Haiti's Environmental Forecast

The beauty of Haiti.

The beautiful island of Haiti is “Locked in a vicious cycle of environmental disaster, hunger, poverty and reliance on international aid, it’s perhaps the most extreme example of what is happening to many of the world’s poorest countries,” (as reported by Global Issues which is referencing the UK Unreported World documentary on Haiti called "Haiti: The Island that Ate Itself"). The small island has had more than it's fair share of earthquakes and hurricanes in its position as the "Caribbean Belt."

Haitian farmer tending to crops.

As we all know, Haiti has been hit with devastating storms that have greatly affected the environment there as well. Global Issues reports on the impact to the farming industry after a series of hurricanes desecrated the topsoil, "A cycle of destructive practices continued whereby each year’s hurricanes and resulting floods would then be able to erode more and more of the soils, as the remaining forests could no longer protect the environment and absorb the water. Rice farmers also found their crops destroyed by the weather. Many hillsides and country sides now reveal enormous amounts of underlying rock. Top soil is crucial for agriculture and its loss is a severe issue."

December through April turns out to be the BEST time to travel to Haiti!

Our expected average temperatures in Port-Au-Prince is between 70-80 degrees Fahrenheit with a 10-20 degree dip during the night! January is also typically the driest month for Haiti, so we're in for a real treat during our stay. 

The Humidity also hovers between 68-79% which is typical of tropical climates and also largely different from the Dominican Republic neighbor whose humidity is rarely below 60% and typically above 90%!

Media in Haiti

At present time, Haiti’s most popular form of media is radio.  In a recent survey, it was found that nearly every household in the country owns one and almost all of them listen every day.  This data was also found with surrounding cities.  Among the programs listened to, the large majority were news broadcasts, followed by music, religious programs and sports.  Radio is the preferred source of media, though less than 10% of the population prefer television.  Television is much less popular due to the lack of reliable electricity so only about a third of the population, even has access to it. 

Another media source in Haiti is newspaper.  Though newspaper remains a highly influential source of news and information, most Haitians can’t afford it.  Another problem with newspaper in Haiti is that only about half the population can read and write.  In addition to that, the newspapers in Haiti are published in French which also poses a problem because many of the people in Haiti may who can read and write, can’t read and write in French.  There is a similar problem with Television programs.  Most of them are broadcast in French while most radio stations broadcast in Creole.

Government and Politics In Haiti: The Overview

Haiti is a republic island headed by President Michel Martelly and Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe. In Haiti, the president is appointed through the popular vote of Haitian citizens. After the president is elected, he/she appoints a Prime Minister. Together, the President and Prime Minister work together to form their cabinet.

Haiti’s government consists of three branches: Executive, Judicial, and Legislative. The Executive branch consists of the President, Prime Minister, and the cabinet. The Legistlative branch made up of the Senate which has 30 seats that are appointed via elections. The Chamber of Deputies is also a part of the Legislative Branch and is composed of 99 individuals. The Judicial Branch consists of the Supreme Court.

Throughout the past two decades, Haiti has experienced political disasters and instability. Prior to the 2010 earthquake, Haiti had experienced its fair share of power-hungry dictators from Francois Duvalier “Papa Doc” to Jean-Betrande Aristide. It is not until the presidential reign of President Michel Martelly that Haiti will have a president with their best interests at hand. With the support of the United States of America, President Martelly was able to win the 2011 elections. Since his election, President Martelly has aided in providing vaccines for the cholera outbreak and 1,500 homes for those who were left homeless after the 2010 earthquake. Despite his efforts, President Martelly still does not have the support of many Haitian citizens because they feel that he is not doing enough. Now that he has not held the scheduled elections, his favor among the Haitian people has decreased exponentially. 

The reading “What is Voodoo? Understanding a Misunderstood Religion” touches on the ideas that we discussed about the dangers of one story. Too often movies and media have depicted the voodoo religion inaccurately. Most people associate voodoo with violence and devil worshiping. People who practice this faith are perceived as withchdoctors, sorcerers or people who seek evil and harm others. This negative perception of voodoo is often a result of racism. Voodoo was first practiced in America and the Caribbean by slaves of African descent, whose culture was both feared and ridiculed.Slaves were not considered fully human. Their religion was dismissed as superstition, their priests were denigrated as witchdoctors, their Gods and Spirits were denounced as evil. This rejection of the unknown and the abnormal has transcended to the present. Also, the degradation of the voodoo religion during colonial times can be associated and explained through the lens of Catholic religiosity, and economic benefits of the time. It would make sense for people who wanted to disassociated themselves from Africans, to reject voodoo as something evil, if they believe that their religion is the true one. This same religious debate was used at the time to make sense of slavery by dehumanizing Africans. Therefore the dangers of one story initiated as a mechanism  to create difference and inequality and has persisted as such in a less depicting manner. This reading is also interesting because it makes an attempt to deconstruct one story, and make sense of the “real story”. A good question for future debate is “Is there a real or adequate story with regards to religion?” also “Is there a real story at all?” 

One particular quote from the reading that touches on this idea is: "To understand what they believe, you have to first understand how a Voodooist sees the world." From this idea it appears as though the author believes that the "true story" can only be told by the people who are making sense out of their own reality through that story. Only Voodoo followers know the true story of Voodoo religion.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/saumya-arya-haas/what-is-vodou_b_827947.html

- this is a link to the full article

I've chosen this article because the Voodoo religion is prominent in Haiti, and is followed by large numbers of people particularly in rural areas.