“Accrochez-vous bien, vous y serez pour une grande surprise et ce que nous réservons pour votre régal sera une atmosphère de joie, de couleur, de lumière, de bamboche, d’ambiance et de musique que les Champs Elysées, Moulin Rouge, Hollywood et Broadway tous combinés n’ont pas pu, ne peuvent et ne pourront jamais offrir,” a brandi Daddy Alexis, un membre important de Toro Lakou qui, le mois dernier (Janvier 2012) a vendu sa voiture et un de ses terrains en vue de faire des avancements aux musiciens de la ligne vent.

Les sambas font l’ultime serment qu’ils composeront des chansons qui contribueront aux efforts vers la reconstruction de Léogâne, qui seront faciles à fredonner et aussi qui seront jouées sur toutes les radios du pays et ils mettront sans nul doute un peu d’épices et d’originalités aux aux-chants traditionnels.

“Nous sommes en train de nous statuer sur des uniformes plus brillantes et notre Colonel commence déjà à apprendre de nouveaux signes pour mieux diriger les fanatiques,” a avancé Marie Therèse Philémon, une fanatique de Etoile Brillante, mais dont le mari joue de la trompette pour La Fleur de Rose, une bande créditée pour l’intégration de la ligne vent (Trompette, Trombonne, Saxophone, Barriton, etc) dans le Rara Haitien.

Tandis que Sacré-Coeur collecte mensuellement une symbolique contribution de ses fanatiques enragées pour payer les musiciens et pour recevoir ses bandes-amies, Chin Michan se prépare pour recevoir sa pléiade de Diaspora qui disent que cette année encore, ils se dédoubleront pour faire de leur bande l’ambassadrice de la culture Haitienne.

Les Tiralleurs de Bossan disent à qui veulent les entendre que leurs Sambas prouveront une fois de plus qu’il n’y a que deux bandes de rara en Haiti; il s’agit bien des Tiralleurs de Bossan et les autres qu’ils dépassent de mille coudées.

Cependant Ti-Malice se débrouillera comme Maitre Jean-Jacques pour tenir le titre de “Meilleure Bande” qui lui (Ti-Malice) a été accordé par ses propres fanatiques. Model d’Haiti tiendra le flambeau de bande la plus populaire. La bande “Renomen” quant à elle est detérminée à joeur à la hauteur de son nom.

En plus de la polémique des bandes, la ville quant à elle, sera décorée de fleurs, de banners, et de posters qui feront justice à la culture Léogânaise et étaleront l’imagerie créatrice de nos peintres, nos artistes, nos ingénieurs, , et nos architectes. Plusieurs stands seront érigés en cette circonstance par des membres de la Diaspora et des businessmen locaux qui profiteront de cette occasion pour imposer leurs produits à la population.

“Cette année, nous brandirons hautement la fierté Léogânaise,” Goerges C. Desanges a dit “Et le Rara est le moyen le plus productif pour atteindre cet objectif,” il a continué.

Le Rara a capté l’attention de quelques Organisations Non Gouvernementales, donc la raison elles travaillent de concert avec plusieurs organisations locales en vue de conduire des recherches sociales, historiques, et anthropologiques visant à pousser cette tradition au-delà des frontières nationales.

Les stations de radios et de télévisions de la cité visiteront les lakous (Quartiers Généraux des bandes de Rara) chaque semaine en vue d’assister aux caves et aux répétitions, collecter des interviews et les diffuser en direct sur leurs ondes et même sur l’Internet.

Un appel publicitaire est lancé aux businesses nationales et internationales en vue de venir sponsoriser cet évènement culturel.

La Mairie de Léogâne et les organisations de la cité renouvellent leur volonté pour faire du Rara le seul vrai phénomène culture Haitien et du même coup invitent la Diaspora Léogânaise à promouvoir le Rara dans leur zone respective.

Léogâne Magazine

© 2012, Leogane Magazine. All rights reserved.

The police officers will be protecting and serving the city and the Judges will be hearing of civil and criminal cases out of the Auditorium while their old building, which were completely destroyed on January 12, 2010, are being reconstructed.

Before they moved to the Auditorium, the police officers were performing their duties on their old compound under a wooden frame shelter covered with a green tap whereas the Justice of Peace was across from the public park under a white Alaskan-type tent.

The government of Canada will be rebuilding the Commissariat whereas there are no official words on whom, when, and where the Justice of Peace will be relocated and rebuilt.

Léogâne authorities raised a huge wall in the middle of the Auditorium, splitting it in two in order to, according the local authorities; avoid interferences between the Auditorium [which is also the official headquarters of a Voodoo Foundation and Radio/Tele Canal] and the new offices.

There are several controversies on the real reasons of building that wall. Some reported the wall was built in order to store equipment that will be later used for the construction of the city’s major roads.

Others are saying the City Hall separates the auditorium so they can later sell it as they have been doing with the majority of the city’s vacant lands.

The civil society of Léogâne and a slew of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) operating in Léogâne feel the decision to erect a wall in the auditorium is contrary to the prescripts of international policies governing the preservation of historical and cultural sites, stating the auditorium, which was built by Simone Ovide Duvalier, is the city’s cultural landmark and must have been treated as a cultural patrimony.

“The city hall must be sued for defacing our historical heritage’” shouted a lady who went by the name of Marie due to fears of reprisals.

As these reconstruction efforts are being done, River la Rouyonne continues to torment the hell out of Léogânais, who live in fears that whatever they currently own may be gone at the next rain.

For many Léogânais, canalizing the river should have been priority and any rebuilding effort, leaving this river untamed, is impeding progress.

More information will be provided as they will be made available to the public.

Léogâne Magazine

© 2012, Leogane Magazine. All rights reserved.

Pardonner à l’autre , pardonner à soi même . Le pardon , par ailleurs, comprend trois volets différents : le pardon demandé , le pardon reçu , accepté ; le pardon accordé .

S’il est difficile à l’être humain de pardonner , il lui en coute autant d’accepter le pardon . La position de celui qui pardonne est noble et honorable , alors que celle du pardonné paraît dur et pénible , au point que , parfois , elle provoque une rancœur pleine d’ingratitude envers celui qui accorde son pardon .
Celui qui pardo…nne doit faire preuve de tact , de diplomatie , d’humilité et d’authenticité pour ne pas blesser le pardonné . Nous avons à vivre le pardon comme un acte inspiré par la grâce de Dieu , pas comme un acte héroïque venant de notre grandeur d’âme , si nous sommes disposés à recevoir le pardon , nous devrions aussi être disposés à recevoir le pardon , nous devrions aussi être disposés à l’accorder . La parole divine de ( je te pardonne ) s’accompagne implicitement de cet impératif ( pardonner à ton tour ) le notre Père cité par les chrétiens ne dit il pas : Pardonne nous nos offenses comme nous pardonnons à ceux qui nous ont offensés . C’est la prière enseignée par Jésus à ses disciples , dans Mathieu 6 : 9 – 15 .

Accepter le pardon , c’est accepter d’entrer dans sa dynamique , autrement dit , de se mettre à pardonner à son tour . Et , seul celui qui a vraiment expérimenté ce que signifie être pardonné est capable de vraiment pardonner aux autres . Lorsque Dieu nous met en face de nos débiteurs et nous dit encore ; et maintenant , toi , leur pardonnes tu aussi ?

Le pardon est bien plus qu’un enterrement du passé , c’est une résurrection capable de mettre en route une nouvelle vie pour moi et pour le bénéficiaire , capable aussi de refaire notre histoire . C’est d’entrer dans une nouvelle forme de pensée .

Un chagrin non pardonné c’est une blessure qui me fait mal et qui me rendre malade . Cette blessure non guérie contient des émotions refoulées , non exprimées , qui monopolisent de l’énergie , perpétuent et nourrissent une souffrance passée. C’est une amputation de mon énergie vitale disponible qui va handicaper la construction de ma vie future . Vu dans cette perspective , le pardon est une nécessité vitale pour être bien dans ma peau et vivre une vie pleine . Le plus beau cadeau que tu puisses offrir à l’être aimé , ainsi qu’à soi même c’est ton pardon . PARDON

Herby Jean

© 2011, Leogane Magazine. All rights reserved.

En guise d’introduction à son compte-rendu, Luc Bonaventure, s’appuyant sur les écrits de certains chercheurs, a fait un coup d’oeil panoramique sur la définition du rara et son origine. « Le rara est un phénomène culturel qui vise à créer de la distraction principalement dans les milieux ruraux. Il s’ouvre le mercredi des cendres pour se refermer le lundi ou le mardi qui suit la pâque ». D’après Monsieur Bonaventure ses origines varient selon des auteurs. Il est pour Harold Courlander, Moreau de Saint- Méry et Jean-Baptiste Romain, d’origine africaine. Les africains de St-Domingue, selon le point de vue de ces auteurs, avaient conservé les chants, les danses et les rythmes traditionnels.

Pour Jean Coulanges, cité par monsieur Bonaventure, le rara est un héritage des Tainos qui habitèrent l’ile avant la colonisation. Dans une entrevue qu’il a accordée en mai 2008, l’anthropologue Jean Coulanges a affirmé que le rara est lié à l’équinoxe de printemps, jour consacré par les mayas à la nature. Les traces des majors joncs se retrouvent chez les mayas notamment à Yucatan au Mexique. Emmanuel C. Paul dans Panorama du folklore haïtien argumente que le rara est d’origine coloniale. Il était permis aux esclaves, d’après l’auteur, de chanter, de danser à la fin de la semaine qui suit le carnaval de leurs maitres et les trois derniers jours de la semaine sainte. Ces points de vue de ces différents auteurs, d’après le conférencier, loin d’entrer en contradiction se complètent.

Monsieur Luc Bonaventure soutient que la rara a connu au fil du temps une nette évolution. A ses débuts, il a était appelé Chayopye A cette époque, les pieds et la bouche furent les instruments sonores utilisés pour créer l’ambiance. Ensuite, on y intègre des instruments traditionnels (le tambour, la cymbale, le gong et d’autres instruments à vents étrangers (comme le saxophone, le trombone, le baryton et l’hélicon). Le rara ne se conçoit pas en dehors de son aspect religieux, a constaté monsieur Bonaventure. Avant de sortir, la bande de rara procède à des cérémonies de ”liminasyon” et de ”fwote beny” qui lui donnent son sens. Ces rituels, variées suivant les régions, vise à protéger la bande contre toute tentative d’expédition de mauvais esprits qui pourrait lui venir de ses adversaires. Elles sont organisées soit par des houngans soit par des ounsi. Ce constat porte Luc Bonaventure à conclure que le rara est lié au vaudou.

Jean Joseph Wilfrid Lavaud, de son coté, a abordé l’aspect typiquement musical de ce phénomène culturel. Monsieur Lavaud affirme que la musique traditionnelle haïtienne porte l’empreinte des peuples qui vécurent sur l’ile avant la colonisation. Le rara en est un exemple vivant. Les instruments traditionnels qui y sont utilisés (tambour, bambou, sifflet, fwèt kach, clairon, kone, etc.) sont des preuves matérielles de cet héritage. Aujourd’hui, le rara a intégré dans son orchestration d’autres instruments occidentaux, le bass-drum par exemple pour marquer le rythme, le tamtam et tant d’autres. L’intervention de Jean Joseph Wilfrid Lavaud a été illustrée par le groupe rara Vodoula qui, au terme de sa prestation, a invité les spectateurs à la danse. Même la directrice du Bureau national d’Ethologie, le Dr Suze Mathieu n’a pas pu résister à l’envie de gravir la scène. Sixième journée réussie, dirait-on. Le rendez-vous est probablement fixé à la quinzaine, soit le 13 mai prochain.

Nélio Joseph

© 2011, Leogane Magazine. All rights reserved.

Participez à notre competition et envoyez- nous vos emblèmes sur leoganexpress@yahoo.fr. Toutes les emblèmes à nous soumises seront disponibles en ligne sur Facebook et Léogâne Magazine et le public en votera sur laquelle il juge fait beaucoup plus de justice à l’histoire et la culture de la ville.

L’embléme sélectionnée par le public sera approuvée par la Mairie de la ville pour y être placée sur tous les documents officiels de Léogâne. Les autres seront en outre conservées dans un centre de données pour y être consultées et appreciées par les générations à venir.

Les artistes doivent soumettre leur chef-d’oeuvre le 2 Janvier 2012 au plus tard. Le gagant sera annoucé le 11 Janvier 2012 sur Facebook, le Nouvelliste, Léogane Magazine, et sur les ondes des stations de radio de la cité. Le gagant recevra une tablette HP, courtoisie de Léogâne Development Foundation.

Instructions pour réaliser votre projet sont en-bas enoncées. Vous pouvez vous aussi reférer à la photo ci-jointe pour beaucoup plus de détails.

Les couleurs

Un rouge vif pour représenter le Cavaly, un vert herbe pour le Valencia avec des lettres écrites en un noir deuil en remembrance de ceux qui ont péris le 12 Janvier 2010.

Le blason aussi appelé bouclier

A la tête du blason, sur une couronne, sera affichée l’année d’établissement de la ville. Un tambour et un tcha tcha representant le Rara et le non de la ville écrit en lettres majuscules seront placés au beau milieu du blason. A chaque côté du blason, on verra la Reine Anacaona regardant le bouclier et tenant une flamme d’espoir.

Le parquet

Il sera en forme de cercle où la devise “Je suis Léogânais et je suis fier de l’être” sera affiché. Le parquet sera decoré d’herbes vertes nourissant et montrant des animaux d’élevage, des tiges de canne à sucre, et deux coqs qui se querellent. Dans le parquet, sera placé trois canons dont les bouches pointeront vers l’exterieur du cercle mais à l’opposé des animaux et du blason.

Allez-y chers Léogânais, exerguez vos démons artistiques et transformez votre imagerie creatrice en oeuvres qui vaillent.

Pour plus d’informations sur la compétition, soyez libres de contacter Léogane Xpress sur leoganexpress@yahoo.fr.

© 2011, Leogane Magazine. All rights reserved.

Parmi les colons fondateurs d’Yaguana, dont la prononciation française a fait Léogane, était d’Ogeron qui fut gouver…neur de la colonie française de Saint-Domingue en 1665. En 1669, Léogane ne comptait que 50 hommes portant armes. Le peuplement se fit sur deux sites : L’Ester et la Petite Rivière, siège de la paroisse Saint-Jacques. En 1794, d’Ogeron vînt résider à Léogane, ce qui en consacra l’établissement comme capitale de la colonie.

En 1691, les Anglais attaquèrent la Petite Rivière, mais furent repoussé par les habitants ; en 1701, on voulut réunir l’Ester et La Petite Rivière mais la diversité des opinions les conserva l’un et l’autre. En février 1710 un incendie ravagea la Petite Rivière, ne laissant que six ou sept maisons et l’église ne fut pas reconstruite.

L’Ester fut attaqué en octobre 1694 par les Anglais. A cette occasion monsieur Guy Couttard, conseiller au conseil souverain, se distingua, mais il y eut 40 hommes morts ou blessés. Le 7 août 1702, une nouvelle attaque des Anglais eut lieu, sans succès. La paroisse de l’Ester fut supprimée par une ordonnance du 15 avril 1711. La paroisse Sainte-Rose de Lima, sise à Léogane, succéda aux deux paroisses de La Petite Rivière et de L’Ester.

En 1697, le conseil souverain puis supérieur de la colonie de Saint-Domingue fut transféré du Petit Goave, ruiné par les Anglais, à Léogane2.

En 1915, les forces militaires des États-Unis débarquent en Haïti et occupent le pays jusqu’en 1934. Les forces américaines se déploient dans le pays sans incidents majeurs sauf à Léogâne, où Charlemagne Péralte commandant de la sécurité militaire de la région refuse de déposer les armes et le drapeau national sans en avoir reçu l’ordre officiel des autorités haïtiennes.

Le 12 janvier 2010, Léogâne fut largement détruit par un seisme meurtrier (qui toucha surtout l’agglomération de Port-au-Prince, la capitale haïtienne). Selon l’ONU, 80 à 90 % des bâtiments de la ville ont été endommagés. Le nombre de victimes s’élèverait entre 5 000 et 10 000 morts3. L’épicentre de ce séisme se trouvait sur la commune.

Source: Leogane Ma Terre Natale

© 2011, Leogane Magazine. All rights reserved.

“Les Haïtiens sont des Français égarés sur le sol d’Haïti”. Nous citons cette phrase pour une certaine raison. Nous avions appris que l’intelligence ne se montre pas par la vitesse dont nous pouvons ajouter des numéros de Mathématiques, de Physique, ou de Chimie mais par notre aisance d’adopter la langue (française) pour expliquer les formules de ces sciences exactes.

Les séquelles de notre éducation pointent du doigt le fait que les notions apprises dans toutes les matières ont été produites en français (Littérature (haïtienne –française), Sciences Sociales, Chimie etc.). Le problème n’est pas le fait que nous ayons été enseignés en Français mais plutôt que cette éducation produite dans une langue étrangère, part, dès son début, en guerre contre notre langue maternelle qui se verra obliger de naturaliser des mots de la langue conquérante.

Ainsi donc, avions-nous appris nous à juger nos éducateurs par leur maîtrise de la langue française et à négliger, quelque peu, leur production intellectuelle. Nous nous souvenons longtemps âpres de ceux-là qui maitrisaient presque tous les mots de Petit Larousse; des mots qu’ils semaient dès qu’ils rentraient dans les salles de classe et nous émouvaient tous avec leur diction.

Et le résultat est décevant, comme longtemps déjà Fréderic Marcelin l’avait fait remarquer, l’éducation à la française est chargée de lacunes… elle ne permet pas aux étudiants d’avoir des initiatives humaines, ils sont des brevetés. Ce qui rend certainement, l’avenir des étudiants confus. Souvent ils manifestent le complexe du refus de parler le Kreyòl. Ils ont appris à tourner leur langue sept fois dans leur bouche avant de se prononcer. Ces étudiants qui se verront refuser de parler le Kreyòl dans l’enceinte même des institutions d’Etat et pour ne pas aussi être la risée de ceux-là qui les verraient comme des ignorants dans la langue de Molière.

C’est de part cette situation que le français a envahi le Créole haïtien (notre langue maternelle) pour laisser imprégner des segments d’une langue qui a domine depuis des siècles notre formation intellectuelle.

Qui de nous, sans se voir regarder de travers, pourrait délibérément dire à une personne, qui qu’elle serait, “Ale lave bòbòt ou? Aucun ! Nos enseignants, par mesure d’une certaine civilité, nous ont appris que les mots koko, zozo, konyen, etc” sont des mots sottises que nous devons éviter de prononcer, et vite, ils seront remplacés par des mots français. Sûr, vous direz que la meilleure façon de dire le mot « Konyen » serait « Fè bagay » Toutefois, pensez-vous que la traduction française « faire l’amour » fait vraie justice à cette action. Serait donc qualifié de brute, de pervert, ou de dévergondé quiconque oserait emprunter ces mots ou ce genre de langage. Et pour rendre matières pires, nous prenons l’habitude de franciser les mots créoles.

Certains écriront “Al fermer porte la” au lieu de “Ale fèmen pòt la.” Ce qui montre que L’Haïtien éduqué parle et écrit le Kreyòl en Créole (francais) parce qu’il ne pense qu’en Français (langue de sa formation) et nos grands-parents et notre pays en souffrent du reflet de cette renaissance qui passe pour un élément de modernisation linguistique (chez nous).

La raison de ces commentaires est pour l’intérêt de promouvoir le Kreyòl au delà des frontières nationales en préservant nos acquis culturels. Il nous faut à priori établir une différence entre ce qui fait l’originalité de notre langue et ce que nous avons hérité des anciens colons.

Et notre rêve de Kreyòl se réalisera sans nous isoler du reste du monde qui veut jusqu’à présent maintenir une façon détournée de rester en contact avec nous, en accusant notre langue. Il nous faut les dire et à n’importe qui qui veut nous entendre que le Kreyòl n’est pas le Français et que notre langue est codifiée, regularisée, et grammatisée toutes comme les autres langues vivantes.

A bon entendeur; salut!!!

Bobb Q Rousseau pour Page One Magazine

© 2011, Leogane Magazine. All rights reserved.

The only Haitian queen or Cacique “Anacaona” was born there. Anacaona was the only queen who had governed two Caciquats at the same time. Until now, her house “Grotte Anacaona” is still an historical monument sparking the interests of visitors, tourists, and historians alike.

The wife of Haiti’s first emperor was also born there. In fact, Marie Claire Heureuse was so deeply in love with the city that she convinced Jean-Jacques Dessalines to marry her in Léogâne. L’église Ste-Rose de Lima had received the great honor to join these two in holy matrimony.

Two highly decorated Generals of the Haitian army were also from Léogâne. Generals Marion and General Baltazar had both signed the country’s Act of Independence.

Léogâne is also the birthplace of Ovide Simone Duvalier, wife and mother of two Haitian Presidents. According to many, no First Lady had impacted Haitian politics the way she did. She left a legacy that no other First Ladies combined would ever surpass.

President Jean Claude Duvalier never missed an occasion to carillon to whoever wanted to hear him that “Je suis Léogânais and je suis fier de l’être.” “I am from the city of Léogâne and I am proud to be Léogânais.”

Edwidge Danticat, the novelist whose moving and insightful depictions of Haiti’s complex history are enriching our understanding of the Haitian immigrant experience, had first seen the world in Léogâne.

The city of Léogâne had inspired Carole Demesmin, the Haitian music’s ambassador, most of her songs. Her most known title “Men Rara” was her message to the world that she was indeed from the city whose charms are inviting.

The city of Léogâne was built in 1663. In 2013, the city will be 350 years old.

For a complete list of famous people who were born in Léogâne, please follow this link.

Bobb Q Rousseau

© 2011, Leogane Magazine. All rights reserved.

How far inland can a Tsunami go?

There are various factors that determine how far inland a tsunami can go. Here is a list of factors involved:

* The terrain of the land and the height of the tsunami wave. If the land is mountainous the tsunami would probably not go very far; however, if it is lowland, it may wash inland for several kilometers.

* Another important factor in a tsunami is the volume of water displaced. It is not the height of a tsunami that gives it momentum over land, but the length.

* The angle at which the tsunami reaches land and the geographical shape of the coastline: A concave coastline will suffer more damage than a convex coastline that can deflect the water movement.

* Land forms slow them down considerably. The distance travelled inland is directly related to the change in elevation.

About 36,000 people died in the 1883 eruption of Krakatoa and the subsequent tsunami. In 1896, a tsunami with a run-up of about 100 feet swept the east coast of Japan; more than 27,000 people were killed. A 1908 earthquake and tsunami in Sicily caused an estimated 58,000 deaths.

April 1, 1946 – A magnitude  7.3  earthquake occurred near Unimak Island in the Aleutian Islands west of Alaska, near the Alaska Trench.  Sediment accumulating in the trench slumped into the trench and generated a tsunami.  A lighthouse at Scotch Gap built of steel reinforced concrete was located on shore at an elevation of 14 m above mean low water.  The first wave of the tsunami hit the Scotch Gap area 20 minutes after the earthquake, had a run-up 30 m and completely destroyed the lighthouse.  4.5 hours later the same tsunami reached the Hawaiian Islands after traveling at an average speed of 659 km/hr.  As it approached the city of Hilo on the Big Island, it slowed to about 47 km/hr (note that even the fastest human cannot run faster than about 35 km/hr) and had a run-up of 18 m above normal high tide. It killed 159 people (90 in Hilo) and caused $25 million in property damage.

May 22, 1960 – A magnitude 8.6 earthquake occurred  along the subduction zone off South America.  Because the population of Chile (movie clip) is familiar with earthquakes and potential tsunamis, most people along the coast moved to higher ground.  15 minutes after the earthquake, a tsunami with a run-up of 4.5 m hit the coast.  The first wave then retreated, dragging broken houses and boats back into the ocean.  Many people saw this smooth retreat of the sea as a sign they could ride their boats out to sea and recover some of the property swept away by the first wave.  But, about 1 hour later, the second wave traveling at a velocity of 166 km/hr crashed in with a run-up of 8 m.  This wave crushed boats along the coast and destroyed coastal buildings. This was followed by a third wave traveling at only 83 km/hr that crashed in later with a run-up of 11 m, destroying all that was left of coastal villages.  The resulting causalities listed 909 dead with 834 missing.  In Hawaii, a tsunami warning system was in place and the tsunami was expected to arrive at 9:57 AM.  It hit at 9:58 AM and 61 people died, mostly sightseers that wanted to watch the wave roll in at close range (obviously they were too close).  The tsunami continued across the Pacific Ocean, eventually reaching Japan where it killed an additional 185 people.

March 27, 1964 – The Good Friday Earthquake in Alaska had a magnitude of 8.5 on the Richter Scale.  This earthquake also occurred along the subduction zone, and as we saw in our study of earthquakes, caused deformation of the crust where huge blocks were dropped down as much as 2.3  m.  Because the coastline of Alaska is sparsely populated, only 122 people died from the tsunami in Alaska.  With a tsunami warning system in place in Crescent City, California, all the townspeople moved to higher ground.  After watching four successive waves destroy their town, many people returned to the low-lying areas to assess the damage to their property.  The fifth wave had the largest run-up of 6.3 m and killed 12 people.

September 2, 1992 – A magnitude 7 earthquake off the coast of Nicaragua in Central America occurred along the subduction zone below the Middle America Trench. The earthquake was barely felt by the residents of Nicaragua and was somewhat unusual.  A 100 km-long segment of the oceanic lithosphere moved 1 m further below the over-riding plate over a period of two minutes.  Much energy was released but the ground did not shake very much.  Seawater apparently absorbed some of the energy and sent a tsunami onto the coast.  Residents had little warning, 150 people died and 13,000 people were left homeless.

December 26, 2004 – The Indian Ocean tsunami was caused by an earthquake that is thought to have had the energy of 23,000 atomic bombs. The tsunami traveled as far as 3,000 miles to Africa and still arrived with sufficient force to kill people and destroy property.

Tsunamis often exceed 100 miles in length in the deep ocean, where they can travel as fast as 500 miles per hour. It has been reported that the tsunami that struck Japan on 3/11/11 reached approximately 3 – 5 miles inland. 70% of the Léogâne population lives within 3 miles from the sea, with little, to no strategic planning for a natural disaster such as a tsunami. We need to build a new City, away from the coastline.

When Will We Learn?

The malevolent earthquake and tsunami in Japan have jolted our minds back to the 2004 catastrophe in the Indian Ocean, as well as to last year’s tsunamis in Chile and Sumatra. Gruesome comparisons are inevitable, as is the fatalism that follows such “acts of God.” What can man do in the face of nature’s wrath? Not everything, of course—and a natural disaster is always a most sobering reminder of our own limitations. But it is clear—and painfully so—that the international community has not done a fraction of what it had hoped to do in the aftermath of the carnage in 2004, when the devastation in Banda Aceh, Phuket, Sri Lanka, and parts of Africa led to a global resolve to be better prepared for the next time.

The three tsunamis in the past 13 months—including 3/11/11 havoc in Japan—have devastated nearby coastlines. In Chile in February 2010, people did evacuate, but mostly of their own accord. A tsunami warning was issued, and then mysteriously lifted, at the same time as the tsunami was climbing up the rugged Chilean coastline. More than 200 died. In Sumatra in October, nature and man worked against the victims; most people didn’t feel the earthquake strongly enough to trigger self-evacuation, and the tremor struck at night. A crawl line appearing on all TV channels in Sumatra asking them to evacuate was not seen by people in the Mentawai Islands off Sumatra’s western coast because most villages there have no electricity. Their first intimation of the incoming wave was its roaring sound just offshore. More than 400 drowned. Sirens did ring in Japan—this is, after all, one of the most civic-minded countries on earth—yet hundreds, if not thousands, died.

As far as preparedness is concerned, the main reason is that we continue to be focused on past disasters, rather than on building tsunami-resilient communities around the globe. We deploy sensors to warn us of where older tsunamis struck, but we are not doing enough to anticipate future events. While more than 40 tsunamographs—the special instruments in the deep ocean developed by the United States’ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration—are now measuring tsunami heights around the Pacific adjacent to the U.S., people in French Polynesia and other Pacific Islands have to wait and wait, without knowing what is about to hit them. And even in Japan, arguably the most tsunami-ready nation in the world, there are no tsunamographs to provide notification when it is safe for search-and-rescue operations to begin.

This is not an easy matter. Tsunami floods can move at speeds exceeding 15mph. People who don’t evacuate on time may be fighting for their lives while perched on trees or moving logs, and rescuers have little information on whether it is safe to move in immediately and rescue them or whether the next wave will be even bigger. People who do evacuate may be drawn back to their homes by the lull between wave arrivals, only to be swept away by the next one. As opposed to earthquakes that last, at worst, a few minutes, tsunamis can flood coastlines for several hours, particularly inside closed bays or harbors. Even when people start evacuating immediately, they may not have time to reach high ground if the nearest hill is a few miles away.

What is alarming is how little has changed around the world in terms of an awareness of the simpler protective steps to take. During the Samoan tsunami in September 2009, people who could easily have climbed to high ground in the hills behind them chose, instead, to evacuate by car. Many drowned in their cars, which were struck in exodus traffic along narrow coastal roads. When the 2010 Chilean tsunami arrived in California, people in Santa Monica Beach were mesmerized by the rapid withdrawal of the shoreline and went out to gawk at stranded marine life. It is a miracle that the tsunami was small and they were able to get away.

During the same event, and despite what ended up as a very accurate forecast by the NOAA, Hawaii undertook a costly massive evacuation. By contrast, people in the Sumatran Mentawais—despite numerous tsunami drills since 2004—didn’t self-evacuate on time. They had felt so many tremors that did not produce a tsunami that they had become a bit cynical, and this proved fatal on a wide scale. In the Juan Fernández Islands off the coast of Chile, many more than 20 would have died had it not been for a high-school girl ringing a gong very early in the morning. She was the only one to notice the incoming wave, a story quite reminiscent of the schoolgirl who saved hundreds of lives in Thailand in 2004 because she knew how to recognize the harbinger shoreline withdrawal that often accompanies tsunamis.

It is time that such nonsense stops. The technology exists for accurate real-time forecasts. In the U.S., the NOAA can now predict tsunami heights and currents in a few major West Coast cities, triggered by earthquakes anywhere in the Pacific, but the accuracy is limited by the number of tsunamographs offshore. The lack of offshore sensors also limits the NOAA’s ability to predict the tsunami duration. Sirens are old-fashioned, but they help save lives in coastal emergencies. Although they cost very little, few coastlines around the world have them, as many countries rely on broadcast media and cell-phone messages. There is no substitute for loud, blaring sounds to get people to move.

However, a world-class warning system is only part of the tsunami story. What the world needs are tsunami-resilient communities that plan ahead not for any particular tsunami but for a medley of coastal hazards, storm floods, sea-level rises, and hurricanes. Evacuation drills and continuous education are keys to long-term survival. Every time we fly, we are reminded to put on our seat belts and of how to use life vests. We need to be reminded, every time we visit any coastline around the world, of the possibility of a tsunami and of the simple steps we ought to follow to save ourselves. And to exemplify the principle, if you are close to the coast and see any unusual shoreline motions, or feel any tremor that lasts more than 30 seconds, evacuate inland or to high ground.

Tsunami Safety Rules

* A strong earthquake felt in a low-lying coastal area is a natural warning of possible, immediate danger. Keep calm and quickly move to higher ground away from the coast.

* All large earthquakes do not cause tsunamis, but many do. If the quake is located near or directly under the ocean, the probability of a tsunami increases. When you hear that an earthquake has occurred in the ocean or coastline regions, prepare for a tsunami emergency.

* Tsunamis can occur at any time, day or night. They can travel up rivers and streams that lead to the ocean.

* A tsunami is not a single wave, but a series of waves. Stay out of danger until an “ALL CLEAR” is issued by a competent authority.

* Approaching tsunamis are sometimes heralded by noticeable rise or fall of coastal waters. This is nature’s tsunami warning and should be heeded.

* Approaching large tsunamis are usually accompanied by a loud roar that  sounds like a train or aircraft. If a tsunami arrives at night when you can not see the ocean, this is also nature’s tsunami warning and should be heeded.

* A small tsunami at one beach can be a giant a few miles away. Do not let modest size of one make you lose respect for all.

* Sooner or later, tsunamis visit every coastline in the Pacific. All tsunamis – like hurricanes – are potentially dangerous even though they may not damage every coastline they strike.

* Never go down to the beach to watch for a tsunami!

* Tsunamis can move faster than a person can run!

IF YOU CAN SEE THE WAVE YOU ARE TOO CLOSE TO ESCAPE.

© 2011, Leogane Magazine. All rights reserved.

DECLARATION OF A PUBLIC HEALTH NUISANCE.

The following conditions shall constitute a nuisance to public health or safety and shall be prohibited within the City’s jurisdiction:

(A) Neglect of property. It shall be unlawful for any person to endanger the public health, safety, and welfare through the neglect of property by causing or allowing the accumulation of solid waste or unsightly litter, waste products causing the existence of foul odors, dead animals, unsecured appliances, building material, hazardous waste, or potentially dangerous devices to be discarded, abandoned, or remain on or emanate from any such property, or to cause or allow the accumulation of solid waste or unsightly litter, waste products causing the existence of foul odors, dead animals, unsecured appliances, building material, construction and demolition material, hazardous waste, or potentially dangerous devices to be discarded, abandoned, or remain on or emanate from public property or other private property, vacant lots, ponds, streams, or bodies of water or banks thereof.

(B) Unauthorized accumulation of solid waste, trash, recyclables, garbage, junk, rubbish or building material.

(1) It shall be unlawful for any person to allow or cause the accumulation of solid waste, trash, recyclables, garbage, junk, rubbish or building material which produces offensive, noxious or foul odors or vapors or which provides refuge or sustenance for rats, mice, snakes, or other vermin.

(2) It shall be unlawful for the owner and or occupant of any property to cause or allow the accumulation of solid waste, trash, recyclables, garbage, junk, rubbish or building material causing or threatening to cause a fire hazard or causing or threatening to cause the accumulation of stagnant water.

(C) Unauthorized accumulation of litter. It shall be unlawful for any person to scatter, cast, throw, blow, place, sweep, or deposit any litter in such a manner that it may be carried or deposited upon any street, sidewalk, alley, body of water, sewer, parkway, lot, public property, or private property.

(D) Dilapidated condition on premises. It shall be unlawful for any person to have on their premises material that creates a littered condition, such as, but not limited to, lawn furniture, appliances, machinery, equipment, building materials, automotive parts, tires, fencing, or any other items which are in a wholly or partially rusted, wrecked, junked, dismantled, or inoperative condition and which are not completely enclosed within a building or dwelling.

(E) Uncontrolled growth of weeds or grass. It shall be unlawful for the owner and or occupant of a property to allow grass, weeds, end other overgrowth vegetation to exceed a height greater than nine inches. It shall be the duty of the owner and or occupant to cut and remove all grass, weeds, and other overgrowth vegetation as often as necessary to comply with the provision of this section.

(F) Any other conditions constituting a nuisance. In addition to the conditions set out in this section, any other condition declared by the City Council to pose a threat to the public’s health or safety, also shall constitute a nuisance and shall be prohibited within the City’s jurisdiction.

(G) All bulky items and or debris generated by cleaning out rental or other residential properties not removed immediately by the property owner(s) will be declared a public health nuisance.

GRAFFITI DECLARED A NUISANCE.

The city council of Léogane declares and finds graffiti to be an obnoxious public nuisance and destructive of the rights and values of property owners as well as the entire community.  No person shall deface, write upon or draw upon any real or personal property not his or her own without the consent of the owner of such property. It shall be unlawful for any person to apply graffiti to any trees or structures including, but not limited to, buildings, walls, fences, poles, and signs, located within the city. It shall also be unlawful for any person to apply or affix any adhesive backed label, sticker, “bumpersticker” or similar item, to any tree or structure not owned or lawfully possessed by such person. The city council finds that graffiti on public or private property is a blighting factor which not only depreciates the value of property which has been the target of such vandalism but also depreciates the value of the adjacent and surrounding properties so as to create a negative impact upon the entire city. It is unlawful for any person who is the owner, or who has primary responsibility for control, of property or who has primary responsibility for the repair or maintenance of property, to permit the property which is defaced with graffiti to remain so defaced for a period of ten days. Persons owning or controlling property having graffiti thereon shall be liable to its removal unless, the person shall demonstrate by a preponderance of evidence that he or she does not have the financial ability to remove the defacing graffiti.

COMPLAINTS AND INVESTIGATIONS.

The City shall, upon notice from any citizen or public official, investigate to determine whether or not a nuisance as defined in this section exists. Furthermore, the Code Enforcement Officer shall on his own motion investigate possible nuisances whenever in the course of his normal duties he is made aware of such conditions. Whenever graffiti is located on any public or private property or any surface visible from any public rights of way within the city, a notice shall be issued to the owner or person in control of the premises to abate the nuisance and remove the graffiti or cover it with paint or other substance masking the graffiti from public view.

FAILURE OF OWNER TO ABATE PUBLIC HEALTH NUISANCE.

(A) If any person, having been ordered to abate such a public nuisance, fails, neglects, or refuses to abate or remove the condition constituting the nuisance the Code Enforcement Officer shall cause such condition to be removed or otherwise remedied by having employees of the City go upon such premises and remove or otherwise abate such nuisance under the supervision of an officer or employee designated by the City Council, and such party shall be subject to civil penalties. The cost of abatement or removal, including administrative costs, shall be due and payable to the City of Léogane within thirty (30) days of notification.

Any property owner(s) or person(s) who fails to immediately remove the items or debris shall be ordered to abate the nuisance within seven (7) days of the notice of violation provided pursuant to this Chapter. Upon failure to abate the nuisance by the owner within the time period allowed, the City of Léogane shall take action to remove the debris. Charges incurred by the City to remove debris from a non-compliant property shall be levied against said property owner(s) pursuant to this Chapter and, if unpaid, such costs shall become a lien on the property. In the event charges for the removal or abatement of a public nuisance are not paid, such charges shall become a lien upon the land or premises where the nuisance occurred.

PENALTY.

Any person, firm, corporation, agent or employee thereof who violates this law shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof, shall be fined an amount not to exceed 500 Gourdes for each offense. Each day that a violation is permitted to exist shall constitute a separate offense. A minor who creates, causes or commits a nuisance by defacing the property of another with graffiti is liable for the cost of abatement of the nuisance caused. Violation of this law by an adult is a misdemeanor, punishable by a term of not less than 48 hours in jail and not less than 80 hours of community service.

In addition to any punishment imposed, the court may order any person convicted of a violation of this article to make restitution to the victim or entity which remediated the graffiti for damages or loss caused directly or indirectly by the violator’s offense in the amount or manner determined by the court. The court may determine the amount, terms and conditions of the restitution. In the case of a minor, the parents or legal guardian shall be ordered jointly and severally liable with the minor to make restitution.

In addition to, or as a part of, the penalties specified in this section, a minor or adult may be required to perform community service as described by the court. Reasonable effort shall be made to assign the minor or adult to a type of community service that is reasonably expected to have the most rehabilitative effect on the minor or adult, including community service that involves graffiti removal.

SEVERABILITY.

If any part of this ordinance or the application thereof to any person or condition is held invalid such invalidity shall not affect other parts of this ordinance or their application to any other person or condition, and to this end, the provisions of this ordinance are hereby declared to be severable.

© 2011, Leogane Magazine. All rights reserved.

Primary Use: Stabilize Eroding Banks, Erosion and Sediment Control, Ecological Value, Flooding and Temperature Control.

Stabilize eroding banks: On smaller streams and lakes, good erosion control may require only the width of the bank to be covered with shrubs and trees. Extending buffer vegetation beyond the bank is necessary where more active bank erosion is occurring.

Erosion and Sediment Control: The dense root systems of a riparian buffer zone hold soil on the stream bank and helps to strap sediment flowing downstream that would otherwise become a contaminant. The roots of trees, shrubs, sedges, and grasses bind the soil together and help create an erosion-resistant stream bank. Sediment is a major contaminant in our rivers and streams, but it has been shown that riparian zones are capable of retaining more than 300,000 pounds per acre, per year of sediment.

Ecological Value: The diversity and concentration of vegetation within riparian zones provides habitat for a variety of animals and insects. Long, contiguous strips of riparian buffer can also provide what are knows as habitat corridors for the migration of species across large areas.

Flooding & Temperature Control: Riparian zones help to absorb flood waters that would otherwise damage adjacent urban, forest or agriculture lands and contribute to stream bank erosion. Shade from plants and trees within riparian zones helps to regulate water temperature.

Though they represent only a small percentage of the land, riparian areas provide essential habitat for many wildlife species. In the Léogane region, riparian areas represent an oasis of biodiversity within a vast sea of arid uplands. However, human land-use practices in Léogane have disturbed large tracts of land. As a result of these disturbances, degradation of both riparian and upland areas has become a major concern for natural resources. The conservation and restoration of Léogane’ lands is an urgent environmental issue, particularly in its highly productive and valuable riparian areas. If restoration is not intensive and immediate, the damaged condition of riparian areas will continue to impact both landowners and wildlife. In order to protect riparian wildlife habitat, native plant communities must be restored and watersheds protected. The resultant healthy, native ecosystems will be better able to withstand drought conditions that lead to dry vegetation, decreased availability of water, and increased susceptibility to fires. Unfortunately, much of the biodiversity of riparian areas is being threatened due to loss or degradation of habitat. Furthermore, many of the natural habitats that remain exist in small and disconnected patches. Movement between patches is often difficult or impossible for wildlife.

In general, a riparian forest buffer is an area of trees, usually accompanied by shrubs and other vegetation, along a stream, river, or shoreline that is managed to maintain the integrity of the waterway, to reduce pollution, and to provide food, habitat, and thermal protection for fish and wildlife. Riparian forest buffers slow and filter nutrients and sediments out of storm-water before they reach the waterway. Forest buffers also stabilize stream-banks and floodplains, reducing erosion. The cool stream temperatures maintained by riparian trees are essential for the survival of many fish and other aquatic species. Leaves and fallen logs and branches provide food and habitat for many organisms that are critical to the aquatic food chain. Riparian forest buffers can also attract birds and wildlife, providing important habitat and migration corridors for many species. Riparian buffer zones create a transition area between water and land that allows for habitat corridors as well as the natural, meandering curves in a river or stream, slowing the speed of water and stabilizing stream banks.

Riparian buffer zones also known as stream-side forests, can be defined as green zones along streams, rivers, and lakes. Since the onset of agriculture, these riparian zones have been continually degraded. The destruction of these zones has created numerous problems, resulting in the partial or complete destruction of the immediate stream habitat, as well as destruction of the vitality of areas further downstream. A stream with a riparian buffer zone is able to maintain more natural inputs of nitrogen and phosphorous into the stream. Riparian zone plants do this by having denitrifying bacteria on the rhizomes of their roots. The products of this denitrification process are generally innocuous, thus allowing the excess nitrogen to enter the atmosphere or be used by the vegetation of the riparian zone rather than enter the stream. This is especially important when large quantities of unwanted nitrogen travel in the run-off of agricultural fields. Riparian zones, act as a buffer against floods. Besides slowing down run-off that enters the stream, it decreases the flow velocity of the stream, the zones also serve to soak up excess water through their root systems, thus controlling floods.

Riparian zones also help to prevent water pollution. Vegetation in riparian zones function as filters both to filter water flowing downstream and to filter the pollutants in stormwater runoff before it reaches streams and rivers. Groundwater is an important natural resource that is stored below the earth’s surface in the pores of substrate. Groundwater reaches the surface at naturally flowing (artesian) springs, via streams or other bodies of water that intersect with the water table, and through transpiration by plants whose roots extend into the saturated zone. Stream flow is related to both precipitation and groundwater supply. Streams are either fed by groundwater (gaining stream), replenish groundwater (losing stream), or are separated from groundwater by an impermeable layer below the stream (insulated stream). Streams that are not groundwater fed receive their water primarily from precipitation/runoff. Because the groundwater supply is fairly constant throughout the year, gaining streams tend to have lower levels of fluctuation in flow. Losing or insulated streams will tend to increase or decrease in flow depending on patterns of precipitation. In arid areas, streams reaching downstream from mountain fronts and on steep hillsides are typically losing streams, making these areas important for recharge (groundwater replenishment).

Groundwater resources must be carefully managed. Large volumes of groundwater are withdrawn for human consumption. Natural groundwater systems fluctuate over time depending on the rate of recharge. Human land uses often decrease recharge because they decrease the amount of pervious surface. Riparian areas are important sites for groundwater recharge because vegetation can trap precipitation and runoff, allowing it to infiltrate slowly over time. If withdrawal from an aquifer is not balanced with respect to recharge, withdrawal may become unsustainable, reducing groundwater flows to the surface and pressure at wells, and thereby reducing the availability of water for riparian areas as well as for human consumption. Establishing a riparian buffer is a central component of any riparian restoration project. However, it is critically important to remember that without other management changes, the newly established vegetation may be destroyed by whatever degraded the buffer zone originally The first step in buffer design, and in creating a holistic riparian management plan, is to assess the current state of the stream. The second step is to mitigate negative impacts on the existing vegetation. For example, if livestock are overgrazing or trampling the vegetation and causing streambank erosion, livestock exclusion from the area may be necessary.

The riparian area can be divided into five zones: The toe zone, the bank zone, the over-bank zone, the transitional zone, and the upland zone.

It is important to delineate these zones so that particular species can be planted in locations where they will receive the appropriate amount of moisture. It is important to use native species for restoration whenever possible. Native plant species are well suited to the soil and climatic conditions of the region, and provide the best habitat for native wildlife species. The use of locally grown native plants helps to preserve the genetic integrity of native plant communities. Léogane’s biodiversity, already threatened by habitat loss and degradation, depends on the wise use of natural resources. For natural resource conservation actions to be effective and sustainable, they must protect the interests of the diverse group of people that make their home in the region. Fortunately, everyone can have an effect. Anyone who chooses can make a positive contribution to the conservation and integrity of riparian areas and other natural resources within the Léogane community. The time to act is now.

© 2011, Leogane Magazine. All rights reserved.

After the earthquake of January 12 2011, Bobb felt that time was now to assist the government and NGOs in their civil assistance and humanitarian programs. He shared that same dream with Christina Majors who automatically fell in love with the project and encouraged him to pursue such a dream.

The same day, around March, Haiti 2020 Scholarship Fund was founded with the mission to provide a clear vision for education in Haiti through the promotion of excellence where students in humanitarian classes will be rewarded based on their academic performances regardless of their parent’s financial means.

While seeking for donations, Bobb met Edwidge, Crevecoeur-Bryant PhD, a Haitian-born education teacher at the University of Central Florida (UCF). Edwidge took it on herself to contact her colleagues at the UCF to tell them about the project.

With the involvement of the UCF staff, Haiti 2020 Scholarship Fund moved from a national project to an international sensation and from providing “just” scholarships to students to providing tuition assistances backed up by an online learning environment.

Haiti 2020 Scholarship Fund comes to play because we, Haitians living in the Diaspora, strongly believe that Haitians needed more than surplus T-shirts, canned food and tents. They want something that will give them a reason to believe there was a better day ahead. They need jobs; they need things to help themselves. They need things that can give them hope for the future,” reported Crevecoeur-Bryant to Orlando Sentinel.

Thus, the reason “volunteers from Central Florida University’s efforts have shifted from disaster relief to sustainable recovery,’ wrote the same journal.

The result was the “Computer Project,” conceived by Crevecoeur-Bryant and another faculty member, Bobb Q Rousseau, then carried out through the university’s task force for Haitian assistance.

Now more than 100 surplus computers and laptops donated by departments at UCF are in Haiti where they will be the key to two community learning centers in Léogâne and Petit-Goâve with solid plans to expand throughout the country by 2020. Volunteer instructors from UCF will conduct on-line classes for students trying to learn English and adults wanting to become literate in Haitian Creole.

Other college level courses such as French and Haitian literatures, Introductory to Law, Internet Technology, Communications & Journalism, Social Work Services and many other many liberal studies will also be offered this year to 25 students who have passed a tough exam that was administered on January 14, 2011 by Fondation Feuilles d’Hier.

The desire for education and the technology that can provide it, satisfies a different kind of hunger in Haiti. The adults who crave to become literate in their language, the children who want so badly to learn English and computer skills, now define survival not as something that keeps you alive, but something that gives you a reason to live.

“I think providing technology to Haiti is a huge step,” Edwidge said. “The computers give you a sense of the future and the future gives you a sense of hope.”

As Haiti 2020 Scholarship Fund is gearing to start the project in the next thirty days, we invite other Haitians and friends of Haiti to join the program by providing advice, suggestions or by investing into a child education.

For more information about the project, please visit our charity’s website at www.haiti2020.org.

© 2011, Leogane Magazine. All rights reserved.