Baraderes

Baradères, located in the Nippes department of Haiti, is partly isolated and elongated with beautiful river coastlines that make a boat ride an unforgettable experience. This town is easily accessible by boats instead of car transportation due to its stiffed rocky unpaved roads.

Baradères Commune of the Nippes department does not have an old name. It has six communal sections and one district. The city of Baradères, the district and the sixth communal section of Grand Boucan are coastal. The other communal sections are considered as inland areas. The dominant terrain of the commune is the hilly and its climate is mostly normal. Its inhabitants bear the name of Baraderois. The total population of the commune of Baradères in 1998 was estimated at 42,584 inhabitants with a density of 182 inhabitants/km2. In 2003, the population has dropped to 31,689.

Similarly to Pestel, which is another town of the Nippes department of Haiti, is somewhat identical to a certain extent. They are both coastal towns. They have a great deal of lush vegetation and coffee crops that make them a lucrative market for coffee growers and sellers. The three kilometers upstream narrow river for its main street gives rise to this beautiful old town of Baradères .

Economy: Farming and trade are the predominant economic activities of the inhabitants of the commune. It has commercial relations with other communes such as: La Gonâve, Cavaillon, Les Cayes, Miragoâne, and Port-au-Prince. For economic establishments, it has only two pharmacies. At the level of the economic and financial infrastructure, the municipality is very poorly equipped and only has a marketing cooperative.

Education The Ministry of the National Youth and Sports Education is represented by an office of School Inspection. Two kindergarten including one private and one congregational, 76 primary schools including 5 public, 70 private and one Congregational and one secondary school were inventoried in the commune.

Health The Ministry of Public Health and Population is not represented in the commune. Listed health facilities are: one public hospital and one private dental clinic. One doctor, two dentists, two trainee nurses, one assistant trainee, ten certified matrons and a lab technician are the staff of these institutions.

Utilities With respect to water availability, the municipality has three rivers, fourteen Springs, twenty-three wells, ten public fountains and two pumps. The city center and the communal section of the plain are electrified. The frequency of electrical power is 21 hours per week.

Security From the point of view of administrative and judicial infrastructures, there were two Peace courts, two civil status offices and one Sub-Commission (local police station). However, investigators did not notice the presence of any policeman. There is also a prison that was not working at the time of the inventory.

New Town Hall: Parasismic (earthquake-proof) and anticyclonic (hurricane-proof), the premises, which includes eight offices, a conference room and two waiting rooms, will house all the administrative entities of the Baradères Town Hall. An office will also be allocated to an inspector from the Directorate General of Taxes (DGI), responsible for collecting taxes at the commune level.

“Because of its remoteness from the other communes of the department of Nippes and in the absence of an entity in charge of collecting the taxes of taxpayers, Baradères was struggling to carry out its projects,” said Mayor Saintéus Thomas. Add this one to the number of urgent actions the rehabilitation of roadways serving the locality, which were gradually degraded by the rains and became difficult practicable essentially for the trucks of transport of goods, and the consequence: traders are less and less noticed. “We are therefore relegated to the category of third-class town halls, because financially dependent on the Ministry of the Interior and Local Authorities (MICT)”, regrets Saintéus Thomas.

Opportunity for Mr. Thomas to salute the excellent cooperation between the Ministry of the Interior and Local Authorities and MINUSTAH, which, he said, has allowed the town of Baradères to benefit from this space, which “May accommodate other public institutions when the City Hall will have its final location.”

Coffee Industry: This appealing little town is also famous for its rare coffee crops due to its hilltop mountains and its impeccable soil quality. The coffee industry market is the primary lucrative source of income for the whole area. Coffee is so religiously consumed, for that reason there’s a saying – “No trip to Baradères without having a cup of great coffee”.

Baradères River: Baradères’ waterway is still the safest and the most effective transportation form to trade and to survive as a whole. The local economy is deeply embedded on its river and the water taxis are the main pillars.

The Baradères River crosses the main town up to multiple small town areas is similar to the Venice River that crosses its city. The obvious difference is that the Gondola service that is a must romantic famous boat ride for any visitor is not regarded as much. The romantic boat ride aspect of the Baradères river is not as intriguing to the locals due to a lack of appreciation, education, and culture.

Water Taxi: Noticely, international foreigners enjoy greatly the water taxi rides more than the car rides to the seemingly long canals. The water taxi ride prices to this hidden gem vary from towns to towns such as Petite-Rivière-de-Nippes, Petit-Trou-de-Nippes, Anse-a-Veau, and to unknown remote areas. The coast guard as well is nonexistent in case there is a major accident. I must say the typical boat owners and the water taxi riders are on their own for any maritime related issues.

Culture: This hidden wonder, river-like canal encompassed with beautiful sceneries has captivated all the visitors and the locals. Travelling consistently through this river puts the locals in communion with this mystical water god like spirit. For some of them, as if God is living through these waters. Whenever it’s time to travel the most sacred adepts would pray for permission and protection to reach their final destination.

Religion There are 26 Catholic churches (including chapels) in the commune, twelve Baptist churches, five Adventist Churches, fourteen Pentecostal churches, six Churches of God, a Wesleyan Church, one hall of the Kingdom of Jehovah’s Witnesses and another church that has the name body of Christ.

Communication There is no postal office, no radio station, no newspaper/magazine or television station in the commune. On the other hand, it has a telephone call centre unfortunately broken down at the time of the inventory.

Leisure As for leisure, the commune is very poorly endowed. there is no library, no museum, no cinema, no movie theater, no night club. 27 open spaces considered as football (soccer) fields, sixteen gaguères and one public square were inventoried in the commune. In terms of cultural heritage, the commune has only one natural site: The cave of Mapou located at the 5th Communal section of (Rivière Salée) Salt River.

Festivities: Barely, Baradères is reachable by a few people but the tradition marching bands “Rara” is vastly spread throughout, mainly in the Grand Sud and in the rest of the country. The Rara tradition is immensely respected and the rituals are blindly followed. During the lent season, especially on Sundays, the marching bands “Rara” have walked hundreds of kilometers to display their dancing skills, masks uniforms, and their unique rhythms to the entire Grand Sud. It’s like seeing ancient troubadour-like figures returning into the modern time.

This region could be intensely crowded around this time with all sorts of fans. What I found interesting is the importance of the costumes and the masks traditions. Some bands are vying for best costumes competition. Street artists and Rara bands are all over the whole areas making it impossible for the local transportation. This unique attraction can also be seen in other powerful Carnival cities such as Léogâne, and Jacmel. Like Venice carnival, Masks and costumes are a must. It’s the same for the” Rara” band members in Baradères.

Marching Bands: These marching bands” Rara” are known for captivating people through their mysterious ways. People have always been fascinated by these “Rara” bands but their haunted stories have kept people from joining them religiously like the other regular folks.

Organizations In the commune, investigators inventoried only two political parties, two Popular organizations, peasants group and a womens group.