Jérémie is called the city of the poets because of the numerous writers, poets, and historians born there.[2]
History
During 1762, Creole General Thomas-Alexandre Dumas was born here. He is mostly known for fighting under Napoleon in Italy and Egypt and for being the father of writer Alexandre Dumas.
In the early 2000s, archaeologists uncovered an ancient synagogue of Crypto-Jews in the city, the only one found on the island. Jérémie has historically been inhabited by many mixed-race families of Jewish descent.[4]
In the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake, a food aid convoy transporting aid delivered to Jérémie Airport through Jérémie encountered a hijacking attempt by 20 men, on 30 January 2010.[5] Medical supplies have also been airlifted through the airport, due to the increase in medical needs from injured refugees arriving in the wake of the quake.[6]
In October 2016, Jérémie was almost completely destroyed by Hurricane Matthew as it went past Haiti.[7]
Roughly 40 nautical miles (46 mi; 74 km) west of the city lies Navassa Island, which is claimed by Haiti and the United States.[8]
Facilities
The city has an airport, Jérémie Airport.
The area of the airport of Jérémie is known as "Numero Deux". Mission Aviation Fellowship conducts charter flights into the airport. Agape Flights, based in Venice, Florida, provides weekly mail and cargo service for several missionaries in the area.
Thomas-Alexandre Dumas, a general of the French Revolutionary Wars, was born in Jérémie as the son of a French nobleman and his African slave, before independence. Dumas lived most of his life in France, where his father took him at age 18. He married and was the father of Alexandre Dumas, who became a noted and prolific author in the nineteenth century.
