Exposition Internationale de Port-au-Prince (1949)

Exposition Internationale de Port-au-Prince 1949 Bicentenaire de Port-au-Prince
Dumarsais Estimé
motto	" 200 years of Port-au-Prince , Festival of Peace "
General
Exhibition space	30 ha
Number of visitors	70,000
BIE recognition	Yes
participation
countries	19 countries
Place of issue
place	Port-au-Prince , Haiti
terrain	Cité de l'Exposition Coordinates: 18 ° 32 ′ 57.7 ″  N , 72 ° 20 ′ 54.2 ″  W.
calendar
opening	December 1, 1949
closure	June 8, 1950
Chronological order
predecessor	Rome 1942
successor	Brussels 1958

The Exposition Internationale de Port-au-Prince 1949 was a world exposition recognized by the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) . It took place from December 1, 1949 to June 8, 1950 in Port-au-Prince in Haiti .

history

The 1949 World's Fair also marked the 200th anniversary of the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince. It was at the request of the President DUMARSAIS ESTIMÉ organized with the objectives to present Port-au-Prince as a visionary and modern city that international relations to intensify the country, the tourism to promote and showcase the culture of Haiti.

In March 1948, work began on building the Cité de l'Exposition , the exhibition area with the exhibition buildings. The time frame for carrying out the construction work was tight at just over a year. The construction costs were originally estimated at $ 4 million; on a total Haiti state budget of $ 13.4 million.

The attractions in the palm-fringed bay of the exhibition grounds included a ferris wheel, an aquarium, a cinema, cockfighting and folk performances in the Théâtre de Verdure . Numerous internationally known artists have been invited to perform, including Miles Davis , Dizzy Gillespie , singers from La Scala in Milan , musicians from the Grand National Opera New York, Cuban salsa singer Celia Cruz , Puerto Rican singer Daniel Santos , Haitian composer Frantz Casseus and the Cuban Composer Bebo Valdés .

The USA , France , Italy , Belgium , Spain , San Marino , Lebanon , Syria , Palestine , Canada , Venezuela , Mexico , Argentina , Guatemala , Chile , Puerto Rico , Cuba , Jamaica and the Vatican , the one chapel , were represented at the world exhibition built up. The UN and the Organization of American States were also represented .

Political Consequences

The originally planned budget of $ 4 million for the exhibition was massively exceeded with total costs of $ 26 million, whereby $ 10 million in expenses could not be proven. This scandal led to severe criticism of the government in Haiti. In May 1950 there was a military coup against Estimé's government. Paul Eugène Magloire was then elected President in October 1950. During his reign, Haiti became a favorite destination for tourists from the US and Europe .

Reuse

The buildings became an integral part of the architecture of Port-au-Prince after the exhibition, in particular the presidential pavilion, the post office pavilion, the tourist office, the Fontaine Lumineuse and the Théâtre de Verdure as a stage for numerous folkloric and musical performances.

The former exhibition grounds and the palm-lined promenade are now neglected and largely run down as a result of natural disasters.

literature

• Exposition Internationale 1949– 1950 - bi-centenaire de Port-au-Prince 1749–1949: (official catalog for the exhibition published in 200 copies) . 1949 ( digitized ).

Individual evidence

1. ^ The International Exposition of Port-au-Prince 1949-50 , by Hadassah St. Hubert, accessed March 9, 2014
2. ^ Sauveur Pierre Etienne, Haïti, la république dominicaine et Cuba: état, économie et société (1492-2009) , (French) L'Harmattan, 2012
3. ↑ Port-au-Prince (English), in Encyclopædia Britannica Online, accessed March 9, 2014

Web links

• The International Exposition of Port-au-Prince 1949-50 , by Hadassah St. Hubert, accessed March 9, 2014
• Exposition Internationale de Port-au-Prince 1949. Bureau International des Expositions (English). Retrieved March 23, 2017 .