Brilliant colors,
naïve perspective, and sly humor characterize Haitian art. Big, delectable foods and lush landscapes are favorite subjects in this land. Going to market is the most social activity of country life, and figures prominently into the subject matter. Jungle animals, rituals, dances, and gods evoke the African past. Artists paint in fable as well. People are disguised as animals and animals are transformed into people. Symbols take on great meaning. For example, a rooster often represents Aristide and the red and blue colors of the flag of Haiti, often represent his Lavalas party. Many artists cluster in 'school' of
painting, such as the
Cap-Haïtien school, which features depictions of daily life in the city, the Jacmel School, which reflects the steep mountains and bays of that coastal town, or the Saint-Soleil School, which is characterized by abstracted human forms, and is heavily influenced by Vodou symbolism.
Architecture Haiti's most famous monuments are the
Sans-Souci Palace and the
Citadelle Laferrière, inscribed as a
World Heritage Site in 1982. Situated in the Northern
Massif de la Hotte, in one of Haiti's National Parks, the structures date from the early 19th century. The buildings were among the first to be built after Haiti's independence from France.
Jacmel, the colonial city that was tentatively accepted as a World Heritage site, is reported to be extensively damaged by the
2010 Haiti earthquake.
Cuisine The French influences in Haiti are present in their cuisine, but more so it is representative of their location in the
Caribbean. They do however have their own flavor as a result of the lack of Spanish influence on their island compared to others in the Caribbean. The cooking style used in Haiti is predominately Creole and includes heavy use of pepper in the majority of their dishes. A main staple in Haiti Is starch, and many of their dishes include potatoes, rice, corn, beans, and plantains. There is also a strong presence of tropical fruits in their cuisine due to their ability to grow in the
tropical climate. This includes pineapples, coconuts, mangoes, and other fruits that are used for many dishes and beverages. Food also has importance in religious and status-symbol type forms. Foods that are considered delicacies in Haiti include French inspired cheeses and meats and are a symbol of money and power. Typically these types of meals are only served in the richest part of Haiti, namely in the capital of
Port-au-Prince. As far as religious meals go, the Catholics in Haiti typically enjoy more elaborate meals during Christmas Eve.
Fashion Haiti has the potential to become the fashion capital of the Caribbean due to its recent contributions and success in the industry. Haiti's culture is woven in its use of fabrics and forms of garments, which differs from many other countries, giving more focus towards color and volume with many ruffles which makes it unique; gradually making a name for itself in the fashion industry for its creativity, diversity and sustainability incorporating
environmental-friendly processes in its materials, which has led to a rise in aspiring Haitian fashion designers throughout the country. In Haiti, there is a variety of fashion ranging from the more traditional attire to the day-to-day clothing. The traditional female attire consist of
Quadrille (or Karabela) dress. The dresses are made of a sturdy material that mainly comes in blue and red, which is usually made from an off-the-shoulder top or bodice with a full matching skirt that is embellished with additional ruffles, lace, or rickrack to add color and visual appeal. A head-scarf or turban can also be worn especially in the more rural areas of Haiti for both traditional and day-to-day use. The traditional male attire consists of a wedding shirt (
guayabera) made of lightweight fabrics and are worn untucked with a jacket of any color on top. Haiti's textile industry and its moniker ‘Made In Haiti’ has been long-established in being a key export for the country which has focused on low-end commodity apparel through the use of its low-wage sweatshops that have sewed for some of the biggest American apparel brands such as
American Eagle Outfitters,
Calvin Klein,
DKNY,
Hanes,
Levi Strauss & Co.,
Nordstrom and
Ralph Lauren. The typical day-to-day clothes that most Haitians wear are second-hand clothes that are known as
pepe. Largely stemming from the 1960s, the practice of sending and receiving pepe began. Today, you can find pepe being sold by street vendors at a price that is affordable for most Haitians. The majority of pepe that arrive on the island have been donated by Americans to charities and collection centers."
Media of Haiti Literature The first document of
Haitian literature is the collective text (Haitian Declaration of Independence). Since then, Haitian literary culture has been ever-growing and vibrant, recognized both at home and abroad with award-winning authors and large-scale literary events locally and internationally.
Music Haitian music combines a wide range of influences drawn from the many people who have settled on this Caribbean island. It reflects French, African rhythms, Spanish elements and others who have inhabited the island of
Hispaniola and minor Indigenous influences. Styles of music unique to the nation of
Haiti include music derived from
Vodou ceremonial traditions,
rara parading music,
twoubadou ballads,
mini-jazz rock bands,
rasin movement,
hip hop kreyòl, the wildly popular
compas, and
méringue as its basic rhythm. Very popular today is
compas, short for
compas direct, made popular by
Nemours Jean-Baptiste, on a recording released in 1955. The name derives from , the Spanish word meaning rhythm or tones. It involves mostly medium-to-fast tempo beats with an emphasis on
electric guitars,
synthesizers, and either a solo alto
saxophone, a
horn section or the synthesizer equivalent. In
Creole, it is spelled as
konpa dirèk or simply
konpa. It is commonly spelled as it is pronounced as
kompa.
Dance Dancing is an important part of Haitian social life. Used for celebrations such as church socials and informal parties, rituals, as well as evenings out with friends. In small restaurants, social dance music is provided by relatively small
twoubadou groups, while larger clubs with big dance floors often feature dance bands reminiscent of the
Tropicana Club of Havana, Cuba. Social dance music has been one of the most heavily creolized music forms in Haiti. Creolized dance forms mixed from African traditions, Indigenous, European and developed distinct local origins: • European dance forms such as the contradanse (kontradans),
quadrille,
waltz, and
polka were introduced to white planter audiences during the colonial period. • In the case of
Vodou, the spiritual belief is usually accompanied by dancing, singing, and drumming rooted from the dance styles of
African dance. •
Carnival and
rara celebrations feature exuberant dancing and movement in the streets that originate from Catholic celebrations. • One of the most popular African-influenced dance styles was the
méringue (mereng in Creole). Along with the carabinier, the méringue was a favorite dance style of the Haitian elite and was a regular feature at elite dances. The Haitian expression,
Mereng ouvri bal, mereng fème bal; (The mereng opens the ball, the mereng closes the ball) alludes to the popularity and ubiquity of the méringue. == Festivals ==