Here
Here is the Haiti that far too many people became familiar with over the last thirty years: a political basket case perpetually an inch away from its political demise. Jean Claude " Baby Doc" Duvalier's ouster in 1986 ignited a scramble for power in Haiti from which it had only just started to recover. Along with enduring multiple United Nations and United States occupations since Duvalier's ouster, Haiti has also had to persevere through a litany of ad hoc civilian leaders, former priests, military officers, and governmental bureaucrats took office one after another. In spite of their efforts Haiti remained a debt ridden, poverty-stricken, disease infested rudderless nation that served as the consummate antithesis to a modern nation-state in the western hemisphere. Paradoxically Haiti's wretched of the earth status attracted thousands of non-governmental organizations hell bent on ridding this hemisphere's Babylon of its various social ills, thereby making Haiti the one place where no one wanted to go, but which we all needed to be.
There
There was also another Haiti emerging during this time, one where gains in expanding educational opportunity were being made and the islands native tongue Kreyol was adopted as the national language. Technological advances enabled improved communication between island residents and their brothers and sisters in the diaspora. This improved communication also laid a foundation for Haitian companies to export home grown products like peanut butter and kassav to homesick relatives in Miami, New York and Boston. There Jacmel was quickly becoming a Haitian equivalent to Jamaica's Negril, and Cap Haitien and Milot, the two towns adjoining Haiti's most famous landmark, the Citadel, were positioning themselves to become Haiti's version of Old San Juan, and as such the island was now on pace to developing a tourist economy that would eventually place it on par with its counterparts in the Caribbean. Finally, many of aforementioned homesick Jaspora, having grown tired of blustery northeasters, and anxious about prospects of being interned in retirement communities in Florida were considering spending their golden years in Haiti.
Never Again
Now, having been reduced to its capital city, which recently crumbled into itself, Haiti is neither here nor there. Political maneuvering that once made life here treacherous and progress elusive has come to a grinding halt. With countless members of Haiti's parliament presumed dead in the earthquake and its capital city in ruins there is barely anyone around and anyplace to carry out the political maneuvering that for many years had made public service a life-threatening occupation, the long-standing political ills that Haiti had once been synonymous with are no longer here nor there as everyone squarely focuses their attention on earthquake recovery and survival. There go the immediate hopes of the island's tourism board, retiring baby boomers, real-estate developers and investors who had elected to cast their buckets on this island.
That said, being neither here nor there might eventually work to Haiti's long-term advantage. From this moment forward January 12th will now stand alongside 1804's declaration of independence as a defining moment in the island's history. The year 1804 fashioned Haiti with an iconic legacy and a cluster of heroic figures worthy of their own Greek tragedies, Toussaint, Dessalines, Christophe and Petion to name a few. New leaders will emerge from amidst the rubble of January 12th to re-fashion Haiti and hopefully enable its history to pivot from the genre of tragedy to epic. And in order for this transition to occur Haitians--on the island and abroad--must be willing commit ourselves to never letting something like January 12th happen again.
Ferentz Lafargue is an Assistant Professor of Literary Studies at Eugene Lang College, The New School for Liberal Arts. He is currently working on a memoir entitled Neither Here, Nor There about the Haitian American immigrant experience in New York City. You can read more of his writing about Tuesday's earthquake here or on his blog.
Good article, it I agree that a good government would have made an incredible difference in the recovery of the earthquake. You make a good point in the opportunity that Haitians now have to reclaim the island and make something positive with it.
The earthquake on January 12th quite literally flattened the entire island of Haiti, including the capital Port au Prince. Mr. Ferentz raised a very interesting comparison between the destructive effects of the earthquake both against the corrupted political past but also devastation towards Haiti’s sluggish emergence towards modern economic development. Yet, one can observe this violent termination of all activities, good or bad, in a different perspective. Without the Cultural Revolution and the intense political upheaval, the Communist Party of China probably would never have been able to obtain such extraordinary control over the country and, in turn, composed one of the most impressive economic revivals in the 20th and 21st centuries. This earthquake serves as a detergent, like the Cultural Revolution, setting everything back to zero. With much attention around the world fixating on the long-lost nation of the Western Hemisphere, Haiti might finally obtain the assistance from the developed nations that she has always been longing for.
Professor Lafargue makes a great point and leads the discussion of Haiti into a direction that couldn’t be more imperative. Instead of continuing the general focus on the actions of international aid agents I believe it is important to recognize the existence and potential of local Haitians in the development of their nation. To have hope for a country one must not see the countrymen and women solely as recipients of aid but also actors in their own story. The media, and academia, has been decidedly one sided. As a result Haiti has been boiled down to one city, Port-au-prince, and any form of government or local organization has been epitomized by the ruined City Hall and Cathedral. I know, however, that these reductions are not the reality. That, while international aid is essential to the development of the country, there are local government and community leaders whose actions in the light of this crisis, as distributors, organizers etc., are worthy of recognition and, more importantly, facilitation. It is my opinion that in order to dispel the potentially dark future for Haiti we must foster the actions of Haitians today. Those concerned with Haiti must broaden their perspective. It is not a question of whether there is hope, but if we, as people concerned with Haiti, will seek and nurture it. That is where we will find the future stars in what Professor Lafargue predicts will be a momentous time in Haiti’s history.
One really hopes that prof. Lafargue's predictions will occur, and hence finally, Haiti will turn into the kind of progressive direction that can transform that land with its inhabitants into an autonomous and happy community. Certainly however, such a new direction won't come about through a simple tragedy awakening. Not so long ago, the horrors caused by the floods did not quite propel the kind of new attitude that would start shaping the better future. I believe that a fundamental question underlying the thus far everlasting Haitian crisis is whether Haitian well being is an international problem, and if it is, what kind of international approach does not amount to a paternalizing perpetuation of the problem. Haiti (just like Ethiopia) have been unjustly paying the highest of prices in global economy currency, for its believe in self determination rights. France, the U.S, Spain and etc, have been pretty much involved in inflicting the charges. If any of these countries were to engage in collaborative efforts with Haiti to the effect of jump staring that economy, it is fundamental that such actions be properly entitled as restitution, and not aid or help. In the world order that we live, if some are in the position of having while others are in that of needing, it is not a mere coincidence or a fair deal; and it seems to me that this arrangement is not leading humanity any where close to the great life style we could achieve given our resources and capacities.
Professor Lafargue's essay is one of the best I've read so far. Being that I am Haitian, I have not read one article where they do mention the good of Haiti. Haiti is portrayed as this horrible and poorest country ever. Yes, there are some poor sections in Haiti, but NOT ALL. It is true, Haiti has a lot to work on and with time and years it will be fixed. Having a strong government, a government in which people respect, will be the first step on building this country up. This earthquake has been a huge wake up call to not only to the people in Haiti,but to everyone. The aftermath of this earthquake shows that Haiti needs our help and how we need to join hands together to make this country better. Bringing up a country's negatives, will not help, but acknowledging the countries problems and building from them, and learning how to make it better, will be a start to something great.