Overview:
A group of Haitian villagers re-opened a large cave blocked with mudslides for decades in Grande Rivière du Nord. They hope to turn it into a renowned tourist site and revenue generator for their neglected village, Twouso.
GRANDE RIVIÈRE DU NORD, Haiti — Under the hot October sun in Twouso, a rural village about 15 miles south of Cap-Haïtien, a dozen of local men dug into the ground with mattocks as part of a road construction project initiated by the Organization of the People of Twouso in Action (OPTA). Midway through their work on Oct. 14, they started to unearth the entrance to a long-abandoned cave, once a goldmine in the 1950s.
For decades, the cave was hidden beneath layers of compacted soil and mudslides. Its rediscovery has sparked excitement among villagers, who hope to transform it into a tourist destination that can generate revenue to improve their neglected community.
As the workers were clearing passage for the road, one man, Joël Jean-Louis—a farmer who produces plantains and beans notably—could not quite focus on digging the ground. His attention was rather on a wall of compacted soil on the side of the road.
When Jean-Louis, 39, was a child, his father told him that there was a cave that used to be a goldmine underneath the compacted soil in the area.
“I told the guys we have to dig this because kids have to know that there is a cave here,” Jean-Louis said. “When I die, people will say I made them know about the existence of a cave here.”
At first, the other men refused to help Jean-Louis dig deeper, but he continued alone anyway. Since he persisted, the other workers joined him later. After three days of digging, the men completely opened the entrance of the cave.
To manage things, the men formed a nine-member committee that has yet to be officially named. This committee has been guiding residents inside the cave for about 25 to 100 gourdes, or about 20 to 75 cents, per entry. So far, they have collected at least 3745 gourdes, or about $30, from local visitors.
A cave opening up to dreams and revival of a community
The committee, as well as people in the village, hope that the cave will become a popular tourist site. With the revenue it generates, they hope to improve living conditions, build service infrastructure in the area and embellish the community.
Twouso is a neglected rural area on a hill in Grande Rivière du Nord, near Cap-Haïtien. The roads in Twouso are narrow, battered-up ravine and some of them are too tight for cars to even travel to.
Haiti is filled with historical landmarks, but many of them have been neglected. Some, like the Twouso cave, have been completely forgotten about and vanished. However, these historical sites could generate revenues that could help residents crawl out of financial misery and revamp their neighborhoods. That’s the dream of villagers in Twouso.
However, the cave is located on a hill, inaccessible by cars, which may discourage some potential visitors from traveling there. Additionally, about two weeks after people started visiting it, the group has yet to make enough income to even build a door for the cave.
Yet, the Twouso residents are confident that the cave will become more popular, contributing to the revamping of the area and improving their livelihoods.
“We want to see another Twouso,” said Renaldo Jean-Louis, 29, one of the workers who helped dig the cave entrance and a committee member.
“We started by making the roads better,” Renaldo, who is also Joël’s younger brother, added. “And while doing that, we found what I can call this treasure.”
The cave committee hopes to raise enough money to install an iron door to secure the entrance, but they are now using metal sheets to close it. The iron door is just the beginning of their plans to enhance the area.
“This cave will change lives in Twouso,” Jean-Louis said. “We need development here.”
According to Grottes d’Haiti, French for Caves in Haiti, there are at least 150 known caves and caverns in Haiti. The residents of the areas of these sites are very attached to them. Some of the most famous ones are Grotte Marie-Jeanne in Port-à-Piment and Grotte Kounoubwa in Camp Perrin, southern Haiti.
A link to Haiti’s past
The cave in Grande Rivière du Nord was a mine in the 1950s, where the Haitian government, under former President Paul Eugène Magloire, was searching for gold. Consequently, the area where it is located is called Nan Min, Creole for In a Mine. It is unknown if gold was found in the mine, but after the search, it was neglected.
Over time, the entrance of the mine was covered up with landslides. During the 2000s and early 2010s, there was a small hole at the entrance, and residents used to put trash inside of it. But about 10 years ago, the entrance was completely covered up, said residents and Wilner Toussaint, head of the area’s Council of the Communal Section’s Administration (CASEC).
“We want to make it a tourist site,” Toussaint said. “The area can profit off this cave. It can make the area more beautiful. It can give the area visibility.”
The cave’s committee has yet to start working alongside the Institute for the Protection of National Heritage (ISPAN, its French acronym) but plans to do so. ISPAN has not yet replied to The Haitian Times’ interview request regarding the cave rediscovery.
Exploring inside the cave
It’s narrow in width and under six feet tall, so many visitors have to squat down to enter and navigate around. The Twouso cave is also pitch black inside, so people use their phones’ flashlights to see when entering. The walls and the ground are brown, and some parts of the walls are shiny.
Visiting the Twouso cave
There are six roads inside the cave, but people have only gone to the end of four of them. There is also a small waterfall at the bottom of the cave. It is unsafe to go to the waterfall, but some of the committee members have gone there and said the water is ice cold and surprisingly very clean.
“It’s like treated water,” Renaldo said.
In recent weeks, the cave has become the focal point of local interest and a popular gathering spot. Hundreds of residents, ranging from priests to local farmers, have visited the site. The area in front of the cave has turned into a social hub. On the afternoon of Oct. 18, dozens of residents congregated near the cave, engaging in lively conversations and sharing jokes. Meanwhile, individuals were seen entering and exiting the cave with their heads bowed. Many emerged with smiles on their faces, suggesting a positive experience inside.
A hangout spot
“It’s the first time I’ve seen people gathering like this in our neighborhood,” the older Jean-Louis remarked. “It’s also the first time we’ve had so many visitors. There are so many motorcycles around. This makes me very happy.”
Jean-Louis said his 11-year-old son is among those who have visited the cave. He loves it so much that every time a group goes in, he wants to join them.
“I have to tell him, ‘You’ve already been inside; you can’t keep running back in,’” Jean-Louis added, laughing.
Members of the committee or local men guide visitors before they enter the cave. Visitors are not allowed to bring bags or weapons inside.
For his part, Robinson Pierre, a plantain and corn farmer in Twouso, found the cave intimidating because of its darkness. However, after spending some time inside, his fear dissipated. He is now so comfortable in the cave that he often guides friends through it. Pierre has lost count of how many times he has entered it.
“This is something I used to see in books and now I’m living the reality with my own two eyes in my neighborhood,” Pierre, 27, said. “I feel so proud.”
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