By Haitian Times Editorial Staff
Haitian photographer Samuel Dameus is bringing the beauty of Haiti to the tips of your fingers with his new photobook “Faces of Haiti.” The photobook highlights images of Haiti’s majestic beaches, lush mountains, mesmerizing views and some poignant faces of everyday natives.
“Many people have seen sides of Haiti that depict its poor state and have yet to experience the regal and magnificent side of the country once called the ‘Pearl of the Antilles’,” said Dameus.
“I’ve traveled throughout the country exploring different places, enjoying Haiti as my backyard not realizing that the views I was seeing I sometimes took for granted.”
Growing up in Cap-Haïtien Dameus was fascinated with seeing tourists roaming the streets.
“Those sceneries are engraved in my memories,” he said. However as the years went by, tourists slowly stopped visiting Haiti’s second largest city. “This was a major motivation which prompted me to develop a career in the tourism sector.”
Shortly after the 2010 earthquake, Dameus began to share images of the devastation through social media. His photos captured the attention of EuroNews, who later recruited him to work on their documentary “Silent Disaster, One Year Later.”
That was the torch that ignited his interest in “social photography.”
After the overwhelming positive response on social media “I knew I had to put Haiti on display.”
The Cap-Haïtien native decided to publish “Faces of Haiti” after his images of Haiti on social media were praised from “people from all walks of life.”
The expo and book release will make its way through Miami, Washington, Paris, Montreal and Port-au-Prince well into the summer. Proceeds from the event, as well as canvas print sales, will benefit local children in orphanages in Haiti and will focus on education.
The first stop will be in Miami at the Macaya Gallery on Jan. 28 at 3:00 p.m.
For tickets click here.