Aims and objectives
This project surveys and digitises a sample of the most significant repository of post-independence Haiti (from 1804 onwards) housed at the National Archives of Haiti (ANH). This collection contains 2,500 account registers, letter books and 3,000 document bundles comprising correspondence, reports, legal texts, photos, maps and plans. Following damage caused by disasters including the 2010 Haiti earthquake, 2016 Hurricane Matthew and flooding, this collection has been identified as at-risk and top priority for digitisation. This project continues the project of rasanblaj, Haitian-style methods of reconstruction after disaster to salvage and piece back together endangered patrimony.
Outcomes
This project set out to survey and digitise a sample of the most significant repository of post-independence Haiti (from 1804 onwards) housed at the National Archives of Haiti (ANH). This collection estimated to contain 2,500 account registers, letter books, and 3,000 document bundles comprising correspondence, reports, legal texts, photos, maps and plans. This collection had been identified as at-risk and top-priority for digitisation of this endangered Haitian patrimony. The aim of the pilot project was to carry out both an in-depth survey of the material with some sample digitisation of 10% of the collection within the twelve months. We wanted to create together the digitisation priority list in order of importance to schedule when digital copies would be made. We estimated that we would digitise 550 items. The main goal of the survey was to work out exactly what was there and its cultural and historical significance and to create a digitisation priority list.
The project began after the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse on 7 July 2021 and the second earthquake of 14 August 2021. There were widespread security problems and one of the ANH sites was completely inaccessible to staff in Bel Air. The project team had great difficulties when travelling between their homes and workplaces. The Delmas site was vandalised and pillaged. Many technical staff were forced to flee their homes. Two employees of the ANH were kidnapped and were only released months later. During this period, the archives were closed for several months. There were also problems with widespread gas/diesel shortages, which made it impossible to travel around the capital Port-au-Prince. It also meant that the air conditioning units at the ANH did not work properly.
There were no useable outputs from this project.
