Lake Péligre

"There is nothing new in the world except the history you do not know." - Harry S. Truman

In my last posting, I promised to dedicate the next to a brief  (likely subjectively so rather than objectively) retelling of the history of Lake Péligre. Without further ado, let us begin. Lake Péligre is not truly a lake at all, but rather a man-made reservoir created by the damming of the Artibonite River (which flows not only across Haiti, but the island of Hispaniola.) The dam was constructed in 1956 without support from the United States Army Corps of Engineers. The premise was that the dam would provide reliable hydroelectricity to Haiti. Today, there is much controversy and debate about who has actually benefited from this electricity, but rather than engage in speculation (which is admittedly well-grounded, but not the purpose of this particular retelling,) I will speak about the repercussions felt locally.

If I have ever spoken with you personally about CEDC, you know that our work is centered in and around the village of Cangé.. What is less well-known however, is how Cangé came to be and the reason by its location. It is a story recounted at the beginning of each semester for students new to CEDC and also to serve as a reminder as to why CEDC exists. Beneath Lake Péligre, lies a valley submerged formerly home to farmers who worked the fertile land. At the completion of the dam, the farmers were obliged to relocate in order to escape the rising water. The farmers climbed to the highlands surrounding their former farmlands, however these mountains, arid and rocky, would prove unforgiving to their new residents in both accessibility and want of good soil for planting. Albeit, without alternative, people remained on the mountains and founded new villages. Cangé is one such village. Without land suitable for farming, Cangé became poised for sixty years of hardship and poverty. This story is important because it is often imperative to understand where a person, community or country has been to understand where it is in the present and where it is going.

I've had the distinct pleasure for the last two semesters of being part of Clemson Mappers, a division of the Youth Mappers organization. Clemson's chapter provides GIS support to CEDC, and to that end we've also been charged with telling the story of Cangé, as well as Haiti, in an informative and interactive medium. I've have tried to mindfully (and purposefully) maintain brevity while also properly conveying a basic understanding of the history of both Lake Péligre and Cangé. Below, should you find your curiosity piqued and your time unoccupied, I will provide the link to the story map we've generated over the last two semesters. The story of Lake Péligre is more specifically detailed there in addition to having full sections on other important point in both Cangé and Haiti's story. The most recent update to the story map's URL is: bit.ly/haiti17

P.S.: For fun, should you decide to view the story map, attempt to guess which sections I contributed (you might detect themes pertinent to language and length...)