Today was not dramatic. It marks 11-months since the pillars collapsed in a Caribbean country already pillaged by colonialism, militarism, and neoliberalism. Yet like yesterday, millions of Haitians simply awoke homeless, jobless, increasingly ill with cholera, and desperately seeking change. Despite the heartwrenching footage sure-to-be-shown by major media one month from today, January 12 will probably not bear transformative significance either.
In its annual review of top Google searches, Zeitgeist found Haiti to be 2010's "fastest riser" in the news category. [Justin Bieber topped multiple categories.] Haiti's climb to attention started 11 months ago today, with both news and public interest ebbing & gushing since then.
This week added a few new taglines of Haiti woes, which make litany-form in most stories: "riots" "civil unrest" "flaming barricades" "Sarah Palin"...[Regarding that last one, the Grizzly Hunter's brief chopper tour was apparently neither helpful to, nor noticed by, any Haitians.]
Our challenge is to not reduce Haiti to the headlines it will undoubtedly continue making. Rigorous reporting about the country often doesn't make major outlets, except AP's Jonathan Katz. Ansel Herz also does a stupendous job. As I've mentioned, I keep watching Twitter feeds from people on the ground, and re-tweeting the info to this blog. From Twitter to Wikileaks---now is the time for us to seek information at its source.
And so, helping give voice to this unremarkable anniversary, I'll offer three things:
1. A concise and honest look at the intensifying social mobilization (i.e. the foundation of the protests, expression of collective voice) in the Boston Haitian Reporter, written by Haiti grassroots human rights worker Melinda Miles.
2. Photoessay depicting the subtext of the last 11 months. It was produced by Bri Kouri Nouvèl Gaye, a Kreyòl newspaper that serves as the major way Haitian camp residents learn the world news that affects them.
3. I close with Melinda Miles' words from a recent blogpost as she refers to the above photoessay. They are an eloquent tribute to Haitians and an entreaty to us.
"When will things begin to change for the better? Haitians never expected to be rescued, and in recent months a new grassroots mobilization for change has begun to grow throughout the IDP camps, the neighborhoods of Port-au-Prince, and the peasant movements of the country as a whole. Through peaceful protests and popular university discussions, people are beginning to envision their own path for the future. Where those least affected by the quake have failed to solve the problems, those most affected by it cannot fail. They must create a new path forward, because Haitians cannot remain under tarps for years.
These photos are heartache in images; they depict the most painful moments of confrontation between nature and the frail human bodies under tarps, between powerful international forces and the valiant young people, women and men who demand something better for their lives. They take us from pain to protest to action. Hopelessness is a luxury Haitians cannot afford, and so the challenge is to spend a moment with the Haiti of today and still find the hope you need to get up and do something."
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