HAITI SHOCKED THE WORLD WHEN IT WON ITS
independence two centuries ago: a hopeful sym-
bol of liberation for the oppressed and a fearful
threat of rebellion for the powerful. The so-called “Black
Republic” instantly became an international pariah, and
was alternately used, abused or ignored depending on the
situation’s convenience for global powers. Jane Regan’s
article in the preceding pages of this issue quotes Haitian
historian and political scientist Alix Rene who summarizes
his nation’s history: “Really, 200 years of history have been
200 years of violence.” Indeed, the year 2004 constitutes a
blatant and horrific non-exception.
The political impasse and violence leading up to the
ouster of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide snowballed into
an armed paramilitary rebellion in the first months of
2004. Aristide was finally forced to flee the country at the
end of February, at best, under dubious circumstances. But
what was already a desperate situation has only grown
worse.
This photo essay explores the tragic events that
engulfed Haiti in 2004. Sometimes, unfortunately, the
most striking photos of human beings are also the saddest;
no doubt the case here. They document the byproduct of
a confluence of factors-political strife and violence,
armed groups, environmental degradation and generalized
destitution. We decided not to include photos document-
ing the appalling displays of violence-the immolations,
decapitations and rotting bodies-found daily on the
streets of Haiti, of which there were several.
-Teo Ballve
A young girl near open sewage in Cite Soleil,
one of Port-au-Prince’s largest slums.
Photo by Peter Hvizdak/The Image Works
8JANUARY FEBRUARY 2005
PHOTO ESSAY
Men who identified themselves as police
subdue a man in Port-au-Prince on February 29,
2004, the day of Aristide’s ouster. It was a day
filled with both celebrations and spontaneous
eruptions of violence in the streets of the capital.
Photo by Lucian M. Read/WorldPictureNews
A student holds rocks during cat-and-mouse
clashes with police days before Aristide’s
ouster. The students were angry over police
inaction the day before, when pro-Aristide
thugs attacked a student protest.
Photo by Lucian M. Read/World Picture News
A young “chimbre,” literally “monster,”
or a pro-Aristide street thug, flashes
his automatic pistol in front of Cite
Soleil residents in Port-au-Prince just
days before Aristide’s ouster in
February 2004.
Photo by Villalon Carlos/World Picture News
9NACLA REPORT ON THE AMERICAS
PHOTO ESSAY
A flooded street in the port city of Gona’ves; the entire country was devastated by the 20014 hurricane season. The storms and deforestation-related flooding left some 5,000 dead and an estimated 300,000 homeless.
Photo by Leslie Spurlock
People in Gonaives fight to reach the back of a truck
where aide workers were distributing food and
potable water on September 24, 200%, several days after flooding killed thousands of people.
Photo by Daniel Morel
Scores of people wait on line for fresh water after Tropical Storm Jeanne ravaged the city of
Gonaives in September 2004.
Photo by Leslie Spurlock
10JANUARY FEBRUARY 2005
PHOTO ESSAY
Menacing former members of Haiti’s Armed Forces leaving their makeshift headquarters in an apartment building in
Port-au-Prince on November 18, 2004.
Photo by Daniel Morel
Brazilian UN peacekeepers watch former soldiers of
Haiti’s disbanded Armed Forces. The ex-soldiers want the
army reestablished and in the meantime have taken to
patrolling and even making arrests.
Photo by Daniel Morel
A mural in Port-au-Prince, celebrates
Haiti’s successful slave rebellion in
1804.
Photo by Julio Etchart
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