Global Voices » Haiti

Caribbean Flu Scare was Accidentally Made in China

Georgia Popplewell — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 22:04:21 +0000

What's in a name paired with a couple of numbers and letters? A great deal, it turns out, when those letters and numbers refer to a strain of the influenza (flu) virus. While it's not critical to be able to tell your hemagglutinin from your neuraminidase (the two proteins at the source of the “H” and “N” flu naming conventions), as the National Pork Board states in its influenza naming guidelines (PDF): “Knowing the proper name to call a flu virus is important to be factual and to avoid misinterpretation and improper response.”

Case in point: last week's bird/swine flu mix-up, which saw officials in Trinidad and Tobago pointing fingers at Venezuela in the wake of (baseless) bird flu concerns following a visit by an official delegation led by Chinese president Xi Jinping, and officials in Haiti imposing a ban on the importation of meat and poultry products from their neighbour, the Dominican Republic.

The likely source of the mix-up, according to Canadian novelist and blogger Crawford Kilian, was a Chinese-to-English mistranslation by Xinhua, China's official press agency.

The first clue, spotted by Kilian on June 6, 2013 and reported in a blog post entitled “H7N9 [avian or bird flu] in the Caribbean? Not likely”, was a report in the Trinidad Express Kilian described as “the least likely story since the outbreak [of avian flu] began.” The Express article centred on a “suspected” case of bird flu in Trinidad and Tobago, and reported that “questions were beginning to surface” as to why, given that “China is currently battling a bird flu pandemic”, members of the 153-person delegation that accompanied Chinese president Xi Jinping on an official visit to Trinidad last week were not tested for bird flu on entering the country.

The article quoted Trinidad and Tobago's Minister of Health as saying that while there was no “outbreak” of bird flu in the country, Trinidad and Tobago was in fact susceptible because of its proximity to Venezuela.

“Where to begin?” wrote a nonplussed Kilian. “The idea that senior members of the Chinese government might be carrying H7N9 is simply ludicrous, unless we assume that President Xi and his colleagues also moonlight as chicken merchants. China is not “battling a bird flu pandemic.” The reported Chinese death and case numbers don't make sense. And whatever they have a lot of cases of in Venezuela, it's not H7N9 or H5N1 [strains of bird flu].”

Later that day Kilian reported having found the likely source of the misinformation: an article from China's official press agency, Xinhua, bearing the headline “Bird flu virus infects 724 people in Venezuela“. The Xinhua report makes reference to the “the A/H1N1″ bird flu virus”: H1N1, however, is swine flu, not bird flu. (Chinese-language Xinhua articles such as this May 28 report [zh] refer to the Venezuelan outbreak by its correct name and number).

The Florida-based Haiti Observer blog carried a similar error in a June 7 post about the ban imposed by the Haitian government on the importation of poultry and other meat products from the neighboring Dominican Republic, where, according to the article, a warning had been issued “regarding the reappearance of avian flu (H1N1 virus)” (emphasis added). The error was reproduced [fr] in the Haiti's French-language daily, Le Nouvelliste.

The Dominican Republic exports a reported 25 million eggs and 8 million chickens to Haiti each year. While there was in fact an outbreak of the H2N2 strain of avian flu in the Dominican Republic in 2008, Dominican officials have been adamant that the country is currently free of bird flu, stating that the country's five flu fatalities have been due to swine flu, which has no impact on the quality of local meat exports.

The thumbnail image used in this post is by Samantha Celera, used under an Attribution-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic Generic Creative Commons license. Visit Samantha Celera's flickr photostream.

Haiti: The “White Savior Industrial Complex”

Janine Mendes-Franco — Fri, 10 May 2013 00:01:33 +0000

kiskeácity links to a letter which “echoes many of the issues Haitians face with the White Savior Industrial Complex…and its army of 3,000 NGOs, 12,000 UN troops, innumerable speakers for Haiti, appropriators of Haiti's ancestral religion, culture and music and other so-called ‘allies’ who silence Haitians for a profit while assuming their voice.”

Haiti: “Better Prisons, Fewer Prisoners”

Janine Mendes-Franco — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 02:49:14 +0000

Haiti does not need more prisons, it needs better prisons and fewer prisoners.

Haiti Chery provides some interesting statistics which support his view.

Haiti: CARICOM Should Speak Up

Janine Mendes-Franco — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 01:39:49 +0000

Appalled by the “legal immunity” that the United Nations appears to have in the country's cholera epidemic, Kevin Edmonds says that it's high time Caribbean leaders speak up for Haiti.

Haiti: Too Fragile to Shoulder the Blame

Janine Mendes-Franco — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 01:35:00 +0000

Can I get an A-MEN?

When it comes to an analysis of the country's aid management failures, kiskeácity admits she couldn't have said it better than Haitian filmmaker Raoul Peck.

St. Vincent, Haiti: Easter Traditions & Changes

Janine Mendes-Franco — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 03:14:37 +0000

I find Easter has taken on a ‘carnivalish’ vibe.

From St. Vincent, Abeni muses about “the changing face of Easter”, while Theater of Life looks at the Haitian tradition of kite-flying at Easter time.

Will Brazil Stem New Tide of Immigration?

Thiana Biondo — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 10:39:09 +0000

This post is part of our International Relations & Security coverage.

Brazilian visa. By TheTransparentEyeball on flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

The global financial crisis, wars and natural disasters have inspired a new wave of immigration to Brazil. According to the Ministry of Justice, the number of legal immigrants entering Brazil rose by 50% over a six month period [pt] in 2012. The majority of immigrants came from Haiti, Bolivia, Spain, France and the United States.

The new arrivals have not gone unnoticed by mainstream media or the general public. Recently, the popular TV show Domingo Espetacular broadcast a report [pt] called “Perseguidos” (‘Hunted’) which tells their story. Brazilian blogger Pedro Migao [pt] praised the report for describing the many different reasons why immigrants are increasingly turning to Brazil.

However, the consequences of the upward trend in immigration remain the subject of heated debate. In an article entitled “The Other Face of a Global Player” on Mundorama.net [pt], Patricia Martuscelli says that while ‘old Europe’ is creating tougher immigration policies amid economic woes, Brazil has yet to come up with a decisive policy of its own:

É possível analisar que, frente à impossibilidade de atender completamente as demandas de sua própria população, seria difícil para o governo lidar com os custos internos e internacionais advindos de sua posição como global player, principalmente com a situação dos imigrantes e refugiados. Contudo, quanto mais o Brasil demorar em tratar dessas questões, mais elas se agravarão, pressionando a sua população.

It is possible to deduct that due to its inability to fully meet the demands of its own people, it would be difficult for the government to deal with domestic and international costs arising from its position as global player, particularly in relation to immigrants and refugees. Nevertheless, the more Brazil delays addressing these issues, the more it will get worse, putting pressure on its population.

Another blogger, Patrícia Mendonça, says the Brazilian state should accommodate refugees despite widespread poverty:

Ao contrário do que veem tentando nos fazer acreditar, o brasileiro continua vivendo em estado de miséria em muitos pontos do país. Estão aí as secas em várias regiões para mostrar. Assim como estão as favelas… A aparente ascensão das classes D e E vem do crédito oferecido por empresas privadas (santas Casas Bahia) mas muito em breve acarretarão em aumento cada vez maior do endividamento das famílias…
Fica uma pergunta: Temos como acolher esses refugiados? Temos como oferecer dignidade?

Temos, uma dignidade mínima igual a de nossos mais pobres e com certeza maior do que a que teriam em seus países.

In spite of what they will have us believe, Brazilians are still living in a state of misery in many parts of the country. We see droughts in various regions. And there are the slums (…) The apparent rise of the D and E class is the result of the credit offered by private companies (holy Casas Bahia), but will very soon lead to an even greater rise in household debt…
One question remains: Do we have the means to welcome those refugees? Can we offer them dignity?

We have a minimal level of dignity among our most poor, that certainly is greater than what they would have in their own countries.

Brazil has around 4,500 refugees from 75 countries [pt] with the biggest groups coming from Angola and Colombia. As in many other countries, refugees and immigrants in Brazil are among the most vulnerable members of society. Yet Brazil is nevertheless attempting to take concrete steps to protect immigrants from exploitation. In São Paulo, for example, a law was recently passed to revoke the licenses of establishments found to be using slave labor. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees in the Americas has developed the “Amplify your Voice” program to help empower women who have been victims of violence as shown in video in Portuguese below:

Brasilia also expects the influx of immigrants to boost the national economy. A lack of skilled professionals is considered a major factor holding back Brazil’s economic development, a predicament that the government hopes to overcome by attracting suitably qualified immigrants [pt] to the country. The development of successful immigration policies may, therefore, make a telling contribution to Brazil’s reputation as an emerging global power.

This post and its translations to Spanish, Arabic and French were commissioned by the International Security Network (ISN) as part of a partnership to seek out citizen voices on international relations and security issues worldwide. This post was first published on the ISN blog, see similar stories here.

Haitian Artist's “Soliloquy of Chaos”

Matthew Hunte — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 04:33:56 +0000

Haitian-American painter Sophia Domeville is starting to make waves in the art world. Last year the abstract impressionist (who earned a B.F.A. from the College of New Rochelle) held her first solo exhibition, “Soliloquy of Chaos.” Right now Domeville is one of thirty artists selected to exhibit along side Janet Taylor Pickett for Art in the Atrium's “Generation Next”. (The exhibit closes on March 8th.) In addition to her painting, Domeville is also busy with non-profit work, specifically a mentorship program. She spoke to Global Voices about her artistic career, her community work, and her future plans.

Global Voices: What inspired you to become an artist in the first place?

Sophia Domeville: I started painting when I was 5 years old. First it started with my obsession of drawing on ALL of the walls within my home. In kindergarten, I was introduced to water colors and remember creating my first art work. I specifically remembered mixing colors just to get the right shade of green for the leaves on my tree, adding orange to the yellow of the sun and a dash of white to the sky.

I didn’t realize it was something I loved until my freshman year in high school. While all of the other students were drawing geometric, I was experimenting with contrasting shades [and] adding depth to my shapes. I personally didn’t think anything of it but my art teacher noticed. She suggested I switch my major from English to Art. Funny thing, at first writing was my passion; I created short stories since elementary school but would bind my own handmade books with ribbon and draw an elaborate illustration as the book cover. I took Advanced Art for the next 3 years in high school.

This truly became my passion when I entered my first year within The College of New Rochelle, School of Arts & Science. Being away from my dad, having the room to just be myself without any restrictions, being advised by one of the best art departments I know and just creat[ing] into wee hours of the morning, helped carve out my craft immensely. I actually still remember drawing on 6ft by 6ft parchment within the halls of [the] dorm, feverishly creating the images that were in my head. The title of my piece was, “Black Skin, White Mask”…at 18 I was discussing racism, sexism and the masks we as a people wore on a daily basis just to survive within this world.

GV: Who/what were your early influences as an artist?

SD: My influences have always been my Haitian Culture, music, my family and how I view the world as a young woman.

“Re-Connection”

GV: In what way(s) has your artistic vision evolved?

SD: I have been drawing, painting and creating from the time I learned how to read and write. My vision evolved from understanding [how] the world around us affects our point of view as human beings, researching the topics of Nature in connection with the human body, breaking down the image on the societal views of Black Women, discovering Love for the first time, to using my Art as a tool that can help cultivate the world around me.

GV: Talk about your exhibition “Soliloquy of Chaos.”

SD: My Soliloquy of Chaos was my first exhibition after 8 years of not creating.

Soliloquy discussed my experience at age 28 when I finally decided to pursue my passion back into the Arts, discovering myself, falling in love for the first time, losing my home, the fear of not having financial stability and understanding my purpose as an Artist.

GV: And what about the “Generation Next” exhibit?

SD: Generation Next is a huge annual event held by Art in the Atrium a nonprofit volunteer’s arts organization that exhibits African American fine art throughout Northern New Jersey. This year I was selected to be one of thirty artists exhibiting alongside featured artist, Janet Taylor Pickett for Art in the Atrium, Inc.’s 21st anniversary exhibit.

“Repercussion”

“All Matter”

GV: What are your work habits/techniques? When and how do you usually paint?

SD: My work habits and techniques are quite unusual. I paint when I am inspired, emotional, in love, curious or angry. There is no set formula or structure to my art because it really is quite organic and never forced. I prefer painting between the hours of midnight to 4:00 AM ever since I was in college and that nocturnal habit [is] with me years later.

GV: How connected are you to the artistic community in the Caribbean? How does the Caribbean influence your work?

SD: I am now slowly becoming connected to the Artists within the Caribbean community as I connect more to my Haitian Culture and traveling outside of the Tri-State Area. I learned [that] the Caribbean [has] a lot of influence within my work through the usage of colors, shapes and techniques.

GV: Would you care to speak about the non-profit projects you are involved in?

SD: Halls That Inspire (HTI) [is] a nonprofit organization that uses art as a means to encourage and uplift youth. Using a ‘hands-on’ approach, this four-week intensive program teaches youth leadership development, along with the art techniques needed to beautify the halls of their schools and other facilities. By using positive messages that reflect academic excellence, self-pride, and anti-bullying as a focal point, youth are better able to resonate with who they are, and how they are connected to their communities and schools.

I am the current Vice President and will step down to transition as their new Executive Director this summer, overseeing all art projects, working with numerous schools throughout the country and implementing our new programs.

My passion [for] giving back to the community granted me an opportunity to become [a] mentor/teaching artist and one of the founding members of herDIVASpot, a non-profit entity that promotes the value and self-development of school aged young ladies.

To continue my connection with Haiti, I also oversee an Art program through Art Day Celebration, a program which cultivates and empowers impoverished and underprivileged children through the arts in Haiti, where last summer I had the opportunity to teach 150 children from three different orphanages about the power of art.

GV: How has new media impacted your career as an artist as well as
your non-profit work?

SD: New media has a HUGE impact within my career as an artist and non profit work. The age of Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Google+ and more can be quite overwhelming as an upcoming Artist who is doing pretty much the majority of the work alone. So it calls for alot of assistance from friends, scheduling and [most] importantly, self reflection. I try not to get too sucked into the world of social media but it has helped greatly with pushing my work to a much broader audience.

GV: Are there any contemporary artists whose work has made a great impression on you?

SD: Kara Walker has always made a HUGE impression on my work since I discovered her at age 18. I am fascinated by her usage of silhouettes, drawings, playing on shadows and bringing the taboo topics on slavery to the forefront. She has also remained relevant and fresh for a number of years while showcasing her work in major museums. I hope to one day do the same and possibly meet her in understanding her view as a Female Artist.

“Intuition”

GV: What is your vision for your future? In what new directions do you want to go with your art?

SD: My plans? To somehow create an opportunity to live and teach in South Africa or Ghana for 6 months to a year. I will continue [to] push myself as an artist, travel outside of the country to showcase my work, take on photography, printmaking, experiment on raw materials such as leather, cloth, rope and more. I am looking to deconstruct my usage of canvas and push the envelope on the idea of female identity with my new exhibition titled, ‘The Diary of a So-Called Woman'.

In the end, I will continue my work as a philanthropist, work with various schools both domestic and international, by introducing the importance of Art back into the schools and changing every community I encounter.

All images in this post were provided by the artist, used with permission. Video by Francesca Andre, also used with permission.

Haiti: The Politics of Identity

Janine Mendes-Franco — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 01:56:43 +0000

Tande blogs about “the relationship between cultural identity and belonging” and recommends a Haitian musician whose work goes beyond the identity politics and “offers a compelling example of how some of these tensions play out.”

Haiti: Will Duvalier Pay?

Janine Mendes-Franco — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 01:09:32 +0000

Kevin Edmonds blogs about Duvalier’s impunity in Haiti and what can be done to end it.

Haiti: Like a Phoenix from the Ashes?

Janine Mendes-Franco — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 13:45:25 +0000

Haiti Grassroots Watch examines the pros and cons of the Phoenix Project – a “massive public-private business deal [involving] a factory that would transform garbage from the capitol into electricity, a resource so rare in Haiti, only 30 percent of the population has access.”

Haiti: Water & Cholera

Janine Mendes-Franco — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 01:20:09 +0000

Was there a simultaneous sabotage of Haiti's municipal water systems while the country was grappling with cholera? kiskeácity links to the details.

Mobile Libraries Help Haitians Overcome Major Earthquake

Natalia Laczko — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 12:56:39 +0000

If today were 12 January, 2010, the world would be about to stop speechless on hearing news of the earthquake that would have destroyed Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti. The images would be heart-breaking, which would not stop an even greater shock following estimates that, in only a few minutes, 222 thousand people would have lost their lives and 2 million their homes. And if estimates were made with the heart, the calculation would be that all 9 million Haitians had been left wounded by the fear and uncertainty for their own lives, as well as for those of their friends and relatives.

The story of this earthquake would not fit into a book, but it is reading itself that is helping the Haitian population overcome it. This is because Libraries Without Borders is launching mobile libraries to circulate through the country's capital supplying books and, in doing so, offering a means of access to information and knowledge.

BiblioTaptap Bookmobiles in Haiti. Photo from the Libraries Without Borders website.

Operating in countries in the Americas, Africa and Asia, projects like these are carried out in developing countries and those left at risk from disasters and conflicts. In Haiti, the organisation acts in partnership with the country's National Library, which is being reconstructed, the Haitian National Bureau for Books and the Foundation for Knowledge and Freedom (FOKAL).

When faced with catastrophes, governments and international organisations join forces to distribute medicine, water, food, clothes and shelter for victims. However, people's basic needs extend beyond their bodies to their minds, spirits, hearts or wherever they have chosen to keep their feelings about what they have gone through. Badis Boussouar, Head of Communications at Libraries Without Borders, explains the role of reading in this context:

For Libraries Without Borders, there is no question that organizations and governments must devote the majority of their efforts to promoting the physical wellbeing of disaster victims. But more attention should be given to nourishing the mind as a second measure to help victims cope with catastrophe and move forward. Books and expression help sustain intellectual stimulation and promote self-worth and resilience in times of crisis. Through books, computers or training, access to information and cultural resources empowers individuals and gives them the tools to reconstruct what has been lost.

BIBLIOTAPTAPS

The organisation's mobile libraries have been inspired by the book buses that exist in other countries, especially in rural areas, and have arisen from the sad fact that most of Haiti's libraries were destroyed by the earthquake, along with 4,000 schools. 80% of the schools in Port-au-Prince and 60% of the schools in the south and west of the country were destroyed or damaged, according to data from the Disasters Emergency Committee.

They have been named BiblioTaptaps in homage to the typical local taxis. The first was launched in July 2012, and two more will be launched by this March. As can been seen in the video below [fr], the project mobilises Haitians of all ages, especially children, who are often the most affected.

While travelling through the Port-au-Prince neighbourhoods, each BiblioTaptap carries 400 books, including romances, poetry collections and plays, with half of them in the native language. In addition to literary topics, there are books on history, politics, economics and culture, both Haitian and from around the world. Users of the service also have access to photography catalogues, books on the arts and dictionaries, among other things. Books are chosen daily by the activity leaders based on the scheduled itinerary, so that reading is always simulating, whether for children participating in BiblioTaptap activities, youth wanting to better understand their country's reality in order to change it, or even adults or the elderly seeking information on health or how to care for their communities or the environment.

Book donations are welcome, but care is taken not to harm local book economies by providing excessive amounts of books.

THE URGENCY OF READING

This all forms part of the belief in the power of books to provide basic self-care knowledge along with other vital information for overcoming the trauma caused by the earthquake, which naturally, can neither be forgotten nor rectified in such a short space of time.

UNICEF supports education in post-disaster contexts and collaborates with Libraries Without Borders in Haiti.

The recent Libraries Without Borders initiative called The Urgency of Reading reaffirms the organisation's conviction that books and reading are an important means for victims to overcome this type of catastrophe. They appeal to international organisations involved in humanitarian work to: “1) expand reading, cultural and educational programs, which activate the human spirit and help individuals cope with trauma; and 2) make the provision of access to information and books a priority for international humanitarian relief”.

They can be helped in this endeavour by signing an international petition, as Tzvetan Todorov, Mario Vargas Llosa, Zygmunt Bauman, J.M. Coetzee, Robert Darnton, Roger Chartier and many others have already done.

It makes you think about what book would help in this situation. Maybe someone in Bangladesh is thinking of giving the Haitian people a poem by Rabindranath Tagore, perhaps someone in Russia is considering something by Maiakovski, but the first thing that came to my mind was a verse by the Brazilian poet Manuel Bandeira, which will be amazing when true for the entire world: Belo belo belo tenho tudo quanto quero (Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, I have everything I want). In the meantime, recognition of the importance of books and reading in situations involving natural disasters and calamities is increasing. Queens Library, for example, is offering books to the victims of Hurricane Sandy in the USA. To bring them hope, Walt Whitman.

Caribbean: What Happened in 2012 (Part 1)

Janine Mendes-Franco — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 21:51:21 +0000

This year, events in the Caribbean blogosphere were curiously bookended by hunger strikes. In January 2012, Cuban prisoner of conscience Wilman Villar Mendoza died as a result of a hunger strike he had undertaken about two months before. On December 5, 2012, Trinidadian environmental activist Dr. Wayne Kublalsingh ended his own 21-day hunger strike based on assurances that the government, the Highway Re-route Movement and various civil society groups would undertake an independent study about the section of proposed highway his lobby group was against. This resorting to hunger strike speaks volumes about the frustration many Caribbean citizens feel about their ability to have their voices heard. Here is a look back – by country – at some of the regional issues that generated meaningful online discussion this year…

The Bahamas
Elections were the hot topic of interest in the Bahamian blogosphere this year, with netizens weighing in here and here, after the results were out. The country got a new government: the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), which previously occupied the opposition bench in Parliament, was voted into power in what bloggers called a “landslide” victory.

Cuba
An economic embargo that has been in place for half a century seems almost unbelievable, but that's the reality that Cuban bloggers were discussing on the 50th anniversary of the United States’ embargo against the island. The most interesting part? The difference in perspective between Cubans still living in Cuba and those who are part of the diaspora.

The papal visit to Cuba in March also caused a lot of furor in the Cuban blogosphere, with many seeing the pontiff's trip as the Vatican's endorsement of the Castro regime, despite its questionable human rights record. Alienating bloggers further was the inability of the pontiff to meet with local opposition groups; the entire situation came to a head when the Archbishop of Havana asked that protesters who were demanding freedom for political prisoners and an end to the persecution of opponents of the regime, be forcibly removed from a church. Statements the Archbishop made afterwards did not help matters.

Pope Benedict XVI; CC image by Catholic Church (England and Wales)

In May, Cuban bloggers were talking about Mariela Castro's visit to the United States in her capacity as the Director of the country's Centro Nacional de Educación Sexual (National Center for Sex Education), as well as the state of human rights on the island, following a request for information by the United Nations‘ Committee Against Torture with regard to alleged human rights abuses. Press freedom on the island also came under scrutiny.

A more optimistic note was hit when bloggers got excited about Cuba's Click Festival, which focused on Internet and Society in Cuba, and the role technology can play in the country's future.

French-speaking Caribbean
One of the biggest points of discussion in the Haitian blogosphere this year was the Jean-Claude Duvalier trial. At the end of January 2012, the investigative magistrate looking into human rights charges against Haiti's ousted dictator “Baby Doc”, came to the decision that “the statute of limitations had run out” on those human rights abuses – but not on Duvalier's misappropriation of public funds. Haitians, both on the island and throughout the diaspora, watched as the greater charges against the formerly feared dictator fell away and he headed to court for what was essentially a slap on the wrist for financial impropriety.

Wyclef Jean; CC image by jdlasica

In August, the island was hit by Tropical Storm Isaac and two months later, a storm of a different nature took hold as musician and activist Wyclef Jean's defunct charity Yéle Haiti faced various allegations of financial impropriety. That same month, Mother Nature once again took a toll on Haiti in the form of Hurricane Sandy.

Issues of ethnicity, national identity, religion and immigration were once again raised with bloggers from Martinique and Guadeloupe, following some controversial political statements as well as the “Miss Black France” beauty contest. One of the most controversial posts of the year came from Martinique, about the alleged cancellation of the release of the American movie “Think Like A Man” in French movie theaters, which also raised questions about race and ethnicity. The debate continued following the French presidential elections; there was discussion as to whether Francois Hollande's new government – in which he had promised an equal number of women and men and ministers, and from all ethnic and cultural backgrounds – was appointing ministers for their competence or as ethnic tokens.

Read the second part of this post to find out more about what happened this year in Guyana, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago.

The images used in this post are as follows:
- Photo of Pope Benedict XVI by Catholic Church (England and Wales), CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
- Photo of Wyclef Jean by jdlasica, CC BY-NC 2.0

Coming out of the Water Closet: Haiti on World Toilet Day

Janine Mendes-Franco — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 12:46:33 +0000

Today is World Toilet Day. Of a global population of 7 billion, a staggering 2.5 billion people have no access to clean toilet facilities – that's about 1 in 3 people. Some of them live in the Caribbean; many of these live in Haiti – and the lack of this fundamental human right to sanitation continues to cause unnecessary disease and death. World Toilet Day aims to break the taboo around toilets and hygiene, and draw attention to the existing global sanitation challenge. To support the effort (kind of like what we did here) and rally around the campaign's “I give a shit, do you?” theme, this post revisits some of the ways in which the absence of what many of us take for granted – a private place to do your business – has made an impact on life in Haiti.

The island nation has, of course, had more than its share of challenges: natural disasters, the most devastating of which in recent times was the 2010 earthquake and its resulting water woes, reports of financial impropriety in charitable aid organisations, questionable “relief” donations that threatened to wipe out the country's struggling agricultural sector, coupled with hurricane damage and a massive cholera outbreak on the heels of the earthquake that added to the already steep death toll. Just over a year ago, Dying in Haiti marked the one year anniversary of the outbreak:

In October 2010 cholera started started infecting and killing Haitians.

It has been one year now and conservative numbers say that cholera has infected 500,000 Haitians and killed 6,500 of them. This is more than any place in the world. Including India, Africa, Anywhere….

Dirty water is to blame. And Haiti's water was deplorable long before the earthquake in 2010. It was deemed worst in the world in 2002….

That is one of the reasons I named this blog Dying in Haiti six years ago. Dirty water….

The post quoted a mainstream media article that explained:

Cholera is caused by a bacteria found in contaminated water or food. It spreads quickly in unhygienic environments and can quickly kill people through complete dehydration, but is easily treatable if caught in time.

Haiti has long suffered from improper sanitation because of its poverty but sanitation conditions in the capital and other urban areas became much worse after last year's earthquake forced thousands of people to set up makeshift shelters in public plazas, soccer fields and other open areas.

Out of 12,000 latrines needed, only about a third were reported to be working in August, down from more than 5,800 the month before, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said. Meanwhile, the number of nonfunctional latrines more than doubled, from about 1,300 in July to about 2,600 in August.

Also, more than 1,000 latrines have been abandoned, leading to outdoor defecation, which heightens the risk of contamination for people living in the camps.

Haiti's cholera epidemic was not just a health issue. It affected the country's elections and began to have an impact on international relations, as the tide turned against the United Nations presence in the country. (The cause of the cholera outbreak was traced to UN forces in the island.) This November 2010 Global Voices post examined the situation:

The outbreak has turned into an epidemic, with the death toll rising every day. Haiti, already poorly equipped to deal with this level of public health threat, has been grappling more than usual to contain its spread in the aftermath of the January 12 earthquake – nearly a year later, people are still living in tent cities.

Adding insult to injury – or, in this case, anger to anguish – have been reports claiming that the epidemic was caused by “excrement from Nepalese peacekeepers.” It is no secret that the occupying UN forces, known as MINUSTAH, have a troubled history in Haiti; bloggers have been quite outspoken on the subject, asking whether stabilization is actually a euphemism for subordination.

Against this backdrop, the mere possibility that the cause of the cholera outbreak could be traced back to MINUSTAH (a claim which the UN denies) is proving to be the final straw. As the disease spread to the capital, Port-au-Prince, so have the anti-UN protests.

Haiti Grassroots Watch explained:

Cholera is a disease of the poor, of the disenfranchised. Poor people in poor countries. Cholera thrives where there is no clean water, where there is inadequate sanitation, where there are poor health systems.

While it’s now clear that UN soldiers likely brought Vibrio cholera to Haiti, and while it is also clear that good health care, access to a clean water and sanitation, good hygiene practices and a vaccine can keep it at bay, it’s not clear how to achieve all of that before many thousands more die.

And even if cholera is beaten, dozens of other waterborne diseases threaten Haiti. According to the World Health organization, every year 1.4 million people die from waterborne diseases – about four per minute – most as a result of unsafe and inadequate water and sanitation.

Haiti Grassroots Watch decided to dig into the why and the how of Haiti’s ‘ravaged’ and ‘striken’ situation and asked

• Why has cholera taken hold so easily?
• Why don’t Haitians have access to clean water and adequate sanitation?
• And if all $164 million the UN is seeking is rounded up and cholera eradicated, what will keep another water-borne disease from sweeping ghrough the country?

This post couldn't answer those questions, but it did try to help spread life-saving information by profiling doctor/blogger Jan Gurley, who visited Haiti twice since the January 12, 2010 earthquake to volunteer her services, and created an instructional video on oral rehydration therapy (ORT) that she could leave with her Haitian colleagues and patients:

So where does World Toilet Day fit in? It hopes to raise awareness, inspire action, and make sanitation and hygiene for all a reality in the 21st century. You can get involved by sharing key messages about safe toilets, advocating for better sanitation by hosting an event and registering activities on an interactive World Toilet Day map, and telling the world why You Give A Shit on Facebook and Twitter. And lest you think that someone else's toilet troubles don't affect you, remember that diseases caused by ineffective sanitation can spread – even into areas that aren't toilet-challenged. Sign the petition, here.