|
 All
experiences in life
start at a single point
in time. Someone mentions
something and “voila”,
an idea is born. My
trip to Haiti evolved
in a similar manner.
A flurry of chaotic
e-mails graced the
realm of the Internet
and soon I found myself
attempting to explain
the contents of my
bag to frowning Haitian
customs officials.
The French words for
External CD burner
failed to materialize
at the desired moment.
Lesson number one had
been made clear to
me - brush up your
French, fast!
Last fall I had the opportunity
to spend some time in Haiti. During
that period there were days during
which I learned more than during
my entire university career. You
see, Haiti is a fascinating place;
wrapped in a veil of complexity
that seems to become more baffling
the more one attempts to understand.
Haiti is a nation that has slipped
into a tragic dance of chaos, anarchy,
suffering, and environmental collapse.
Sadly, this is often the only side
of Haiti that is portrayed in our
media. However, there is another
side to Haiti, one that we can
learn a great many things from.
Haitians are fiercely proud of
their heritage and beneath all
the poverty and violence there
is a vibrant, breathing culture.
There are few places in the world
where an impromptu neighborhood
party, featuring a full 12-piece
horn ensemble, may awaken you in
the middle of the night. At times
I questioned whether Haitians actually
ever slept, as the country is cursed
with roosters that declare daylight,
well before the sun graces the
horizon…
I guess somewhere between dancing
the night away to the sweet melodies
of horns accompanied by crashing
cymbals and the crowing rooster,
Haitians find time to rest their
weary eyes.
It is as though so much has been
taken from the Haitian people and
their appeals for true independence
and international respect ignored,
that their determination to smile
and dance in the most trying of
circumstances is a statement to
the world that they still are not
heard.
Seldom have I witnessed greater
contrasts than the brilliant smiles
of the children surrounded by such
harshness. Haiti is an unforgiving
place, where the desperate struggle
to survive has caused hardships
difficult to comprehend in our
consumer crazed society. Rampant
deforestation has left Haiti with
an extremely meager 2-5% natural
forest coverage. Superficially,
the path of changing unsustainable
forest practices may seem straightforward.
Indeed, both NGOs and foreign governments
alike often oversimplify this issue.
A common phrase I came across upon
returning from Haiti was “why don’t
they just stop cutting down trees
and use aggressive reforestation
techniques.” However, it is not
that simple, and it is not a case
of farmers and Haitians not knowing
that cutting down forests is directly
endangering their lives. In fact,
many Haitians are tremendous naturalists,
much better than you or I. They
comprehend earth systems on a very
detailed and hands-on level. Farmers
and charcoal producers know that
their actions are contributing
to further decreasing soil stability
and that they are increasing their
susceptibility to flooding. The
great tragedy is that they often
have no other choice; human survival
instincts make people do things
that defy common sense. That is
why they are called survival instincts.
Make no mistake about it, Haiti
is in survival mode and people
are facing famine. It is therefore
imperative that we, as outsiders,
approach Haiti and the issues within
it with a degree of humbleness
and respect that reflect the fact
that we are privileged to be able
to reach out to others and offer
assistance. That we remember that
no matter how hard we may try-
we may never fully be able to comprehend
the desperation many Haitians face,
as we have never faced it.
There are many NGOs working within
Haiti, and the projects they undertake
cover a broad spectrum of issues
and success rates. International
development is a tremendously complex
issue. In Haiti this is greatly
amplified by a history of governmental
instability, widespread corruption,
devastating poverty, violent conflict,
environmental collapse, and a lack
of cohesive efforts among those
attempting to assist. Many aid
projects, while well intentioned,
inadvertently cause greater hardship
for Haitians as they foster dependency.
This is a difficult concept for
many people to grasp and a fine
balance exists between offering
compassionate assistance and eroding
the ability of a community to help
itself.
On the way
back from Pichon. Aimee
Hartley
Unfortunately, my time in Haiti
was cut short by a combination
of illnesses that Haitians face
everyday. I was able to accomplish
some of my objectives, but some
questions still remained. Returning
to Canada I became charged with
questions. Why was Haiti immersed
in such a crisis? How could the
second country to declare independence
be the poorest nation in the Western
Hemisphere? How could a land mass
barely 200 miles off the coast
of Florida resemble a different
world? What role did foreign interference
and the CIA play in all of this?
And lastly, what role did I as
a consumer in the western world
and as an eligible voter have?
These questions drove me to inform
myself via any available medium.
I searched for scraps of writing,
audio, and film about Haiti, pored
through UN Resolutions, books and
sifted through biased media muck.
In the end I realized that while
I had found answers, I had also
created many more questions. A
fire was kindled within, one to
find answers to help understand
the past, and more importantly
to understand how the future may
be influenced, another fire to
share stories. To share the stories
of all those Haitians that shared
their stories with me, and all
those that want to share but are
not heard.
In a little over a week, I am going
back to Haiti, back to search for
answers, build bridges of understanding,
create a forum for messages from
Haiti to be heard here in North
America, and ultimately my hope
is that through awareness solutions
can be found. Because sadly, one
of the things that I have learned
is that Haiti’s suffering is not
merrily the result of actions on
behalf of Haitians. My dream is
that in the end, we can all dance
the night away, not as a symbolic
gesture but out of joy - that is
until the rooster crows…
Written by Matthias Starzner,
a 25-year old environmental scientist/
photographer, from Vancouver Island,
BC, who, when not traveling in
the mountains or abroad calls a
trusty VW van home. Now hopelessly
in love with Haiti, he is preparing
for another trip down south.
Photo
by Aimee Hartley, Partners
intern
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