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Outlook: One year on: Haiti earthquake

11/01/2011

One year on: Haiti earthquake

BBC World Service - Outlook, One year on: Haiti earthquake

The manager of Haiti's most famous hotel remembers the earthquake

RICHARD MORSE
On 12 January 2010, a magnitude seven earthquake shook Haiti - killing around 230,000 people. The capital, Port-au-Prince was badly affected and the streets are still littered with rubble. A million people whose homes were destroyed are camping in sprawling tent cities. But one building which survived more or less intact was the Hotel Oloffson, a well-known landmark in the city. Haitian-American Richard Morse has run the hotel since the late 1980's and rescued it from ruin. He is famous in Haiti for his music and political activism. He is also a voodou priest. The BBC's Mike Thomson talks to Richard about the hotel's history and the traumatic events of last year. 

DIEUMENE CLORISTIN
Haitian teenager Dieumene Cloristin was born without arms and was abandoned by her parents. But despite that  Dieumene's determination to achieve her goals shines through. She has taught herself to play the piano with her toes; she's a keen singer, loves dancing, and has started to write a book. Mike Thomson first met Dieumene shortly before the earthquake and he has been back to see how she is getting on.

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