how not to make another Cite Soleil.

I think it is time for us Haitians of the twentie First century, to stop the " palabra" joing hands and start doing for our beautiful Haiti, make her againthe pearl that she was Thak

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Jean Rhau says...

That's good information.

Let's think of a solution 50 years later.

Haiti is raising from the slums.

Snap pictures now, because soon cite Soleil will change for the

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Ti Zo says...

C'est une tres bonne idee de demenager tous les habitants de la Cite entiere, detuit toutes les maisons et reserve le terrain pour construire les magazins, les hotels, casinos ect.Les bords de mer doivent reserver pour les touristes, non pas pour les "cochons" a

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Odrigue says...

mesi patizan pou infomsyon sa mwen te toujou ap poze tet mwen kesyon koman cite soleil te fome.
mwen dako ak ide Miejo a fok sante publik komanse fe lwa pase sou kantite pitit moun ap fe
fok gouvenman kweye mwen pou tout moun viv nan provins kotew ye pa vini pase mize nan fatwa

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Miejo says...

1- le controle des naissances a deux enfants- 2- encourager les gens des provences de rester chez eux-offre de pret pour qu'ils puissent avoir un business, les aider a construire leur petites maisons- ecole gratuite - ecoles proffessionnelles -universite dans les provences- cite soleil sera vide dans les 24 heures et ensuite transformer cite soleil en resort de

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Mm says...

Allo Woodring,

Comment on a pu aussi longtemps

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