Madrid does not forget Haiti

Caixa Forum Madrid presents an exhibition called “Haiti, 34 seconds after”, with photographs by Emilio Morenatti and Marta Ramoneda and audiovisuals by Oriol Gispert.

On January 12, 2010 the Earth shook violently for 34 seconds in Haiti, one of the poorest countries in the World. The earthquake, which killed 220.000 people and  left  2.500.00 Haitians homeless, caused one of the most complex humanitarian emergencies of recent years.


The collapse of the local institutions and the devastation caused by the quake rapidly mobilized international aid, which intervened massively, though with many difficulties.

Through this exhibition, the artists want to report the efforts, the solidarity and the spirit to overcome hardship of the Haitian people. They want to show the role of the various agents involved in the humanitarian emergency and reconstruction and to reflect on the importance of international solidarity.

The exhibition is divided into five sections divided into three more spaces, making a tour of Haiti before and after the disaster and including an earthquake simulator that will allow visitors to step into the shoes of the Haitian. Furthermore, visitors will be able to hear Haitians’ testimonies through different documentaries.


Another important goal is to show different projects that have worked in Haiti within the chaos. The general environment represented in the photos is very hard, but most of these pictures are showing people doing things, people working to improve the local situation. So, behind this first image of horror, visitors can get a second deeper meaning, a second meaning focused on hope. For instance, people working on their houses, or people buying in markets can be seen along the exhibition.