20516: Smith: The Fate of Haiti's Museums? (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Katherine Smith <katherine@kacschgo.org>

I am surprised that relatively little has been said regarding the
ransacking of the Independence Museum.  (Granted I haven't been able to
read every posting lately.) The site of artwork being burned in the
streets is horrifyingly reminiscent of the Anti-Superstition campaign.
I have often heard Haitian art enthusiasts lament that most of Haiti's
national treasures live abroad.  It is difficult to make the argument
for repatriating Haitian art given the current situation and the
immediate outlook for the future.

Can anyone on the list offer an eye witness account of what was lost?
Does anyone know what art from Le Musee d'Art Haitien was in the
Independence Museum?  What is the current fate of Le Musee d'Art?

I hope we see a future for Haiti in which the best of the art that so
beautifully thrives there can safely remain there in a place where
everyone can access it.

Kathy Smith