When The Spanish Were Leading Expeditions For Gold They Were The First European Settlers In Haiti. In 1698, The Spanish Allowed The French To Settle In The Southeast And Jacmel Was Founded. We Celebrated Our Three Hundredth Anniversary In 1998.
In 1804 when Haiti became independent, Jacmel wasn’t chasing the colonists out. Jacmel was a hospitable town filled with loving people. In 1886, when Miranda wanted to liberate the countries of South America, he came here and we gave him support. Two hundred Haitians with guns and ammunition went with Miranda. In 1816, when Simon Bolivar returned to give Venezuela independence he was here. When Venezuela gained its independence the flag they flew was sewn in Jacmel. Ever since the beginning, Jacmel has welcomed everyone – even in the United States, in New Orleans, a lot of artists came from Jacmel. That is why Jacmel was and is unique.
At the end of the nineteenth century, Jacmel established its first high school. We had potable water in 1874 and we were the first village in the Caribbean to have electricity at the end of the nineteenth century. We had it starting on December 24, 1895!
Unfortunately, from September 19-21, 1896 Jacmel had a fire related to the production of electricity. We were using charcoal at the time. It wasn’t until 1922 that Jacmel was electrified a second time, this time with the same water powered system we are using today. Jacmel is not too strong into politics. There has only been one president from Jacmel and he was only president for three months! That was Michele Ores in 1912-13. But many artists come from Jacmel. Every time we stick our nose into politics our candidate loses. We are strong in the arts: poets, painters, and musicians. The first twoubadou was Jacmellian and the biggest romantics are from Jacmel as well.
Jacmel has a national carnival because we are a welcoming town. A lot of the images and characters of carnival were inspired by foreigners who have visited. Each group in the nineteenth century brought their own culture and all were celebrated during the carnival. One example is the mathurin (see below), a scary creature with wings made of iron that the wearer claps as he parades down the street. These are a German inspiration.
Jacmel doesn’t abandon its heritage but instead is a mix of the old and the new. Carnival today is truly a marriage of tradition and modernity. Papier-mache gives artists a way to express themselves that you can’t see anywhere else. You can see that here – from animals to people – you name it! If you want to experience it, you can even call and artist to make a mask of your own face! What makes carnival the best in Jacmel is the fact that young and old can participate without fear of violence. All the nooks and crannies of society can come out.
There are two carnivals in Jacmel: national carnival where everyone comes to see what Jacmel has to offer, but what it comes down to is the serious carnival that happens the Friday, Saturday and Sunday before Fat Tuesday. During national carnival there is a designated parade route, but during carnival weekend the street theater takes place throughout the town.
