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Location in Haiti

Dessalines (Kreyòl: Desalin), commonly referred to as Marchand-Dessalines (Kreyòl: Machan Desalin), is a commune in the Artibonite department of Haiti. Founded after the Haitian Revolution as the seat of government of the newly independent country, the City of Dessalines was named after Jean-Jacques Dessalines, the first Head of State of Haiti and Founding Father. Dessalines is the principal city of the Dessalines Arrondissement, which has a population of 412,906. Dessalines has been described as an important historical city, owing to its status as the First Black Capital of the New World.

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Statue of Dessalines

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Marchand-Dessalines, Haiti

About[]

Dessalines is one of Haiti's tourist destinations, drawing a large number of visitors each year. Located 160 km (99 miles) north of Port au Prince, this rural municipality has 150,000 inhabitants. It is organized around a small urban core of 20,000 residents, with the other residents being distributed among 6 municipal sections.

According to the number of forts in the commune, this area was a strategic point for the fighters of the war of independence. Originally called Marchand, in 1804 the town was made capital of the newly independent state of Haiti. It was shortly renamed after Jean-Jacques Dessalines in honor of the first Haitian leader of the first Black Free Country, which was established in 1804. He lived there for two years, with his wife Marie-Claire Félicité Bonheur Dessalines. The main street of the commune's Downtown area, which until recently was called Marchand-Dessalines, bears the name of Jacques 1er.

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Machan Desalin vil istorik e mayifik
(Marchand-Dessalines historic and magnificent city)

The commune is situated on a plantation and was named after a settler named Marchand. Marchand owned his habitation on this site before the arrival of Dessalines. The land was zoned to form the communal district, which included the pre-existing settlements of Fosse Naboth and Villars. Named in honor of Emperor Jean Jacques Dessalines, the City of Dessalines was founded in 1804 to serve as the new national capital. Jean Jacques Dessalines was the first person to lead Haiti after gaining its independence. He was a key figure in giving freedom to the black race by opposing slavery and colonialism. The imperial constitution of May 20, 1805 was proclaimed from the city of Dessalines. When Jean-Jacques Dessalines was assassinated in 1806, Port-au-Prince became the capital of the mulatto-dominated south (Cap-Haïtien was the capital of the black-dominated north). Port-au-Prince was re-established as the capital of all of Haiti when the country was unified again in 1820.

History[]

In 1804, shortly after independence Jean Jacques Dessalines ordered the construction of Marchand-Dessalines, his new capital, on the site of the Laville habitation, behind the Artibonite Valley at the foot of the Cahos Mountains.

In order to protect the new capital, Dessalines ordered the construction of six forts: Fort Décidé, Fort Doko, Fort Innocent, Fort Madame, Fort Culbuté, and Fort Fin du Monde.

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Neighborhood in Marchand-Dessalines

Geography[]

Dessalines 822 Michael Vedrine

Dessalines is located in the Artibonite Plain region, just inland of Haiti's Arcadian Coast. According to the IHSI, the commune has a total area of 474 km² (183 square miles) of mostly flat land and hills, making it Haiti's tenth largest commune by land area, with a distribution that is 86% (408.95 km²) rural, 13% (63.12 km²) suburban, and <1% (2.22 km²) urban. The municipality is bordered by L'Estère and Gonaïves to the north, Saint-Michel and Maïssade to the east, Petite Rivière de l'Artibonite to the south, and Saint-Marc, Grande-Saline, and Desdunes to the west.

The east bank of the Artibonite River forms the commune's border with Saint-Marc and has two major tributaries: the Rivière Salée and Rivière de l'Estère. Lagon Zérine, a natural lagoon, is an intermittent lake near this border. This region also has many canals, some of which allow passage through the to the Artibonite River. The Canal l'Artibonite Nord starts in Villard and was used to bypass the Duclos Canal, located at the western edge of Dessalines, ultimately draining to the Gulf of Gonâve seaboard fall line.

The highest natural elevation in the commune is 1000 m (3,280 ft) above sea level in the city's (5th) Petit-Cahos section. The average elevation is 30 m (98 ft) above sea-level.


DessalinesMap

Map of the Commune of Dessalines

Neighborhoods[]

DES Dessalines 181,903
VDS Ville de Dessalines (ou Marchand) Urban 31,915
VL 1ère Section Villars Rural 29,972 Acul-Dipson, Beaufort, Bérard, Cadeau, Carrefour-Cadeau, Charron, Daubeze, Fougère, Gressel, Jean-Denis, La Couture, Loursin, Moreau, Péyen, Pisto, Sannois, Védery, Villard.
DUV 2ème Section Duvallon Ou Fossé-Naboth Rural 31,587 Bac d'Aquin, Bois Gérard, Bois Jour, Décosse, Déseaux,

Duvallon, Fabias, Fermùe-de-Bois-Dehors, Gilbert, Gravé, Hatte-Chevaux, Hauttes-Feuilles, Painson, Renard, Savane-La Hatte, Trois-Bornes, Vincendiaire.

OGE 3ème Section Ogé Rural section 36,026 Bobin, Bois Jour, Bois Pin, Brunet, Cajoux, Carrefour-Fourneau, Carrefour-Masson, Carrefour-Ogé, Carrefour-Sévère, Carrefour-Ti Bois, Cauze-Piti, Coquière, Coupe-à-l'Inde, Coutant, Damnous, Fabias, Falaise-Rouge, Fin-du-Moinde, Fond-Alezan, Fourneau, Gaspard, Hatte-Grammont, Jour, La Place, Mahotière, Malon, Martin, Masson, Naguesse, Niel, Notier, Odijé, Passe-à-Roche, Passe-Décoste, Pélissier, Platon, Quatre-Villes, Simonette, Ti l'Etang, Tonette, Vannos, Vielle Hatte.
POP 4ème Section Poste Pierrot Rural 21,378 Bambou-Rigaud, Bois-Marie, Borin, Candy, Carien, Criotte, Dano, Galilée, Garien, Gaspard, Grande-Hatte, Grande-Savane, Haut-Bouc, Haut-Garien, Jeanton, June-Paillet, La Cour-Chocho, L'Acul, La Gainelle, Lan Mahot, La Source, Ligneul, Marché, Oranger, Platon-Gine-Paille, Poste-Pierrot, Saint-Pré, Savane-Brulée, Serber.
FIF 5eme Section Fiéfé (ou Petit-Cahos) Rural 11,483 Bastien, Belair, Bois Carré, Bois Comte, Bois-de-Lance, Bois Michel, Bois Neuf, Boulaille, Cassénave, Chaino, Cléto, Débauché, En-Bas-Lagon, Grand-Detour, Gros Coui, Hilaire, La Hatte, La Saut, Lory, Maquis, Marlbaro, Mathurin, Medecnien, Michaud, Réposoir, Ti Canos.
LCX 6eme Section Lacroisé (ou Grand-Cahos) Rural 19,543 Avocat, Bastien, Berard, Bonbongnin, Boulaille, Ca Bayard, Canvé, Carrefour Joseph, Cirouelle, Coundou, Coutan, Coutant, Dahomey, Dène, Dos l'Amour, Fantaisie, Ferry, Gouignan, Grand-Fond, Guabite, Haut-Garien, Henry, Hopital, Jean-Jacques, La Croix, Laferrière, Landry, Lan Mat, Medecignin, Miraculé, Mouette, Nan Colas, Nan Glacis, Roc-Blanc, Savane-Plate, Tedhomme, Tête-Platon, Valton, Vaudreuil.
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Marchand-Dessalines, Haiti

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Aerial view of Marchand (Dessalines)

Demographics

Year Population +/-
1950 62,740
1971 89,649 +43%
1982 106,958 19%
1998 157,820 48%
2004 178,000 +13%
2009 127,529 -28%
2015 181,903 +43%

The Downtown area is populated by 31,915 inhabitants on 2.2 km² (0.85 mi²) of land, resulting in a density of 19,032 per km²(37,547 per square mi.). This population is very young: more than 60% of the population is under the age of 18, especially in rural sections (census by estimate of 2015). For every 97 men, there are 100 women.

Economy[]

Marchand

Dessalines, Haiti

Dessalines has a growing, diversified economy with an increasing percentage of agribusiness and ecotourism service jobs. Regarding Economic and Financial Institutions, ten restaurants, a credit union and a marketing cooperative were counted in this municipality.

The Artibonite is Haiti’s rice basket, capable of producing enough grain for the whole country. The rice grows in standing water, which requires irrigation and drainage. The canals also support other goods produced in the town such as tomato, onion, pepper, lalo (okra), beans, coffee, sugar, cotton, banana, mango, and wood used to make cabinets.

Eglise Saint-Claire 910

Eglise Saint-Claire; Marchand-Dessalines, Haiti

Infrastructure[]

Transportation

Route 1 Dessalines

Route Nationale 1 at Kafou Machan Desalin

Departmental Route 112 travels on a north-south path through town, crossing the Rivière Coupe a l'Inde and Rivière de l'Estère at the point where it begins to straighten as it approaches Petit-Rivière. Dessalines is also crossed by Route Nationale 1, which enters the town on a bridge at Pont-Sondé, a bridge crossing over 100 years old.

Route 103 links the commune with Saint-Michel, connecting at Route Dessalines-Saint Michel and Route Petit Rivière-Dessalines. The town's retail center is located at this intersection, and includes several stores, markets, and restaurants, and is the main retail center for neighboring Petite-Rivière and l'Estère as well.

Tap-taps provide bus service between Gonaïves and Saint-Marc, as well as taxis and motorcycles on routes between the town and Route Nationale 1. The town has no rail or air service. Anse-Rouge is the location of the nearest airport to Dessalines, the regional Anse-Rouge Airport. The nearest international air service is at Cap-Haïtien International Airport.

Education

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Centre Educatif L’Excellence de Marchand Dessalines (Marchand Dessalines Excellence Educational Center)

The Ministry of National Education of Youth and Sports is represented by a school inspection office. The manager is an inspector responsible for coordinating the ministry's activities in the area. The commune has two schools at the kindergarten level, 16 at primary level with numerous private and three congregational. For the secondary level, there were one public school, seven private schools and a congregational school.

Health

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Claire Heureuse Hospital

The Ministry of Public Health and Population is not represented in the commune of Dessalines. Meanwhile, the community has one hospital, the Claire Heureuse Hospital. It offers pediatric, obstetric, surgical and general medical services. It can accommodate 50 in-patients. The are two clinics. In addition, six doctors and dentists, 47 nurses and auxiliaries, 36 matrons and two laboratory technicians provide the sanitary service at the communal level.

Utilities

As for water availability, seven rivers, 35 springs and a lagoon have been inventoried. For the other water points, 30 single wells, 25 artesian wells, two taps and 18 pumps were recorded. Water taps is the most used, it is used for domestic use and especially for drinking. The town center has an unrenovated network of around 1000 connections, and 11 standpipes supplied by 2 sources, which circumvent delivering a level of service acceptable to users. In rural areas, infrastructure is virtually non-existent, requiring long hours of walking to obtain water from resources with high health risks.

To remedy this situation, the Haitian government has undertaken, with the support of international institutions, a reform of the water and sanitation sector. The Savoie Department and the commune of Dessalines in Haiti have been involved in a decentralized cooperation partnership that has been operational for 13 years. A wide variety of themes were supported under the environment component, including access to drinking water and sanitation.

The city center of Dessalines and some localities of the communal sections are electrified. Electricity of Haiti (EDH) is the institution responsible for the distribution of electricity in this municipality. It provides an average of 42 hours per week.

Security

With regard to the Administrative and Judicial Infrastructures, the commune of Dessalines has a peace court, located in the city center at Rue Morolie.

Administration
As of December 2021

Dessalines 122121

Marclin Pierre
Mayor

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Dunord Sileus
Deputy Mayor

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Martine Cherilus
Deputy Mayor

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Youths enjoy aerial view of Dessalines, Haiti

Culture[]

Religion

More than 143 temples of all beliefs were counted in the commune of Dessalines. These confessions are: Catholic, Baptist, Adventist, Pentecostal and Jehovah's Witness.

Communication

In terms of communication, the commune of Dessalines has neither newspapers nor television station, but has six radio stations.

Organizations

As for the political parties and organizations, they are distributed throughout the municipality. Eight grassroots organizations, three peasants groups, a women's group, three non-commercial co-operatives and an NGO were counted in this commune.

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AS Soccer Field, Dessalines, Artibonite, Haiti

Thanks to the help of partners of international cooperation, especially the French department of Savoy, the small town located at the foot of the Cahos mountains, in the plain of Artibonite, teems with original initiatives to ensure its development . The commune of Dessalines has signed two partnership agreements with the Youth Platform - an umbrella organization grouping 87 youth associations - and is working to implement a local development plan drawn up after consultation with the entire population, a rarity in Haiti

Leisure

As for the places of entertainment and leisure, the gaguères are six in number. For other types of entertainment, a movie theater, six football (soccer) fields and a basketball court have been counted in the municipality. Concerning the cultural patrimony, six monuments and sites of historical and natural type, located in the different communal sections of the municipality, have been registered.

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Forts in the heights of Dessalines, Haiti

Tourism[]

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Historical marker, Dessalines, Haiti

The city of Marchand-Dessalines deserves much more historical tourism. It is ringed with a half-dozen forts and features a celebrated spring and some historically significant architecture. Though its roads were damaged by the 2010 earthquake, Dessalines is still considered a great tourist site.

The historic sites are made up of forts, located at the top of the mountains that guaranteed the safety of the ancient imperial city, and residences of famous people in the history of Haiti. Among the listed historic sites, the five noteworthy forts made by engineer Lafayette on the summit of the mountains overlooking the city and the valley of Artibonite. Located on the highest point of the doldrums, Fort Fin-du-Monde ("The End of the World") is the largest fort of the imperial city. Fort Innocent was placed under the orders of the first son of Dessalines, who was called Innocent. Its location allowed for the control of the whole valley of Artibonite. Fort Ti Madam was the hobby place of the Empress while Fort Doco, located at Morne Docomond, was designed to secure Fort "Ti Madanm". Finally, Fort Culbuté rose on the slope of the morne adjoining the Imperial Source. It was destroyed in 1946 during the construction of the Marchand - St Michel-de-l'Attalaye Road. Today, only La Poudrière remains, but the place is frequented for voodoo ceremonies.

References[]

Marchand Dessalines, a Haitian city to discover [1]
Marchand Dessalines, une capitale sous haute protection - Rick Boris Isidore [2] Malaki Afro-Spiritours - Afro tourism [3] Eldens Lessage - Google contributor [4]
Riguad BEL - local guide [5]
Demeus Gerby - Google contributor [6] Louis Robert Bassiany - Local guide [7]

Michael Vedrine

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