Haiti – Insecurity : Under fire, police save thousands of artworks

Haiti – Insecurity : Under fire, police save thousands of artworks
18/07/2025 10:01:13

In the days following the burning of Port-au-Prince’s famous Hotel Oloffson by gangs from the “Viv Ansamn” coalition https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-45287-haiti-flash-the-oloffson-hotel-more-than-a-century-of-history-gone-up-in-smoke.html , rumors circulated that the next target would be the Art Center (Centre d’Art) one of the oldest institutions of its kind in the Caribbean and home to many of Haiti’s most important works of art.

Allenby Augustin, Director of the Museum and Art School, had long been concerned about the Center’s security. By March 2025, the “Viv Ansamn” coalition had moved into the neighborhood, occupying neighboring houses and stealing the Center’s solar panels, generator, and batteries. The bandits also vandalized the center, drilling holes in the walls to enter surrounding homes without using the street.

The gang members attempted to open the containers containing the precious artworks, but it appears the works inside are still intact.

Last weekend, a successful art salvage operation was carried out by no fewer than 60 people, including dozens of police officers and museum employees. Despite sporadic gunfire from the bandits, they managed to save thousands of artworks and documents representing Haiti’s cultural heritage during the two-day operation. The police used armored vehicles to clear the barricaded streets around the center and establish a security perimeter.

The artworks, including paintings by 20th-century masters such as Hector Hyppolite, Philomé Obin and his son Antoine, as well as sculptures by Georges Liautaud, were transported under armed escort out of gang-controlled territory to an undisclosed location. Art Center staff are currently conducting an inventory to determine if anything is missing. Augustin, who is pleased that most of the 6,000 works and 3,600 documents were found intact, emphasized the importance of the collection. “The entire collection of the Art Center and the Haitian Art Museum represents a unique and irreplaceable cultural heritage for the nation, of inestimable value. Its preservation is essential to transmit Haitian history and identity to future generations.”

Furthermore, the Art Center, whose public activities have been suspended since February 2025 due to growing insecurity, submitted a report to the Organization of American States (OAS) on the living and working conditions of Haitian artists and artisans in the artistic communities of Noailles, Grand-Rue, Carrefour-Feuilles, and Bel-Air. This report is part of the Art Center’s project “Ann kwape tout fòm vyolans avèk lakilti” initiated by the OAS Office in Haiti, in partnership with the Pan American Development Foundation and with the support of the Government of Canada.

Through questionnaires, interviews, and field visits, this survey aimed to understand the concrete impacts of the crisis on artistic creation and to identify artists’ priority needs in order to develop appropriate responses.

The results are alarming :

• 66.9% of artists have had to abandon their workspaces;

• 68.5% have lost materials or equipment;

• 82% do not have a safe space to create;

• 65.2% cite insecurity as the main obstacle to their activity.

Faced with this reality, artists are calling for urgent and long-term support : financial aid, market access, safe spaces, and professional guidance.

Beyond material needs, this report highlights the urgent need for long-term support: continuing education, career development, access to digital technology, and social protection.

SL/ HL/ HaitiLibre