This blog is the place to come for the stories behind the stories, and for a taste of what it's like to live and work in Jacmel as it recovers and rebuilds. For deeper reporting on the aftermath of the quake, check out this story of a radio station literally rebuilt out of the rubble, this story on the dilemma of how to transition from emergency to temporary to permanent housing, this story on efforts to revive the city's renowned arts and crafts industry, and check back for future stories as Jessica empties her overflowing notebook.
This is a country where face time still matters. In my part of the world, we e-mail colleagues a desk away and sit in bars full of people texting others somewhere else. Here, you look a person in the eye, shake their hand, and things get done.
I'm in Jacmel, Haiti to lay the ground work for the second phase of Project Jacmel, trying to connect people living in this shattered city more directly with our readers in Canada and around the world. I've spent weeks on e-mail and the phone, trying to organize a system of digital links, with little success.
Today, my first full day on the ground, I pounded the pavement and met with the head of a locally run youth arts organization I hope will become our auxiliary photo department; met with the director of a film school I hope to use as our video production arm; and ran into a local cultural curator who can help impart on readers an appreciation of the local art scene that sets Jacmel apart.
I reached nothing but dead ends trying from Toronto to establish an internet connection more economical than our satellite modem and more reliable than the overstretched communal hookup at our base. Phone calls from here this morning led to voicemail I was told would not likely ever be checked. But an inquiry with the woman at the gas station who exchanges currency led me to a tiny market stall in the town centre. Two hours later a representative from AccessHaiti was in my room and I was field testing our new wireless internet service provider by watching this video from the film school.
And by meeting face-to-face today with these people and others, our readers should be able to meet face-to-face on-line with the people here who will form the core of Project Jacmel.