2024 year in photos: From cultural celebrations to political shifts

JUNE

On June 3, Dr. Garry Conille was officially named prime minister of Haiti at Villa d’Accueil in Musseau, a few miles from the National Palace in Port-au-Prince. During a brief ceremony attended by representatives of political parties, civil society, and government officials, Conille, accompanied by his security staff, received the decree from the head of the Transitional Presidential Council (CPT) at the time, Edgard Gardy Leblanc Fils, who expressed optimism in the new prime minister’s ability to guide Haiti toward stability and progress.

In November, Conille was ousted and Port-au-Prince businessman Alix Didier Fils-Aimé was named as his replacement. The decision sparked debate over its legality and came just six months after Conille’s appointment.

In November during a special UN Security Council meeting, Russia and China, opposed U.S.-led efforts to transition the Kenya-led multinational force in Haiti into a United Nations peacekeeping mission, questioning the effectiveness and motives behind such a move.

JULY

Over the weekend of July 5 to 7, thousands flocked to the new $60 million Tabernacle of Glory campus in Miami to celebrate the church’s inauguration.

“This achievement is a source of pride for the entire Haitian community,” said Marguerite Guerrier, a participant in the inaugural ceremony on July 5. “It goes beyond religion and divisions and represents a new beginning for Haitians living in Florida.”

After a 22-day intensive clean-up, Cap-Haïtien’s largest indoor market reopened on July 22, just in time for the city’s anniversary on Aug. 15. The long-overdue renovation addressed longstanding issues of overcrowding and disorganization.

Previously, vendors and customers jostled for space, navigating tight, congested aisles. Now, with the market reorganized, the layout offers significantly more room. Workers have designated vendor spaces with blue squares on the floor, ensuring orderly seating and reducing overcrowding. The makeover promised a more comfortable and efficient shopping experience for all.

AUGUST

A jubilant celebration on Aug. 30 in Ouanaminthe marked the first anniversary of the construction of the River Massacre Canal. Residents came together for a music festival and culinary fair, highlighting a project that has significantly increased food production in the Maribaroux Plain. The event, headlined “Festi-Kanal,” was more than just a festival; it symbolized unity, resistance, and hope in a region long burdened by water shortages and agricultural challenges, organizers said.

For many in the Maribaroux Plain, Aug. 30 is a day of liberation, symbolizing the end of their long struggle for access to water. This date marks a turning point for the farmers who faced immense challenges just a year ago, including threats from the Dominican Republic government and its military force as they began constructing the canal. 

In August, dozens of people gathered to ask the Haitian police to accompany them in confronting gangs directly. Taking the form of a sit-in, dozens of Gonaïves residents voiced their discontent to the departmental director of the Haitian National Police (PNH), Jean-Louis Paul Ménard. They demanded that the police accompany them in their plan to fight the notorious Kokorat San Ras gang, which had been terrorizing the communities of L’Estère, Liancourt, Gros-Morne, and Terre-Neuve.

SEPTEMBER

In September, unfounded rumors began circulating online targeting Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio. The false claims about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, took center stage during September’s presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald J. Trump, with the Republican repeating debunked theories about Haitians that right-wing circles have been circulating.

Haitian floats were among those that closed out the day’s festivities as night fell on the Parkway. A rara foot band then led hundreds from Grand Army Plaza toward Parkside Avenue along Flatbush Avenue, their clarions, drums and footsteps thumping under the dark skies. 

OCTOBER

In October, The Haitian Times published the stories of five survivors of the 1937 Parsley Massacre as they recounted their harrowing experiences of the genocide that has haunted them, their families and the shared island for nearly nine decades.

As a 15–year–old in 1937, Sorélia Anténor remembers the week of the massacre well. Over five to seven days, she often told her children, Trujillo’s soldiers turned their guns, knives, machetes and sticks on anyone they thought was Haitian. 

Her family and friends in Dajabon began to flee. She and her parents, Victor and Regine Antoine, decided to avoid the Ouanaminthe bridge. Her cousins Marguerite and Prévilia decided to cross there.

“They killed them all before they crossed the bridge,” Anténor says. “I crossed the jungle on foot with papa and Manman.”

On their way east, they often passed the bodies of fellow Haitians.

Now 103, Anténor’s breaths hitch when she speaks and she groans in agony every few moments. A mother of six, grandmother of 23, and great–grandmother of 22, she is also considered one of the oldest survivors of the massacre.

In November, The Haitian Times celebrated its 25th anniversary. CBS host Vladimir Duthiers was the emcee for the evening, where he walked guests through The Haitian Times work and impact over the last two decades, while songstress Riva Precil serenaded the crowd. The Haitian Times also unveiled its inaugural Boukman Award and announced that Garry Pierre-Pierre will step down as publisher in January, with Vania André, the current editor-in-chief, promoted to publisher.

NOVEMBER

“Being of Haitian descent, being able to vote is a privilege,” said Sandy Zamor-Calixte as she sat outside of the Morning Star Baptist Church in Mattapan, Massachusetts, after she voted. As the daughter of Haitian immigrants, she took offense to Trump’s “lies and disrespectful comments.”

“We make sure that we exercise our right. It’s personal for the Haitian community.”

At least 28 alleged gang members were killed in Pétion-Ville on Nov. 19 as Haiti’s National Police (PNH) conducted a sweeping operation following an overnight assault on the wealthy neighborhood by the “Viv Ansanm” gang coalition.