Tag: Haiti

Tè Tremblé

The title of today’s post means “the earth trembles” in Creole. One of Haiti’s two official languages — the other language being French. I’ve chosen that title along with the subject of today’s post as an ever so small gesture of solidarity with the Haitian people. For those unaware, there has to be one or two of you out there, and cares that today marks the one year anniversary of the catastrophic earthquake that merely furthered, but exponentially worsened, the destruction, misery and hardship a bunch of nations, Canada most definitely included, has unleashed on Haiti.

No matter how desperate things may seem and are on the ground in Haiti, I guess the least — as in the very least — I could do is let the world know I’m thinking about them and trying to get others to do the same?

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Can You Seriously Blame Haitians?

Just a quick note this morning, a purely reactionary one to a bit I heard on CBC this morning, concerning Haitian distrust over solutions (read: medication) to fight the raging cholera epidemic. And apparently Voudoo is getting the blame for that distrust.

However I do think the a much more relevant reason for why Haitians apparently distrust advice from people trying to help them is, remember, where this advice (read: “guidance”) is coming from.

The same people who have occupied their country since a Western backed coup of their democratically elected President, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, in 2004? The same people who have exiled him and continue to keep their President banished in central South Africa? The same people who refuse to let the most popular political party in Haiti, Fanmi Lavalas, to run in the upcoming elections. The same people who, arguably, brought this epidemic to Haiti, in the first place (apparently the strain of cholera making its rounds in Haiti right now is endemic of Nepal, not the Caribbean)? The same people holding back aid money that was promised to them after the January 12th earthquake? I could go on…

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Giving Thanks

Today, in Canada, it’s Thanksgiving Day. A day which is traditionally set aside for giving thanks. So rather than briefly touch upon a few of the mind numbingly abundant numbers of absurd reasons why such a practice is so misplaced — given the world in which we live, and the costs many are forced to pay to the few — I’ll merely cite one reason why I’m thankful.

I’m thankful for people like Bill Quigley, and his writings. Like the one, Nine Months After the Quake: A Million Haitians Slowly Dying, that showed up in my inbox today. This is something everyone needs to read and think, hard, about, today, of all days. Please, when you are giving thanks, consider someone else.

If you’re in a position to, of course, a donation to Partners In Health, for their work, on the ground, in Haiti, wouldn’t be the worst thing you could do…

Nearly 6 Month’s Later

With the all too predictable absurdity of the G8 and G20 Circus’ behind us, and life returning to normal — for both the privileged minority and, sadly, a disadvantaged majority — it’s business as usual, as they say. Nothing productive has or ever will result for the masses from these meetings. In fact the opposite is more likely the case (see Naomi Klein’s piece, Sticking the public with the bill…, published in the Globe and Mail, today).

However I think it’s much more productive — more than getting into a low stakes pissing contest with disgruntled city citizens who have little to no understanding of what’s being protested — to highlight an issue that is most definitely related to the policies that were discussed, over the weekend, and have largely been forgotten by mainstream media. That being Haiti. The aftermath of the January 12th earthquake. And the reality facing Haitians, nearly 6 month’s later…

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