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Haitian heritage: Investigation into theft of Château Laferrière cannon underway, frustrating organizations

Broadcast United News Desk
Haitian heritage: Investigation into theft of Château Laferrière cannon underway, frustrating organizations

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P-au-P, June 6, 2024 (AlterPresse) — Different organizations and associations condemn the recent destruction of the Citadelle Laferrière, also known as the Citadelle Henri Christophe, a palace built in the early 19th century in Milot (north) as seen by the online agency AlterPresse, in separate notes.

The disappearance of these two criteria constitutes additional evidence, again suggesting that historic sites and natural landscapes have not benefited from any monitoring and management measures, raising criticisms of some ecological organizations.1

They called for Haiti to re-enter the environmental governance process to protect protected areas, which include natural and historical heritage that is in danger of disappearing due to state neglect.

The National Institute for the Protection of Heritage announced: “In order to clarify the matter, punish the offenders and do everything possible to recover the stone sculptures, we are conducting investigations and taking public action against the offenders and accomplices.” (Isban), in a commentary.

According to Ispan, employees of Citadelle Laferrière are being questioned by judicial authorities in Cap-Haïtien “because it would have been impossible to leave the premises with the missing parts without internal collusion”.

Ispan added that the cannon archive will be sent to the International Police Organization (Interpol) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to combat international trafficking of these artworks, which are part of the collection.

After the hearing, 12 employees of La Citadelle Laferrière will be detained by the police on Wednesday, June 5, 2024 in Cap-Haïtien as part of the ongoing investigation into the disappearance of 2 longfin bass from the Citadelle Henri Christophe, according to several sources reported in the media.

The Haitian Tourism Association (Ath) said it was deeply dismayed by the theft of two lances from the Citadelle Henri, one of three iconic monuments in the National Historic Park of Haiti, a World Heritage Site.

“This unacceptable behavior highlights the problem of stewardship of our heritage and cultural sites,” Ass said, calling on the competent authorities, especially Ispan, to take immediate steps to strengthen security at Henry Castle.

The Athenian also took the opportunity to condemn the repeated acts of vandalism in the National Historical Park (Citadelle-Sans Souci-Ramiers), referring to the arson attack on the Church of Milot in 2020 and the theft of two artifacts that came four years after the permanent collection of the Henry Castle Museum.

“These events raise the question of whether they are part of the National Historic Park’s decommissioning plan or the result of a lack of leadership by those charged with preserving this heritage.

The Haitian Tourism Association urged the state authorities to “strengthen measures to protect cultural heritage and work closely to prevent the illegal trade in our cultural property”, stressing that “rebuilding the Haitian social fabric requires protecting the heritage that we must bequeath to future generations.” (emb rc 2024-04-06 11:40)

Photo: X account of the National Institute for the Conservation of Heritage (ISBN)


1The organizations that signed the note include the Haitian Ecological Intervention Group (Ecovert-Haïti), the Federation of Visiting Community Development Associations (Fadecov), the Federation of Youth Warriors for Sustainable Social Change in Haiti (Jecorecs-dh), the Haitian Movement in Support of Local Authorities for Development (Madecth) and the Group of Haitian Youth Visionaries for Progress (Reviprojh).

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