kanaval

Here are several pictures of NBA stars Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh with wives in Haiti for Carnival 2015

Haiti's Carnival received a boost in publicity with the arrival of NBA Miami Heat stars Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh in Port-au-Prince. Tourism Minister Stephanie Villedrouin welcomed them to the capital.

Wade and Bosh plan to attend Sunday's parade in Champs de Mars. Along with their wives the players hope to get three days of R and R before returning for the final 30 games of the season.

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Here is a picture of the United States Ambassador Pamela L. White as she is enjoying herself in Jacmel Kanaval in 2015

U.S. Ambassador to Haiti, Pamela White, has been a 35-year career diplomat. After earning degrees in journalism and international development she joined the Peace Corps from 1971-1973.

She worked for U.S. Agency for International Development in Africa from 1978-2001. In 2010 President Obama appointed her U.S. Ambassador to Gambia (she received the Medal of Honor, rarely awarded to foreigners), and in 2012 as Ambassador to Haiti.

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Here is the Haitian President Michel Martelly paying respect to the people who died during the Kanaval accident where many people in the float of Barikad Crew were electrocuted

16 Dead in Carnival Accident: State Funeral to be held for Deceased

Haiti's Carnival celebration was interrupted when an overhead high-tension cable fell as a parade float attempted to pass underneath it. A man aboard the float had been trying to move the cable out of the way with a stick, and was electrocuted when the sparking cable swung through the air, shocking him. Others on the float were shocked as well, yet some others managed to escape by leaping off the float.

The sparking, swinging cable created a panic among thousands of parade watchers, starting a stampede, killing some caught underfoot and injuring many more. The casualties totaled 16 dead at last count, with 78 more injured.

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Here is a picture of the singer Fantom from Barikad Crew as he was electrocuted during the Carnival season in 2015

Sixteen Carnival Deaths motivate Government to Implement Safety Measures

Haiti has a practice whereby someone aboard a parade float is called upon to use an object to move lethal, low-hanging wires away from the passing float. This seems like an ill-advised and potentially hazardous custom, and it is surprising the government has been negligent in this aspect of public safety. But it always takes a tragedy to motivate officials to take action to prevent further deadly incidents.

The government is now formulating a plan to update its state public utility, EDH, and running some power lines beneath the parade route for its next Carnival.

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Falling Power Line causes Deaths and Injuries at Carnival Parade

The tragedy has prompted the government to take steps to avoid another high-voltage power line incident. It will first form an inter-agency commission to investigate and produce a report. Minister of Communications Rotchild Junior said the government would conduct a safety inspection of all overhead high-tension cables to protect homes and people riding in traffic. The government also wants to draw up a plan to update the EDH, Haiti's state utility company. Junior added from here on out all large outdoor celebrations would be required to pass a public safety inspection.

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Haiti's Carnival celebration was cut short by an accident occurring during a parade, killing more than a dozen and injuring several dozen more. In the midst of thousands of spectators lining the streets of Port-au-Prince, the float upon which hip-hop group Barikad Crew (BC) was riding hit an overhead power line. BC lead vocalist Fantom was struck by the falling power line but not killed. Video cameras captured the incident showing sparks shooting off the wire, shocking other people caught in the path of the flailing cable.

Estimates of those killed ranged from 16 to 20. Those injured as a result of pandemonium were estimated to be 78. General Hospital physician Dr. Joel Desire believed the majority of deaths resulted from being stomped to death by panicked and fleeing people. Prime Minister Paul decreed three days of national mourning for the victims, and a candlelight vigil be held at the accident site.

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Time for joy - Haiti Kanaval 2015

President Martelly, First Lady Sophia, and Prime Minister Paul attended a candlelight vigil at the accident site, where they experienced a moment of silence for the victims. Condolences flooded in from the international community. The U.S. State Department spokesperson, Jen Psaki, and UN delegate, Sandra Honore, both expressed their deepest sympathies to the families.

Haitian hip-hop group Barikad Crew was aboard the float, one of whose members unwittingly touched the power line, causing it to fall, precipitating the accident and ensuing chaos. Barikad Crew's lead vocalist Fantom was hit by the power line and remains in critical condition at hospital.

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Haiti Party atmosphere - Haiti Kanaval 2015

Tragedy struck during the second day of Haiti's Carnival celebration. An action on the part of a celebrant led to the deaths of 18 people and 78 injured. It was reported a parade participant sitting atop a float utilized a stick to raise a high-voltage power line to allow the float to pass beneath it. The power line fell, electrocuting several people in the crowd. The accident began a stampede by panicked bystanders, causing the deaths of many as well as injuries to others.

The Haitian government declared three days of mourning for the victims after canceling the final day of Carnival. The dead will be given a state funeral, and flags hoisted to half-mast on public buildings in honor of those deceased and injured. The Port-au-Prince morgue was besieged by families trying to find out if their loved ones had been brought there.

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Street dancing - Haiti Kanaval Picture 2015

When slaves became emancipated in 1834, Caucasian plantation owners surrendered the Mardi Gras (Shrove Tuesday) Carnival to the ex-slaves, who turned it into a celebration of slavery's demise. They used Carnival as an opportunity to make fun of the ex-slave masters, and as a remembrance of slavery's oppression .

Today Caribbean Carnival merges fine arts, street theater, music and performance art, social commentary, extravaganza, and magical dimensions. In Europe it is celebrated mostly in southern portions of the continent: Spain, France, Italy, Portugal, Venice, and Bavaria, having strong Catholic traditions. South West England (Devon, Cornwall, and Dorset) also has carried the traditions of Carnival into the present day.

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Street dancing - Haiti Kanaval Picture 2015

The Caribbean Carnival's origins began in archaic Egypt, and were then adopted by the Greeks and Romans as a pagan spring festival at a later period. Eventually the Catholic Church in Europe celebrated Carnival as Carne Vale, literal translation: flesh farewell. The words indicate reveling in the flesh and all its pleasures before the beginning of Lenten season, Ash Wednesday, when pleasure is forsaken for purification in preparation for Easter Sunday and Christ's rising from the dead.

European slave traders brought Carnival to the Caribbean county of Trinidad as an opulent masked ball for the elite class. They imported slaves from West and Central Africa, who brought with them elements of Carnival: masquerade, music, and song traditions. But the slaves were not allowed to participate in the lavish event meant only for the upper classes.

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