invisibleplanet
9th April 2004, 13:44
originally Reynaud Lally reported:
A colonnaded Port Au Prince building that was once the headquarters of the disbanded Haitian Armed Forces was converted into the Museum of Independence and opended on the 1st January to celebrate 200 years of Haiti's independence. Rebel Leader Guy Philippe watched while a cheering mob of former soldiers looking to get their old jobs back ransacked the building, throwing valuable paintings, and entire exhibition of 86 voodoo dolls and sacred art over a second floor balcony into the crowd.
Chanting "Up with Jesus. down with Satan", the crowd proceeded to burn the works in a giant voodoo bonfire. "We burned it because anything that was created during the Aristide government has to be destroyed," said the Reverend. Vladimir Jeanty, a well-dressed religious fanatic and founder of the Haitian Party of God.
"This is a sad day for Haitian Culture," said Haiti's acting culture minister, Leslie Voltaire. The exhibit had been widely acclaimed as the country's first major showcasing of Haitian voodoo art, including the largest collection of works by the deceased voodoo houndan (priest), Pierre Barra, many paintings of the Saint Soleil school and classic Haitian masters.
"Haiti is a country of life and art. They cannot destroy life or art,"
said Voltaire, whose distraught wife organised the exhibit.
source: St.Petersburg Times, Florida.
As reported in this season's RAW VISION (see link below)
A colonnaded Port Au Prince building that was once the headquarters of the disbanded Haitian Armed Forces was converted into the Museum of Independence and opended on the 1st January to celebrate 200 years of Haiti's independence. Rebel Leader Guy Philippe watched while a cheering mob of former soldiers looking to get their old jobs back ransacked the building, throwing valuable paintings, and entire exhibition of 86 voodoo dolls and sacred art over a second floor balcony into the crowd.
Chanting "Up with Jesus. down with Satan", the crowd proceeded to burn the works in a giant voodoo bonfire. "We burned it because anything that was created during the Aristide government has to be destroyed," said the Reverend. Vladimir Jeanty, a well-dressed religious fanatic and founder of the Haitian Party of God.
"This is a sad day for Haitian Culture," said Haiti's acting culture minister, Leslie Voltaire. The exhibit had been widely acclaimed as the country's first major showcasing of Haitian voodoo art, including the largest collection of works by the deceased voodoo houndan (priest), Pierre Barra, many paintings of the Saint Soleil school and classic Haitian masters.
"Haiti is a country of life and art. They cannot destroy life or art,"
said Voltaire, whose distraught wife organised the exhibit.
source: St.Petersburg Times, Florida.
As reported in this season's RAW VISION (see link below)