Four Haitian cities in the spotlight, Trinidad’s Express reports.

Boukman Eksperyans, one of Haiti’s best known music bands, had guests on their feet as Carifesta XII was launched in the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince last Tuesday.

The band’s rousing performance capped a week of location tours and planning meetings by culture officials and artistic directors from across the Caribbean. It was the final regional-level meeting before the opening of the Caribbean’s largest art and performance festival in just over a month’s time. Senior Haitian officials at the final night’s gala dinner and performance included the Minister of Culture, Joan Dithny Raton; ambassador to Caricom, Peterson Noel and Elsa Baussan Noel, chairperson of Carifesta XII.

Carifesta XII will run for ten days, from August 21 to 30. The Festival will be decentralised over four cities, Port-au-Prince, Jacmel, Gonaives and Cap Haitien. As the central location, Port-au-Prince will carry a full schedule…

Activists and human rights groups in Haiti respond as Dominicans of Haitian descent are threatened with deportation. Human rights and religious groups in Haiti have united to plan a “march for dignity” on Tuesday 21 July through the center of the capital, Port-au-Prince, in solidarity with Dominicans of Haitian descent, as well as those Haitian immigrants in the Dominican Republic, TeleSur reports.

The move comes as the government of the Dominican Republic rejected the demand of the Organization of American States to enter into dialogue with Haiti over the former’s decision to deport thousands of Haitian immigrants and Dominicans of Haitian descent.

Organizations including Support Group for the Repatriated and Refugees, the National Network of the Defense of Human Rights and the Center for Analysis and Investigation in Human Rights, plus at least eight others have rallied together to call on political parties, businesses and citizens to attend the demonstration.

In a statement released over…