Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital and most densely populated city, is also the country’s political and economic hub. The capital region is home to some 2.4 million inhabitants.
Port-au-Prince is also local headquarters of the West Department and Port-au-Prince Arrondissement.
On January 12, 2010, Port-au-Prince was devastated by a powerful earthquake measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale.
Port-au-Prince
The statue, titled Le Marron Inconnu (the Unknown Slave Warrior, "Nègmawon" in Haitian Creole) is an iconic monument located across from the National Palace in Port-au-Prince.
In his right hand, the slave clutches a machete as a symbol of resistance; in his left, he holds a conch to his mouth, sounding the traditional call for all to assemble for a common cause. Throughout the Caribbean and the slave colonies, the act of escaping slavery was a powerful form of resistance adopted early on by slaves. Runaway slaves, known as Maroons, would flee to the mountains and high forests in the center of the island where many managed to survive undetected for years.
Maroon movements were often at the forefront of slave rebellions and insurgencies. Only two such groups led successful revolts that led to their recognition as independent societies: The Maroons of Haiti and the Bushinengées of Surinam. aiti’s case is the best known as it resulted in the establishment of the first independent black Republic in 1804.
Le Marron Inconnu – the Unknown Maroon Slave – is the work of sculptor Albert Mangonès.
This sculpture has become an icon in Haiti and is a symbol of freedom and independence in many Caribbean nations.
The statue was represented on a postage stamp produced by the United Nations in 1989 to commemorate Article 4 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: "No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms."
the Unknown Maroon Slave
Musée du Panthéon National
The Heroes Square
Artisanat local
Place des Héros de l'indépendance (The Heroes Square)
In 1954, to mark Haiti’s 150th year of independance in the plaza named Champs de Mars a square titled Place des Héros de l’Indépendance was inaugurated.
The National Pantheon Museum (MUPHANA) and the National Palace are found in its vicinity.
The square also contains statues of the four heroes of independence: Jean- Jacques Dessalines, Henri Christophe, Toussaint Louverture and Alexandre Pétion.
An equestrian statue of Dessalines carved by Richmond Barthe, an American sculptor overlooks the streams of a water fountain.
At its right on a base or red granite stands Pétion. This statue was created by Joseph Sicre, a Cuban sculptor.
Carnaval des Fleurs
Construction of the building that houses this national museum began in June 1973 and ended in December 1974.
It was inaugurated as the Mausoleum of the Founding Fathers on May 18, 1975.
An October 20, 1982 a decree changed the museum’s vocation and name to Musée du Pantheon National (MUPANAH). The decree took effect in April 1983.
The monument’s architecture expresses the history and philosophy of the Haitian people who despite oppression secured their freedom and emancipation. [~]
The building was designed by French architect Alexandre Guichard and built by his Haitian counterpart, Albert Mangonès.
The building houses a pantheon guarding the sepultures of the Founding Fathers: Toussaint Louverture, Jean Jacques Dessalines, Henry Christophe and Alexandre Pétion.
The Pantheon contains two exhibit halls.
The first hall houses a permanent exhibit of historical artifacts from pre-Columbian age to Haiti’s modern era. The objects and documents on display evoke the revolution period. During that era precarious but valiant indigeneous troups battled colonial powers to successfully give birth to the first black independent state of the New World, Haiti.