Social media influencer Nicolas Nuvan shouts out Cap-Haïtien resiliency in trip to Haiti 

CAP-HAÏTIEN — Eminent YouTuber, TikToker  and community influencer Nicolas Nuvan spent six days in Cap-Haïtien last week, visiting from New York City to enjoy the local cuisine and connect with the people who shape the community. What struck him most during his time in Haiti’s second-largest city was the resilience of its people.

“The people are what makes Okap different,” Nuvan said as he stood in front of the I Love Okap statue on The Boulevard on Jan. 24. 

“Although, the infrastructure, the processes, the politics can be a little tough over here the people overcome and they’re still willing and able. And they do so much to move the country forward despite the obstacles they have to go through.”

Nuvan added that Haitians are resilient in their own special way, particularly with their konbit mindset, which means to work together.

Nuvan is a content creator with 742K followers on Instagram, 2.5 million followers on TikTok and 214K followers on YouTube. A Colombia native who resides in New York and doesn’t shy away from serious topics while filming entertaining videos, Nuvan has made a name for himself interviewing the everyday residents in the streets and inside their businesses across the world— from a chef in Jamaica to a fashion business owner  in Brooklyn, New York.

Nuvan has been heavily focusing on the Caribbean recently. He visited Jamaica last September and Saint Vincent in October. He also has been interviewing people of Caribbean descent in New York and Florida, including Haitians.

As the country grips with a gang crisis that has torn through Haiti’s tourism industry, a steady flow of social media influencers have continued to visit some parts of Haiti not under gang control. Prior to Nuvan, another famous YouTuber visited Haiti in March 2024, Addison Pierre Maalouf, aka “YourFellowArab.” Maalouf went to Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haïtien and told The Haitian Times that Haitians are “amazing and good-hearted” during his visit. In mid-January of this year, another social media star, Darren Jason Watkins Jr., who is better known as IShowSpeed, announced that he is planning to visit Haiti but did not specify a date.

For the two previous times social media influencers visited Haiti, Haitians were pleased to present their culture to them. To them, it was also an opportunity to tell the world their struggles, so they could possibly get help from foreigners.

Nuvan compliments Haitians for being patriotic

During his stay in Haiti, Nuvan visited the canal in Ouanaminthe, Citadelle Lafferière in Milot, Cormier Beach in Cap-Haïtien, interviewed a painter, small business owners and more. In addition to being amazed by the Haitians’ resiliency, Nuvan also admired their high level of patriotism. 

“You go up to anybody in the streets and they know their history,” Nuvan said. “They’re so prideful about their country. And I think it’s very unique in that way.”

Nuvan is famous for being able to easily connect with his interviewees, and indeed, he easily clicked with many of the Haitians he interviewed. Frantz-Dy Saint-Martin, a painter and renowned arts-related event organizer in Cap-Haïtien, was beyond pleased to have a conversation with the worldwide known TikToker on camera and showcase his artwork. Saint-Martin displayed the painting of the half of the face of a boy smiling.

“From the time he walked in, it felt like it was someone I knew for some time already because of how he was talking to me, our interaction,” Saint-Martin said. “He said hi to us with a smile. He’s very amusing, very pleasant.”

Saint-Martin can not wait for Nuvan to return to Cap-Haïtien. 

Nuvan does not have a date set yet on when he will revisit Haiti, but as mentioned, another social media star could step foot on the Caribbean island this year: IShowSpeed, the reigning streamer of the year.

The post Social media influencer Nicolas Nuvan shouts out Cap-Haïtien resiliency in trip to Haiti  appeared first on The Haitian Times.