Minister Stephanie Villedrouin: Putting Haiti Back on the Tourism Map

Constructive visit: Minister of Tourism Stephanie Villedrouin visited Senator Linda Dorcena Forry at the Massachusetts State House on June 3.Stephanie Villedrouin, Haiti’s dynamic Minister for Tourism and Creative Industries, made a stop in Boston this month to spread the good news about Haiti’s burgeoning travel and hospitality trade. Already buoyed by an 11 percent increase in tourist visits over the last year (2013-2014), Minister Villedrouin carried more good news to Haitian-American community leaders and media, many of whom turned out to a Brockton country club for an evening presentation on June 3. “We are on the right path and all stars are aligned for Haiti to be successful in the tourism field,” Mrs. Villedrouin told the Reporter in an interview. “We’ve got a lot more diaspora coming back to Haiti and new people intrigued about Haiti.” Villedrouin was joined in her visit by a team of Haitian hoteliers, including Charles Fombrun, owner of the popular Moulin Sur Mer Beach Resort in Montrouis and Christian Fombrun, Food and Beverages Director for Kinam Hotel on Pétion-Ville.

Get the latest edition of the Haitian Reporter— on the streets now!

June 2015 editionThe latest edition of the Boston Haitian Reporter is now in circulation across Greater Boston! The June edition is packed with new stories on travel and tourism, Senator Linda Dorcena Forry's recent visit to Haiti and the upcoming Gold Cup match between USA and Haiti. Other features include: • An interview with Haiti's dynamic Minister for Tourism and Creative Arts Stephanie Villedrouin, who visited Boston this month; • An interview with Digicel founder Denis O'Brien, who discusses his vision for the new Marriott Port-au-Prince, which he owns; • A report on how the new Marriott Port-au-Prince is recruiting and training Haitians and Haitian-Americans to run the hotel; • Inside the beautiful, new-and-improved Kinam Hotel in Pétion-Ville, which is at the top of its class in Haiti's increasingly competitive tourism market; • A visit to the spectacular Moulin Sur Mer beach resort, where you can soak up the sun and Haitian history at the same time. Plus: The latest reports on the situation facing people of Haitian descent in the Dominican Republic. This— and much more— in the Boston Haitian Reporter.

From Ireland to Haiti, Frederick Douglass preached freedom

A nine-foot-tall statue of abolitionist Frederick Douglass, the first such tribute to Douglass in Europe, was on exhibit in Boston last week and on display at the Museum of African American History on Beacon Hill at an event aimed at building awareness for the monument and its ties to Boston, Ireland and Haiti.

International experts join Cholera victims’ fight for justice

Haiti’s cholera victims have taken another important step toward justice with respect to the deadly epidemic caused by the United Nations (UN). On May 27, the victims filed their legal brief in an appeal of an earlier court decision dismissing their claims against the UN. On June 3, eighty-six organizations and experts filed an additional six briefs supporting the victims’ appeal.

Haitians scramble to stay in DR as possible mass deportation looms

SANTO DOMINGO— Haitians and other non-citizens stood in long lines across the Dominican Republic on Monday in last-minute bids to secure legal residency, hurrying to beat a looming paperwork deadline along with the threat of possible quick deportation. Lines snaked outside Interior Ministry offices as foreign residents, who are overwhelmingly from neighboring Haiti, sought to submit papers before a 7 p.m. Wednesday deadline. Many said they have had to spend all day and return multiple times after being told they lacked sufficient documentation to complete the applications.

Bill Clinton defends family foundation

DENVER (AP) — Former President Bill Clinton said Wednesday that if his wife is elected president he will stop giving paid speeches and, if she asks, step down from the foundation that bears his name and has fueled attacks against her during her nascent campaign. The Clintons have been criticized for raking in millions of dollars from paid speeches since they left government service, as well as for letting foreign countries and companies with interests before Hillary Clinton's State Department give money to their foundation.

Final list of presidential candidates unsealed

PORT-AU-PRINCE— Haiti's electoral council has released a final list of presidential candidates allowed to participate in the upcoming general elections. Officials released the list of 58 names on Friday after rejecting 13 candidates. Excluded from the list is former Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe. A judicial panel previously ruled that he failed to receive a government document certifying that he handled public funds appropriately while prime minister from 2012 until late 2014.

Haiti v. USA men's teams face off in Gold Cup play at Gillette on July 10

The United States National soccer team with host Haiti at Gillette Stadium on Friday, July 10 at 8:30 p.m. as part of the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football Gold Cup doubleheader. The game will be preceded by a match between Panama and the winner of the playoff series between French Guiana and Honduras at 6 p.m. Since the stadium opened in 2002, Gillette Stadium has hosted the biennial tournament five times for the 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, and now the 2015 editions of the Gold Cup.

Free performance by Jean Appolon dancers on tap this weekend

Combining modern dance technique, Haitian folkloric dance, and live percussion, Jean Appolon Expressions’ full length production of Angaje will be held at Seven Hills Park in Somerville this Saturday (June 13) as part of the Somerville Arts Council’s third annual Dancing in the Streets Festival. The performance, set the music of Haitian musical icon Toto Bissainthe and directed by founder Jean Appolon, is inspired by the struggle against homophobia and the power of Haitian folkloric culture in the fight for justice. The performance begins at 8:30 p.m. and is free.

In northern Haiti, conservation efforts focus on coastlines

CARACOL, Haiti— Only little fish are pulled from the coastal waters off Haiti. In this overfished area of northern Haiti, fishermen who want a catch big enough for a meal say they must travel three hours in a boat to the Dominican Republic, where they scour the reefs of a national park and risk arrest, beatings or even death.

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