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(Despite the fact that this blog concentrates on the goings of New York City and San Francisco, in light of what happened in Haiti, I believe this warrents attention.)
The tragedy that had effected the nation of Haiti this Tuesday has brought the world's attention to a country that even before the earthquake was imbued with the issues of poverty,hunger, and goverment corruption.
Despite this, the nation is home to two UNESCO World Heritage Sites. One is official the other one is still on the tentative list.
-The World Heritage List a listing of 890 cultural and natural sites that have been deemed to have "outstanding universal value" by theWorld Heritage Committee.-
The offical site is the National History Park– the Citadel, the Palace at Sans Souci, and the buildings at Ramiers. It was at these monuments where Haiti declared their independence. They are considered symbols of liberty that unify the Haitian people. These were the first monuments that were build by slaves after they got their freedom.
On the tentative list is the Centre historique de Jacmel.
(information on this site will be posted soon)
Both of these sites reflect Haiti's motto "L'Union Fait La Force",French for "Unity Makes Strengh." The crisis in Haiti has brought the world together in a global humanitrain mission. May the unity we as indiviuals and as nation states provide Haiti strengh and suppost,not in the next few months,but fot the next decade as they work to rebuild the nation.
May Haiti's history,as reflected in their World Heritage Site, be a source of inspiration and light for a better future to come. What needs to be done is not to only provide the immediate health and medical care the people desperatly need now, but to assist in rebuilding a normal way of life.
UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, is currently underway to redevelop and reactivate the educational sector of Haiti, which was destroyed by the recent natural disaster.
"A nation's culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people."
Mohandas Gandhi
Update (posted January 24, 2010):
In today's, January 24th, 2010) Sunday Edition of the New York Times, journalist Marc Lacey article "Cultural Riches Turn to Rubble" was featured on the front cover of the paper. In his aticle he discusees the tangible visible destruction the earthquake has caused to cultural and historical heritage to the nation of Haiti. The cultural loss includes The NationalPalace, the Norte Dame Cathedral, the Supreme Court , and the Episcopal Church's Holy Trinity Cathedral.
UNESCO's assesement team is going around the country to evaluate the full damage.
When asked to give commentary to the New York Times on the situation, Teeluck Bhuwanee,the UNESCO representative in Haiti, had this to say, "You go around and you say, "Oh my God", and then you gofurther and you say it again. We haven't assessedall the damage at all the cultural sites, but we know it's bad". Despite all the destruction that Haiti has endured there is a possiblity that some items have survived. According to Bernard Hadjadj, the special envoy for UNESCO, despite the fact that the National Archives sustained some structural damage, the historical documents housed in the building appear unthreatned.
Assesmentis still being done on the damage the arts and cultural community sustained.
To read the whole artile please go to:
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For more informattion on UNESCO and the World Heritage List please go to:
For more informattion on UNESCO and the World Heritage List please go to:
UNESCO www.unesco.org
UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE LIST http://whc.unesco.org/en/list
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To donate or to learn more on what UNICEF, United Nations International Childrens Fund,is doing in response to the crisis in Haiti please go to:
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