Haiti

NYPD Honored for Service Efforts in Post Earthquake Haiti
May 12, 2013

Tomorrow the New York City Police Department will be honored with a new award from the State Department in recognition of their service in Haiti. The U.S. Secretary of State’s Excellence in Criminal Justice (first of its kind) will be presented to NYPD’s commissioner Ray Kelly for his department’s work in post- Earthquake stricken nation. Since the 2010 tragedy, NYPD has maintained an active presence in the region. This is part of their on going collaboration with the State Department to improve criminal justice systems around the world. They will receive this award “in recognition for the Department’s exemplary contributions to the State Department’s efforts to strengthen the rules of law and enhance U.S. diplomacy in Haiti.”

Over the past three years 68 Creole speaking officers have been deployed to Haiti to assist the national police force with investigative, patrol, kidnapping strategies. According to the State Department’s travel advisory, “The level of violent crime in Port-au-Prince, including murder and kidnapping, remains a concern and Haiti is considered a ‘critical threat’ post for crime.” Crime rates have spiked in the years of instability and poverty following the earthquake.

Kidnapping in particular has become a big business in the small island nation. This new wave of crime has touched all segments of Haitian life. Though often portrayed as a problem of impoverished, run down, ghetto communities and a tactic used exclusively by thug looking to make quick money, Haitian kidnapping runs the gamut of the social classes. Recently, prominent kidnapping ringleaders from Haiti’s elite class have been identified and arrested. The Haitian people are particularly disgusted with kidnapping. As Haitian Secretary of State for Public Safety, Reginald Delva explains, “Haitians can take a lot of things, even an assassination. But kidnappings remind us of slavery, and people can’t handle that.”

The New York City Police Department is doing its best to lend its expertise in these areas, while still allowing Haitian law enforcement to maintain authority. They offer training and mentoring to their Haitian counter parts, but allow the Haitian police to take point in the field. President Barak Obama has already honored three New York City police officers for their acts of courage in Haiti. Tomorrow the entire department will be recognized for their contributions to building the capacities of foreign criminal justice personnel.

Sources:
http://www.metro.us/newyork/news/local/2013/05/12/state-department-to-honor-nypd-for-work-in-haiti/

http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/11/19/3105468/haiti-kidnapping-shrouded-in-secrecy.html#storylink=cpy

http://www.ny1.com/content/top_stories/181944/nypd-receives-award-for-post-earthquake-efforts-in-haiti

Haitian Art
May 10, 2012

Haiti has a rich and complex artistic legacy that represents Haitian culture and history. Haitian art’s primary influence is rooted in Africa tradition but it also has notable undertones of indigenous American and European aesthetic. Haiti is home to various schools of art including the Jacmel School, which is known for depictions of daily life and the natural environment, as well as the Saint- Soleil School, which is stylistically abstract and heavily influenced by Vodou symbolism.

The painters from the Artibonite region in central Haiti are particularly known for the development of their own unique and very recognizable style. The style pioneered by Saincilus Ismael, has a Byzantine influence and is characterized by its intense detail and use of intricate geometric patterns. This style is sometime referred to as a kind of activity map, showing daily life in the Artibonite valley.

Haiti has a special tradition of market painting originating with Laurent Casimir, a famous Port- au- Prince artist of the 1970s. It is very common for Haitian artists to portray open marketplaces and their interactions. These works tend to include trademark vibrant colors such as “Casimir” red, yellow and orange. Recently these paintings have become closely associated with the idea of Haitian art and, as such, have seen resurgence in popularity. Another unique Haitian artistic tradition is the use of recycled materials in art. Haitian sculpture is generally made of recyclables. In the village of Noailles, for example, a collection of artisans have formed an art community where they have created thousands of pieces over the last 20 years. The work is created primarily out of recycled oil drums.


The Haitian art world suffered a great loss with the 2010 earthquake. Many of countries most important art museums and art galleries were extensively damaged. Among those touched by the catastrophe, were Port-au-Prince’s main art museum, Centre d’Art and the collection of College Saint Pierre. These institutions lost many valuable pieces. The classic murals in the Holy Trinity Cathedral suffered similar destruction. Many private galleries and collections were also damaged.

Haitian Migration
May 7, 2013

Throughout the course of its troubled history, Haiti has had a legacy of emigration. Haitians have traditionally trekked across the island on foot to the Dominican Republic or braved the open waters to reach nearby Caribbean islands. In the past four months alone, Dominican immigration patrollers have accosted over 400 Haitians trying to cross the boarder. However, American officials are beginning to observe a new pattern of migration, by which Haitians are accessing the United States.

In the past Haitians people have tried to immigrate to the U.S. through long established smuggling networks in Turks and Caicos and the Bahamas. But in the recent months, hundreds of Haitians have made their way to the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico. From here immigrants are flying to metropolitan hubs such as Miami, Boston, and New York often without having to show a passport.

Reportedly, Haitians are paying smugglers between $1,000 and $1,500 to transport them to Puerto Rico, 100 miles across the sea. Smugglers purchase boats cheaply, typically around 30 feet long vessels for $12,00, and head to northern and southeastern Haiti to solicit passengers. Southeastern Haiti is a particularly favorable launching point, as it is closer to Puerto Rico and has a smaller immigration patrol presence.

According to Haitian boat builder, Walky Severian, Miami is no longer easy to reach and that’s why Haitians are looking for other places.” Severian has made three such trips himself, including one venture in 2008 during which stormy whether forced him to land in Cuba where he was quickly deported. The incorporation of this new migration route is creating a market for quick boat building, as well as stimulating the black market for fake passports, driver’s licenses, and stolen social security numbers.

Over the last six months, U.S. officials have captured 352 Haitian migrants bound for Puerto Rico or found near the island. In response to this increasingly prevalent trend, the United States had beefed up its U.S. Coast Guard patrol in the area. The Haitian government is also becoming involved. Haitian consulates around the Caribbean are determined to locate illegal migration ringleaders. They are enacting a comprehensive approach that includes education, and awareness of the risks of making the dangerous voyage.

Bipartisanism Stalls Haiti’s Progress
April 4, 2013

Haiti was scheduled to have critical elections over 16 months ago. However, due to political infighting between warring parties, this process has been staled. The country’s political factions cannot agree on a date for the elections or who should comprise the regulatory panel that would supervise elections. Intense rivalries have developed between President Michel Martelly and his adversaries. This bipartisanism affects every all aspect of Haitian life, including housing, job creation, and the justice system.

Supporters of Haiti are beginning to get quite frustrated. One UN ambassador has said that if elections are not held in 2013, “it will become ever more difficult for the international community to accept excuses and delays.” According to Nigel Fisher, the UN official in charge of the agency aiding Haiti post-earthquake, this political impasse has made the government much slower to rebuild and take control than expected. He explains that, “it dominates the discourse and crystallizes the disappointment of friends of Haiti today.” Mr. Fisher added that most investors, would not deem Haiti ready to move forward on the business front and would questions the Martelly government’s claim that Haiti is “open for business.” The current state of affairs also makes foreigners and potential investors doubt the legal system in Haiti. They fear that there is not a strong justice system to address business disputes. Until this is resolved, Haiti’s business climate will remain unsure and cannot reach its full potential.

Legislators have finally selected three of the nine members to sit on the election board. However, political fighting has kept them from moving forward and selecting the six remaining delegates. As time drags on, the lack of elections has led to the replacement of 130 elected municipal governments by presidential appointees. Furthermore, the mandate of over one third of the senate has since expired. The longer proper political process is delayed in Haiti, the more its citizens and foreign investors will lose faith in this already fragile government.

Haiti Launches First International Notary Conference
March 17, 2013

At the end of February, Union of Notary branches all over Haiti collaborated with the Center for Facilitation of Investments to launch a conference titled “The Notary and its partners mobilized to promote investment.” The President of the Union of Notaries of all Jurisdictions of Haiti, Marie Alice Belizaire explains that the conference’s mission is to stimulate national debate about land use and promoting investment in Haiti. Belizaire says, “We wanted to put together the sectors directly affected by these difficulties in order to pose the problems and find possible solutions.”

Currently land use and the protection of private property are major obstacles to private investment in Haiti. More reliable titles and better access to credit are seen as key to stimulating innovative projects, boosting economic growth, and creating jobs. It is the position of the committee organizers that these goals will not be met with out strengthening the structure of the notary profession in Haiti.

Delegates from over a dozen countries (including Spain, Argentina, Mexico, Morocco, and Port Rico and Colombia) will share their experiences and offer advice. The conference will also feature 21 national and international stakeholders to offer their expertise in this field. Representatives of the Center for Facilitation of Investments hope that the findings of the conference will motivate the government to take action to improve Haiti’s business ranking with World Bank. Overall this is a major step forward for Haiti, that some believe marks Haiti’s entrance onto the international business scene.

Haiti and The Environment
March 10, 2013

In the discussion of environmental issues the focus tends to be on large industrial nations. Third world countries are often over looked. However, Haiti is a prime example of a developing region with serious environmental concerns.

In the past century Haiti has experienced rapid deforestation. In the early 1920s, thick forest covered 60 percent of the country; today they cover less than 2 percent of the island. Early in its history, Haiti’s lumber was actually exported to France in ‘payment’ for the property the French lost in the slave revolt. However, deforestation truly intensified in the 1950s, when unsound agriculture practices, rapid growth, and increased competition over land increased the demand for charcoal. Concessionaries stepped up their logging operations to meet this demand. Aside from an increase in carbon dioxide and green house gases, this intense deforestation has caused serious soil erosion. This erosion has caused a decrease in agriculture production, dangerous landslides, and a degradation of infrastructure such as dams, irrigation systems and roads.

Until recently the government has done little to address the issue of deforestation. It is a particularly difficult problem to combat as most Haitians still rely on wood and charcoal as their primary fuel source. However, Haiti’s 1999 15-year Environment Action Plan proposed to stop deforestation with the development of alternative fuel sources. The instability of the government and lack of funding have limited major research in this area. So far, reform has been has been minimal. Nevertheless, there are various grass roots projects that have been successful with tree planting initiatives. These groups have planted thousands of trees in an effort to combat deforestation and reforest the country (as seen in the video below).

Urban communities in Haiti suffer from their own environmental issues. An overall lack of sanitation systems and trash overflow have led to wide scale water contamination and disease. The capital city is a particular issue. Though Port-au-Prince is a large as Chicago it has no sewer system. It is, in fact, one of the largest cities without one. Instead, the cumulative sewage of 3 million people flows through open ditches, mixing with random piles of garbage. This contributes greatly to Haiti’s extreme Cholera issue. While NGOs like Medical Missionaries have made it their personal mission to outfit the country with latrines, water purification systems, and hygiene education programs, the need is widespread and requires major intervention.

Haiti’s environmental issues are very reflective of Haiti’s current state. Without a strong government many of nation’s environmental problems are being left to foreign aid groups and grass roots movements. Before the country can truly advance, these serious issues must be thoroughly addressed. It seems that this would only be possible with a mixture of government involvement and foreign aid. The issues are too big for either sector alone.

Sources:
http://www.gvsu.edu/haitiwater/deforestation-in-haiti-19.htm
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/01/100114-haiti-earthquake-landslides/
http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2010/07/16/a-tree-grows-in-haiti.html
http://panoscaribbean.org/deforestation-in-haiti-what-is-the-solution
http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/01/29/150501695/port-au-prince-a-city-of-millions-with-no-sewer-system
http://www.medmissionaries.org/id196.html
http://www.haitiantimes.com/of-trash-and-haitis-large-cities/

Haitian Autonomy & National Identity
Feb 24, 2013

It could be said that Haiti is the least “western” country in the western world. With its extreme poverty and trade deficit, it is the poorest nation in the western hemisphere and is considered to be one of the least developed. In its past, Haiti has been without the labor productivity and the foundation of strong democracy that Fareed Zakaria’s book The Post- American World argues are crucial to a country’s success. A continual colonial presence and occupation inhibited Haiti’s ability to develop economically and politically.

 

Zakaria recognizes non-governmental organizations as one of the major players that power is shifting to in the so-called “post-American” world. However, Zakaria also stresses the idea of legitimacy as power.  He explains that legitimacy is what provides the means to establish agendas and to assure support for these initiatives. These two concepts collide in an important way in Haiti.

Over the years Haiti has played host to thousands of NGOs. Even before the 2010 earthquake, Haiti had more NGOs per capita than any other developing country other than India The constant an often overwhelming presence of NGOs in Haiti has in effect undermined the legitimacy of the Haitian government. In a New York Times article entitled the “The NGO Republic of Haiti” Kathie Klarreich and Linda Polman state that NGOs in Haiti have set their own priorities and have largely excluded the government.

 

Harvard professor Steven Lawry of The Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations, expresses a similar view point. He explains how NGOs challenge the Haitian government by creating their own infrastructure (setting up their own health, water, education and agricultural systems) with little reference to governmental oversight. He says that because of this, “funding channeled through international NGOs failed to help build the capacity of Haitian public institutions.”

This dynamic has undeniably affected Haitian nationalism. It has been argued that Haiti’s weakened state, economic instability, and lack of central authority have negative impact on Haitis’ national self-image. The Institute for Research in Socioeconomic and Public Policy indicates that the issues caused by the 2010 earthquake have had a particularly negative effect. Feelings of unrest, loss of control, and non-determination have weakened national identity. However, since the 19^th century Haiti has been a hub for Black Nationalism. The spirit the contributed to the successful slave revolution in the 1800s has endured in various forms. It is particularly recognizable in Haitian art and music. It is clear that Haitians remain a proud people despite their national troubles.

Sources:
http://www.thenation.com/article/170929/ngo-republic-haiti#
http://irsp.org/1157
http://hausercenter.org/iha/2011/12/09/paul-farmer’s-call-for-a-new-conversation-on-aid-to-haiti/”>http://hausercenter.org/iha/2011/12/09/paul-farmer’s-call-for-a-new-conversation-on-aid-to-haiti/
http://www.brookings.edu/research/opinions/2010/01/19-haiti-kaufmann

Haiti’s Political and Economic History Feb 17, 2013

Haiti has two distinctions in the Western Hemisphere. Firstly, it is one of only two nations that have French as their official language. Secondly, and perhaps more significantly, it is the poorest nation on the western side of the globe. Both of statistics are revealing about the status and experience of Haiti.

 

Between the 1400 and 1600s, both the French and the Spanish laid claim to the island of Hispaniola (of which modern Haiti occupies the western third). In 1697 the two European nations settled hostilities by diving the territory in half. The French received the western half and named it Sainte-Domingue. They quickly established permanent settlements and developed plantations. The primary crop was sugar cane, but land was also dedicated to indigo and coffee. These were all important exports, from which the French profited intensely. To sustain their agricultural endeavors, the colonist imported slaves en mass. The island was one of the harshest and most brutally effective slave colonies. Due to backbreaking labor and tropical disease, more than a third of slaves died within the first year in Sainte-Domingue. Admits these conditions many planters and overseers took advantage of slave women. As a result a substantial mixed race population developed. Many were freed by their fathers and went to live in communities of “gens du couleur libre” (free black men). These people lived separately from both slave and white society.

 

Inspired by the French Revolution, the slave population of Sainte-Domingue revolted in 1791. After the revolution, the island was renamed for the Amerindian name for mountains. The current president recognized that not all the former slaves spoke French and wanted the nations name to reflect that. To this day Haiti is the only nation to be born out of a slave revolt. The French eventually agreed to recognize the independence of the island in 1838 in exchange for a large sum of money. However, their autonomy did not last long, as the U.S came to occupy the nation until the late 1930s. When the United States discontinued its presence, Haiti was taken over by the Duvalier family, a line of dictators. Only in the 1990s did Haiti moved to a system of general election.

 

Haiti’s history has been shape by its lack of self-governance. Early on, Haiti was crippled by the massive sum of 150 million francs to the French. Furthermore, as an upstart country, Haiti was isolated internationally. Few nations were willing to invest in the new nation. In more modern times, first world countries such as the United States have benefited from Haiti’s low labor costs and tariff free access. This exploitation has contributed to Haitis high inflation rates and extreme trade deficit. Haiti has also suffered greatly from internal official corruption, lack of access to education, and reliance on traditional technology.

 

Since the removal of the Duvalier Haiti has made attempts to remove its economy with increased focus on trade and tariff liberalization. Haiti also worked with World Bank and the International Monetary Fund to help stimulate private sector growth. However, political uprisings and natural disasters since the early 1990s have greatly undermined Haiti’s efforts to achieve economic stability.

 

According to the Haitian newspaper Haiti Progress, Haiti is at a crossroads. In an article about the grand opening of a Haiti Best Western, the paper suggests that the country is looking towards the tourism industry as a means for economic improvement. The article explains that many Haitians are hoping to see new luxury hotels and accommodations, “make a change in infrastructure.” However, it is clear that not all Haitians feel this way. Haitian Times expresses very different views. In an article discussing the possibility of cruise ships setting up on the island, it states that with 400, 000 still in tents after the devastating 2010 earthquake, it is still too soon.

 

Sources:

http://haitianhistory.org/”>http://haitianhistory.org
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-3445_162-6107857.html”>http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-3445_162-6107857.html
http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/History/Haiti-history.htm”>http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/History/Haiti-history.htm
http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0323/p15s01-bogn.html
http://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/flags/flagtemplate_ha.html
http://www.heritage.org/index/country/haiti”>http://www.heritage.org/index/country/haiti
http://www.usip.org/publications/haitis-economic-challenge
http://www.haiti-progres.com/article.php?id=696&type=2
“http://www.haitiantimes.com/with-400000-still-under-tents-its-too-soon-for-carnival/”>http://www.haitiantimes.com/with-400000-still-under-tents-its-too-soon-for-carnival/

 

Haiti In a Post Earthquake World Feb 10, 2013

In recent years the small Caribbean nation of Haiti, has become almost indistinguishably associated with its tragic earthquake of 2010. The earthquake, measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale, occurred on January 12, 2010, with its epicenter about 15 miles west of the country’s capital Port-au-Prince. The results were absolutely devastating. The quake decimated the population, killing 316,000, injuring 300,000, and leaving 1,000,000 homeless. It also destroyed much of the country’s infrastructure, damaging roads, airports, hospitals, residences, and commercial buildings. All together, damages are believed to have exceeded $14 billion.

Sanitation conditions after the initial disaster were, and have remained a major issue. After the earthquake, morgue facilities were overwhelmed. For weeks, dead bodies lay by the thousands in the streets. In many cases, unidentified mass graves were dug or bodies were simply burned. The earthquake is also believed to have led to the rampant cholera outbreak that began in October of 2010. Since this time, the ongoing epidemic has killed almost 8,000 Haitians and has caused the hospitalization of thousands more.

Almost immediately preceding the earthquake, there was an overwhelming humanitarian response to the disaster. With two months, over $3 billion had been given or pledged by countries and organizations. Haiti, itself, was flooded by thousands of non-profit organizations from around the globe. Yet despite the intention, these NGOs may have actually added to the countries woe. As journalist Linda Pullman highlights in her book What’s Wrong with Humanitarian Aid: The Crisis Caravan, misunderstanding and mismanagement on the part of aid organizations often contributes to the chaos. MU French professor and Haitian scholar Valerie Kaussen, asserts that this was the case in post earthquake Haiti. Of the billions of dollars in aid, she states that only an estimated $1.5 billion as actually gotten to relief projects on the ground. Kaussen, who was there at the time of the disaster and throughout the rebuilding process, feels that there was a complete lack of coordination and communication. Many of the organizations were completely unfamiliar with the area. They did not possess the tools or the knowledge to act effectively and correctly link resources with need.

Perhaps the biggest issue with reconstruction in Haiti was the lack of Haitian participation. While the various organizations attempted to set up a cluster system to organize and work with each other, the Haitian government was largely left out of the loop. Only a few executives were involved in the meetings. Even then, these proceedings were conducted primarily in English, while the official languages of Haiti are French and Creole. According to Kaussen, the presence of so many foreign NGOs undermines the government and the security of the state. This is a sentiment that Pullman also expresses in her book. She explains that the Tutsi regime in Rwanda was unique in its ability to maintain power over these organizations and remove those that they saw as unhelpful.

As it stands, Haiti is facing a major dilemma. Many of the non-profits that have been in Haiti over the past three years are beginning to pull out. As few of these charities worked with the government, there will be no one to continue the work. Furthermore, the removal of aid and foreign investment will likely throw the economy into even greater turmoil. But despite the grave state of things, Kaussen asserts that the Haitian people will pull through will their enduring sense of spirit.

Sources:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/09/AR2010020904447.html)
http://www.myhaitianfoundation.com/quake.htm
http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/the-monitors-view/2013/0111/Three-years-since-Haiti-earthquake-Learning-the-art-of-listening
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/12/haiti-earthquake-recovery-2013_n_2451267.html
http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2010-02-17/news/36856782_1_haiti-quake-haiti-funds-quake-damage