In 1949, to commemorate the bicentennial anniversary of the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s then-President Dumarsais Estime proposed a bold theme. Haiti will host the festival of peace ahead of organizing the 1949-50 world Expo. Having had a presence at past Expos dating back to 1862. Haiti joined the BIE (Bureau International des Expositions) to transform the city into a visionary modern city and would be the first black nation to host a World Expo.
It was a major effort by the Estime Government to beautify the country while creating a welcoming space for visitors and encouraging tourism in Haiti. To effectively host an international exposition which included the participation of 15 countries and dignitaries Haiti spent $ 4 million on the Expo. It was a huge risk for the Estime administration but the goal was to open Haiti to the world. In the fall of 1948, the government created the Department of Tourism to launch a global campaign promoting Haiti.
The following, not in any particular order were the important steps that the government took to curate Expo 1949:
- A few dozen hotels were built to accommodate approximately 250,000
- Efforts were made to make American visitors feel welcome and strengthen the US-Haiti relationship and a pavilion was even named after then US president Harry S. Truman
- Visitors were exposed to selected aspects of Haitian culture, namely Haitian art, theater, and voodoo dances.
- The government invested in sanitation and changed the landscape of Port-au-Prince and other nearby cities
- Millions were spent on building the Expo site, an area along the waterfront of Gonave Bay.
Dubbed Haiti’s world fair by many media outlets, the fair was well executed. There were two opening ceremonies, the first one was on December 8, 1949, featured a telegram from then US president Harry S. Truman. Fairgoers enjoyed a military parade of US soldiers,
Marines, and an air show from US fighter planes. In addition to national exhibits and amusement areas. Haitian culture was on display as attendees experienced Haitian cuisine, agricultural life. The site had newly constructed buildings depicting beautiful art and these buildings such as Theater de Verdure later became a permanent part of the architecture of Port-au-Prince. Haitian comedian Theodore Beaubrun better known as Lanquichatte gave two great performances that may have helped his popularity.
The International Exposition of Port-Au-Prince in 1949
The second ceremony was on February 12, 1950. It featured international pavilion from many nations. As a gesture of friendship, many countries not only attended but had displays and shows during the second opening ceremony. US, France, Italy, Belgium, Spain, San Marino, Lebanon, Liberia, Syria, Palestine, Canada, Venezuela, Mexico, Argentina, Guatemala, Chile, Cuba, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico all attended. Noticeably absent was The Dominican Republic, DR was not invited by the Estime administration as tension was high between the neighboring countries.
Notable events during the fair:
- The remains for king Henri Christophe’s wife and daughter who both died tragically in Pisa, Italy were officially returned to the Haitian government.
- Pope Pius XII delivered a broadcast to the Haitian people from the Vatican.
- Theater de Verdure saw many performances from the US (Marian Anderson), Europe, the Caribbean, and Latin entertainers performed. The theater attracted around 3000 people.
Haitians who had the privilege to attend the fair described a festive and joyful time. The presence of the fair would remain for decades to come as many of the pavilions and buildings constructed at the time became government buildings and official part of Port-Au-Prince ‘s landscape.
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