Petit Riviere de L’Artibonite, Fort & Artibonite Valley by Dror Yaron

GigapanMagazine.org  vol 3 issue 4

This image contains much of Haiti’s past, present and future. To the far right, one sees the Crete-a-Pierrot fort. It was on this site in 1802, that future Haitian president Jean-Jacques Dessalines led the Haitian army in a critical battle against the French. This bloody conflict was a major turning point in the Haitian Revolution and ultimately led to victory. The Haitian “declaration of independence,” or the Treaty of Gonaives was signed in 1804. The Republic of Haiti was the only country at the time to be ruled by former slaves, and is one of the few successful slave revolts in history. Haiti’s revolutionary beginning is a major source of national pride, and many Artibonite artists have been inspired by this particular site. Joseph Augustin is one of them. His painting depicting this landscape can be viewed at: friendsofhasgallery.org/zoom/1400x720/498118.html 
Some local graffiti artists have created portraits of Jean-Jacques Dessalines and Toussaint L’Ouverture on the fortress walls.

Beyond the fortress is the Artibonite Valley and surrounding mountains. Nestled in the valley is the Artibonite River and canal system, which allows for crop irrigation. The river is an integral part of everyday life in this part of the country, and since the cholera outbreak many Haitians have had to adjust to a different relationship with its waters. In the mountains, where people tend to be poorer and there is a shortage of water sources, villagers will often have to walk for several hours down the mountain to fetch water for their families. Major efforts have been made to educate Haitians throughout the entire region about recognizing signs of cholera, and also ways in which they might treat water in order to avoid the illness.