Day 4: Remembering

Great mountains surround the city of Port-Au-Prince.  At night, the lights of houses in the mountains look like tall skyscrapers from far away.  Like skyscrapers, the wealth ascends the heights.  The higher up the mountain you drive, the more expensive the land.  The wealth inequality is quite large in Haiti, and those with the money like to be secluded up high, a metaphor for how things play out in that country.

We journeyed into the mountains to visit a cultural immersion organization started by Carla, an American woman, and her husband called "N a Sonje (we will remember) Foundation."  Her, along with 4 Haitian boys about my age gave us a presentation on Haitian history.  They told a story in dramatic fashion about a peaceful Haiti pre-colonization and the evils brought upon it following occupation.  They spoke about slavery in the country and the revolt that led to the first successful freed slave republic in the early 1800's.  Finally they spoke of the lead-up to modern times, where continued foreign investment and occupation continues to dominate politics in the country.

The presentation was extremely guilt inducing, particularly for those of us in the position of power, coming from the tradition known for colonization.  After hearing the presentation, we struggled to find anything really helpful from the presentation.  The problem wasn't a matter of factuality.  The reality of colonization and occupation is a great tragedy to Haiti and continues to be so.  The need for people to acknowledge such things is also valuable, in order to keep perspective of the challenges the nation faces.  However, I realized this presentation lacked envisioning futures and possibilities.  If guilt is going to be the mechanism used to acknowledge history, it must be followed with envisioning a way forward, a way to work together for a new Haiti.  This is something that we ALL must work together on.  Realizing the problems we wrought upon the country and seek out new methods of communication, bringing the right voices into the conversation and seeking out what is best for the country instead of what WE think is best for the country.

We were impressed at the work Carla's foundation was doing in the community, helping children become educated, along with taking grasp of their history as a means to move forward.  She has obviously become a very beloved part of the community.

Carla also gave us her thoughts on post-earthquake Haiti, telling us how she believes the shock is finally wearing off and people are beginning to really feel the effects of the quake personally.  She spoke of higher tensions, pain, and problems in the city, magnified by the slow crawl of relief efforts.  In my short time, I strangely felt this tension.  For the most part, life was carrying on in the poverty stricken city of Port-Au-Prince.  However, it was obvious that the way forward has become harder than ever and the path forward is murky.  There were moments we did not feel welcomed as white Americans, which is understandable and not unusual.  Yet another reminder of the importance of envisioning possibility together.

May we remember as well.