Titanyen [tee-ta-yahn] is a settlement in Haiti, north of the capital, Port-Au-Prince and some eight Kilometers from Cabaret. It has been described as sparsely populated. Fields outside of the settlement were chosen as the site of mass graves dug for victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake. In the Haitian Creole language, the word Titanyen means less than nothing.
It is not a widely known fact: 60% of the world does not have a toilet with plumbing. Most Titanyen toilets appeared to consistent of a hole in the ground covered by the lid of a metal cooking pot. When you do have to use the toilet, you simply remove the lid. This action releases thousands of flies and insects, and also a pungent, dense floor of non-breatheable air. It’s notable that this was the experience at the home of one of the wealthiest homeowners in town: an ambulance driver. The 800 square foot home with small fenced yard offered the same lidded toilet as described, with (again) no flusher. However, at this home we did encounter various luxuries that we had not seen at any other place, to include: a working gas stove, electricity, a small television, a DVD player, musical instruments, and cushioned furniture.
Recent Comments