Oprah, Louis Farrakhan visit Haiti

The visit by Oprah Winfrey coincides with a five-day trip to the country by Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, Monday December 12, 2011 – President Michel Martelly said he intends to ask American talk show host Oprah Winfrey to serve as a goodwill ambassador for Haiti to boost aid to the country.

He said the request would be made during her visit to the country this week. He is scheduled to meet with Winfrey today, a day after she arrived in the country.

Hundreds of thousands of people were displaced following the 2010 earthquake that devastated the country. Many continue to live in makeshift camps.

During her visit, Winfrey will visit a settlement camp for displaced people run by Hollywood actor Sean Penn and his aid group.

She is also expected to meet with American fashion designer Donna Karan.

Winfrey’s visit coincides with a five-day trip to the country by Louis Farrakhan, Leader of the African-American religious movement, Nation of Islam, who is looking at ways his organization can assist with rebuilding the country.

“I have longed throughout my life to set my foot in the sacred soil of Haiti,” Farrakhan told journalists. Click here to receive free news bulletins via email from Caribbean360. (View sample)