Stories about Haiti from May, 2006
Caribbean: What blogging is for
“Blogging … challenges the elitism that pervades the Caribbean and is a great experiment in the democratization of data,” says Geoffrey Philp in a thoughtful essay on the potential role of blogging in the region. “Blogging provides the kind of freedom that is anathema to many gatekeepers who want to...
Haiti: Mother's Day
“In Haiti May 28 is a day of celebration of Haitian mothers,” says blogger (Fr) AyitiCherieConnexion. “I'd like to say: Happy Mothers’ day to all the women of Haiti, whether they are rich or poor, whether they are from the countryside, from the cities or from the mountains. After all,...
Haiti: Personal geography
After discussing geography with some of the Haitians in his community, Troy, a US missionary working in rural Haiti, concludes — in what is certainly an over-generalization — that “in the Haitian experience, geography seems to consist of Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Miami, New York, Toronto, and Boston – in...
Haiti: Among 10 Highest Producers of Mangos
“The place occupied by the Haitian mango is threatened on the international market given the demands of foreign consumers looking for a quality product,” says (Fr) Haitian newsfeed Alterpresse. “Ranked among the 10 highest worldwide producers of mangos, Haiti needs to do everything to better exploit this niche. A study...
Haitian Diaspora: Franco-Haitian Solidarity Meeting
CollectifHaitideProvence announces (Fr) they received an invitation by Collectif Haitien de France [Haitian Collective of France] to participate in a series of meetings taking place June 3 and 4. The main themes of the meetings will be humanitarian solidarity and education, development, the problems of Haitian migrants in France, and...
Haiti: New Blog CollectifHaitideProvence
CollectifHaitideProvence [Haitian Collective of Provence, France] is the name of a new French and Creole language blog launched by a Haitian organization of the same name made up of nine organizations that seem to be based in either France, Haiti or both. Their first entry posted yesterday explains (Fr &...
Caribbean: Hurricane outlook
Over at the West Indies Cricket blog, Ryan Naraine cites the NOAA’s 2006 Atlantic hurricane season outlook, which says there is “an 80% chance of an above-normal hurricane season, a 15% chance of a near-normal season, and only a 5% chance of a below-normal season.”
Caribbean: A West Indian anthem?
Kyk-Over-Al links to a column in Guyana's Stabroek News criticising the new West Indian anthem adopted recently by CARICOM (the Caribbean Community), and the Caribbean Beat blog asks its readers how Caribbean leaders should have gone about choosing an anthem. “Via a competition, soliciting entries from the region's best composers...
Haiti: Haitian Flag Remembered on May 18
On the occasion of Haitian Flag Day celebrated in both Haiti and the diaspora, AyitiCherieConnexion says (Fr) “May 18, 1803, Catherine Flon sowed the first Haitian flag … to mark the ending of colonisation. La Dessalinienne, the national anthem, was composed in 1904 with lyrics by Justin Lherisson and music...
Haiti: What Will Preval Bring?
AyitiCherieConnexion summarizes Preval's inauguration and wonders (Fr): “Ever since the election, things have settled a bit in Haiti. Kidnappings have almost disappeared. Will Preval stabilize the situation, eliminate government corruption, crime, unemployment and feelings of resentment …? Will certain countries of the international community stop dividing and conquering so that...
Caribbean: The meaning of “excellent service”
Jamaican Francis Wade at Chronicles from a Caribbean Cubicle thinks about customer service in the Caribbean. “There is not a single island I have visited in which there is a local company giving excellent service to local people.” He tries to understand why, and congratulates the Sandals resort chain for...
Haiti: Towards an Anti-Feminist Backlash?
At AlterPresse, Myriam Merlet predicts (Fr) an upcoming backlash to the thriving Haitian feminist movement. Certain anti-feminists, she says, “know how to take advantage of media (…) to spread arguments about ‘women who beat women’ and/or men.”
Haiti: Photo Essay of Preval's Inauguration
AlterPresse posts a photo essay of President Preval's inauguration including shots of pro-Lavalas demonstrators and Preval's signing of the PetroCaribe Agreement right after the ceremony.
Haiti: Preval Signs PetroCaribe Agreement with Venezuela
Right after his inauguration yesterday, President Preval signed the PetroCaribe Agreement with Jose Vincente Rangel, Venezuela's Vice-President, reports (Fr) AlterPresse. According to the agreement, Venezuela will deliver 500 barrils of oil per day to the Haitian government who will resell to the private sector at market prices. PetroCaribe is a...
Haiti: Prison Mutiny on the Day of Preval's Inauguration
President Preval officially took office yesterday amidst much fanfare but a prisoner's mutiny that was eventually quelled left at least one person dead, reports AlterPresse. The Haitian newsfeed described (Fr) the scene as follows: “Mutiny participants on the roof of the prison screaming ‘Long Live Preval’ and ‘Freedom’, noisy demands...
France & Francophonia Commemorate Slavery Amidst Curriculum Controversy
Image courtesy of oliviermr2 A Day of Remembrance France commemorated slavery for the first time on May 10, reports Haiti's Alterpresse: Le président francais qualifie d’infamie, la traite négrière et invite les Français à « regarder tout notre passé en face », « sans concession ». Abdou Diouf, Secrétaire général...
Haiti: Advertising works
Living in Haiti has opened the eyes of T&T & Tribe, a family of US missionaries, to the fact that “advertising works”: “We have not felt any burning desires to go get a bunch of junk that we did not know existed prior to seeing the commercial, the billboard, or...
Haiti: Two thumbs down for Kevin Sites
Alice Backer gives reporter Kevin Sites “two thumbs down” for his Flickr photo journal of Haiti. “The photo journal does what mainstream journalists usually do when they show Haiti: show the very worst and the very worst *only*. Some would argue that the shock created by the pictures helps bring...
Images from Haiti: Hinche's New Cathedral
Hinche's new cathedral, Haiti. By Martin Baran. Martin Baran blogs photos of Hinche, capital of Centre department, Haiti.
Haiti: CONAREPA, a New Peasant Organization
“A new coalition composed of six peasant organizations from different regions was created May 4″ says (Fr) Alterpresse. “CONAREPA's [National Coalition for Haitian Peasant Demands] objective is to look for appropriate solutions to the peasants’ main problems” and “does not embrace a particular political ideology or any political party.” Their...
