Jacmel Information

About Jacmel

Jacmel is a very special town, the joke being everybody is an artist there. Sometimes it feels that way, and over 80 artists and arts-inclined residents from Gainesville and around the US have been inspired by this community over our many delegations that have been hosted by them over the last 10 years.

Jacmel has trained scores of filmmakers at its Cine Institute, boasts a music school Dessaix Baptiste, with over 1,200 students, and is home to many art collectives. Its largest, San Da’, trains and work with some of the finest artists in Haiti and puts on Jacmel’s Karnaval, renowned across the world for its mastery of the art of papier-mache.

Essential Data

Founding: 1504 C.E.
Population: 137,996 (2019)
Ethnic groups: Haitian
Religions: Christianity, Folk Religion
Mayor: Edwin Zenny
Department: Sud-Est
Temperature averages: 31C/89F high, 23C/73F low
Elevation: 43m/141ft
Currency: Haitian Gourde
Airport: JAK
Landmarks
- Bassin Bleu
- Entire town (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
- Jacmel Arts Collective “Sant D’a”

Sister Cities

Strasbourg,
France

Gainesville,
FL, USA

Portraits

The core of Gainesville and Jacmel’s exchange is the people. Anna María Lopez captured these fantastic photographs (and most of the other photographs on this website) on an exchange trip in 2017.