Le Nouvelliste | Jean Emmanuel Jacquet, new Minister of Culture and Communication, visited Le Nouvelliste

He frequented the corridors of this ministry as a cultural journalist and collaborated with certain ministers. Today, he is the holder of the Ministry of Culture and Communication. About ten days after his installation, Jean Emmanuel Jacquet decided to visit the dean of the Haitian press who published some of his publications in the past. The minister says it was a source of pride to see his writings published in the oldest French-language daily in the Caribbean. “By my visit, I wanted to salute the work of the newspaper which has held up for all this time (123 years). To get there, you need passion…”, indicated Jean Emmanuel Jacquet, who led the National Book Directorate (DNL) for a year before his new duties.

The Minister spoke at length with Le Nouvelliste General Manager, Max E. Chauvet, about the problems and unexplored opportunities in the cultural sector. "I also wanted to renew the partnership that exists between the ministry and Le Nouvelliste in the organization of certain cultural activities (Livres en folie, Artisanat en fête) and see how to create others", underlined Jean Emmanuel Jacquet, passionate about book.

For now, the minister only has his sensitivities in terms of politics. He says he is waiting for the government's roadmap, which should be ready shortly. Nevertheless, it intends to "support cultural operators, revitalize the market for books, crafts, fashion, modernize and market traditional festivals (employer's days, carnival, gédé, etc.) and create or develop infrastructure cultural. For several years, there has been no cinema in Port-au-Prince, whereas once every neighborhood in Port-au-Prince had its own cinema. The Ciné Triomphe, which was refurbished under the administration of Michel Martelly, remains closed. The Minister is not insensitive to such a situation.

Who is Jean-Emmanuel Jacquet?

Jean Emmanuel Jacquet grew up in Camp-Perrin, a town in the Sud department, located about twenty kilometers from the city of Les Cayes. Passionate about letters, Jean Emmanuel Jacquet went to the Ecole Normale Supérieure (ENS) of the State University of Haiti. He also studied law at the Gonaives School of Law and Economics (EDSEG).

As a professional, Jean Emmanuel Jacquet worked in the communication office of the presidency, between 2011 and 2019. He was a member of the cabinet of Prime Minister Jack Guy Lafontant in 2018 and chief of staff of the former director general of Electricity of Haiti (Ed'H) Andress Appolon, in 2014.

Jean Emmanuel Jacquet, who will celebrate his 40th birthday on December 26, is the author of Trapèze, his latest book which was a finalist for the prize at the Montreal Francophone Poetry Festival.