A TEMPORARY EXHIBIT ON HAITI, ITS STORIES AND DREAMS, OPENS IN THE FOREIGN MINISTRY’S MUSEUM

• Open to the public until March 2013

• It includes paintings, ironwork, wood sculptures, banners and flags and two voodoo altars.

• The exhibit in the Foreign Ministry’s museum is comprised of more than 160 works of Haitian art and cultural artifacts.

The Mexican Agency for International Development Cooperation (AMEXCID) and the Foreign Ministry’s museum inaugurated the exhibition “Haiti: Stories and Dreams”; the exhibit will be open to the public until March 2013. It is comprised of paintings, ironwork, wood sculptures, flags, banners and two voodoo altars. In total, more than 160 works of Haitian art and cultural artifacts are on display.

The exhibit was inaugurated by the President of El Colegio de Mexico, Dr. Javier Garciadiego; the Haitian ambassador in Mexico, Guy Lamothe; and AMEXCID Executive Director Rogelio Granguillhome Morfin.
 The exhibit shows a different picture of Haiti, its history and as it is today. Even before the January 12, 2011 earthquake, the Mexican government and various institutions were cooperating with Haiti, including joint public-private initiatives, work with civil society organizations and academia to rebuild the country.

The works in the exhibit, which are being shown to the public for the first time, show everyday life in Haiti as well as an imaginary perspective.

The exhibit gives us a different perspective on Haiti and emphasizes the creolization of the country, the mix of cultures that combines indigenous, African and European elements to yield a culture that is more than its parts.

The exhibit was put together with the support and collaboration of several Mexican collectors, El Colegio de Mexico (COLMEX), the National Museum of Popular Cultures of the National Council for Culture and the Arts (CONACULTA) and various individuals and institutions interested in raising awareness in Mexico about Haiti-s rich culture.

Some of the institutions involved are the Interuniversity Consortium of Institutions of Higher Education for Haiti (CIESHA) based National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), which includes the Center for Research and Higher Studies in Social Anthropology (CIESAS), El Colegio de Mexico (COLMEX), the Foreign Ministry, the Autonomous University of Mexico City (UACM), the Iberoamericana University (UIA) and the Autonomous Metropolitan University (UAM).

Admission to the Foreign Ministry’s museum is free. It is open from Wednesday to Monday from 10:00 to 17:00 hours. It is located in the former San Felipe Neri Oratory at 47 Republic of El Salvador St. in the historic center of Mexico City. The nearest Metro stations are Isabella la Catolica and San Juan de Letran, as well as the new Metrobus station (line 4) at Isabel la Catolica.