Port-au-Prince, Nov 1 (EFE) – The Day of the Dead celebrations on Friday did not escape the violence that plagues Haiti, as was evident in the Grand Cemetery of Port-au-Prince, where few people went to the traditional voodoo celebration due to the gangs that control the cemetery.
In front of a large cross, which symbolizes the residence of the spirit known as Baron Samedi, guardian of the dead, a few people, mostly women, can be seen.
Some are praying, others are placing lighted candles in front of the Baron while singing, and others are throwing alcohol and pieces of bread and addressing the deceased with ostentatious gestures.
“The party is still going on, but without the usual atmosphere. That’s because of the uncertainty. Everyone is afraid. Even though I sent a message asking pilgrims to come, they are afraid,” Raymond Valcin, director of the Port-au-Prince cemetery, told EFE.
He explains that this morning, a National Police tank was firing not far from the Haitian State University Hospital. Some people on motorbikes turned around and did not come to the ceremony.
In the past, the cemetery was overflowing with thousands of people from all over the country; today, the celebrants are from the capital, fleeing to other provinces for the holiday.
A fading tradition
Every year, the number of people celebrating the Dead decreases due to growing insecurity, which threatens to eliminate the traditional festival from the capital’s cemeteries.
On the Day of the Dead, which falls on 1 and 2 November, everyone goes to the cemetery for a specific reason: some women to ask for children or a spouse, some men for protection, and others to thank the spirits for fulfilling their wishes.
Nowadays, cemeteries are not only visited by voodoo believers but also by the curious, the poor asking for money, and merchants who take advantage of the occasion to sell alcohol and candles.
For the ‘guédé’ festival of the dead, where people dance and feed the spirits, celebrants are dressed in white or black blouses or T-shirts and wear purple headscarves.
“The Guédé festival is a contract that people have with loas (spirits) such as Baron, Baron Criminel, Baron Ti Pis, Grann Brijite, Mèt Gran Bwa, Mapyang, tombe universelle… When the guédé tells you something, it is the truth. After God, it’s the dead,” explains Valcin.
Gangs in the Grand Cemetery
The Grand Cemetery, where figures such as Jean Jacques Dessalines (the leader who proclaimed independence in 1804) are buried has been historically imbuied with culture and mysticism.
However, it is now under gang control of the armed coalition ‘Vivre Ensemble’ (Living Together), led by the all-powerful ex-cop Jimmy Cherizier, alias Barbecue.
The gangs have been in control of the area since February. Armed men greet visitors at the entrance and set up loudspeakers to create a festive atmosphere.
The man in charge of the cemetery says he cannot speak ill of the gangs: “They don’t attack us, they live with us.”
The cemetery, whose entrance barriers have been destroyed, is used as a trench to confront the forces of law and order and as a place for bandits to hide from the National Police.
“Now even the dead are fleeing from the main cemetery and, apart from gang members and some locals, few are buried there. Everyone is afraid,” says the director.
Despite the presence of troops from the Kenyan-led Multinational Security Support Mission in Haiti since June, at least 1,223 people were killed and 522 wounded between July and September alone, according to the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (Binuh).
These figures are in addition to the 3,900 victims dead and injured in the first half of the year after 2023 closed with around 8,000 victims. EFE
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