La Gonâve: A Unique Island, A Unique Culture.
Gonâve Island is the largest island in Haiti and the 14th largest island in the Caribbean. Located in the Gulf of Gonâve, it is 50km west-northwest of Port-au-Prince and is accessible only by boat or small aircraft.
About la Gonâve
The island is an arrondissement of the Ouest Department (similar to a US state), which also includes Port au Prince on the mainland. This unfortunate annexation results in the island being severely under-resourced in relief and development initiatives, as global and government entities rarely prioritize emergency resources to the Ouest Department, determining that it is adequately served.
The population of the island is approximately 100,000 residents; the number fluctuates wildly with refugees from disasters on the mainland, including the current violence in Port au Prince. In good times, La Gonâve struggles to feed itself but in its times as a refuge, life becomes even more difficult.
The island is divided into 2 magisterial districts, each headquartered in the port towns of Anse-à-Galets and Pointe-à-Raquette. The Parish of St Francois is headquartered in Anse-à-Galets, a commune of 62,000.
Geography and Climate
The first rainy season lasts from April to June and the latter from August to October. Made mostly of limestone, the reef-fringed island of Gonâve is 37 miles long and 15 miles wide. The island is hilly with the highest point reaching 2,552 ft. Limited water resources and steep mountainous areas make farming the land difficult but there are lush areas with fertile soil in the higher elevations. Deforestation to harvest small wood for charcoal has exposed the limestone and negatively impacted agricultural development at lower elevations, which are vulnerable due to the relative ease of transporting charcoal to port and unimpeded runoff from the mountains above. There are some paver roads in Anse-a-Galets but rural roads are rocky, treacherous and subject to erosion. Most residents travel by motorcycle, by donkey, or on foot. Difficult transportation negatively impacts the ability to bring produce to larger markets.
Anse-a-Galets runs a municipal diesel generator for electricity certain hours/day. Solar is very desirable. Non-profit groups have provided some wells where feasible but low rainfall assures that water at lower elevations is a constant struggle. Cell phone and internet via Digicel, Natcom, Access and Starlink are available but dependent upon electricity. Mobile banking services and e-commerce are growing throughout Haiti. There is a 50 bed Wesleyan hospital in the town that has served the island since 1948.
A Long history as a refuge
The indigenous Taínos called the island of La Gonâve, “Guanabo”. The earliest histories of the island begin with the death of the Taino chief and the ascension of his sister, Anacaona in the years following Christopher Columbus’ invasion of Hispaniola in 1492; the Spanish subsequently colonized Haiti, then subjugated and decimated the Tainos. A smoldering war resulted, the Tainos fled to Guanabo, which became the last refuge of indigenous people in Haiti. Chief Anacaona was eventually hanged and became a legendary heroine, still the subject of many books and art; Columbus on the other hand, is despised in Haiti.
No major French or Spanish settlements were ever built in La Gonâve. Once the Tainos were exterminated and the French took possession of Haiti for plantations, enslaved Africans were brought to the country and sometimes sought out the island as a place to hide from their enslavers on the mainland.
[en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anacaona; accessed 2023/09/24]
