We have a new phone number 1.888.508.4343.  We would love to hear your thoughts on our shows, your stories, your questions, and will try to play many of them on the show.

In this podcast we chat about why Kris was in Haiti (again), what the Haitian Connection Network is up to, a new place for you to stay called the Ocean View Beach Resort and Tennis Club, what it is like to be down in Haiti in July, and driving in Haiti.

Tonight, we have a very special interview with Taicha, our adoptive daughter.  We ask her what its been like for her to transition into our home, what she has liked and what has been her struggles.  We also discuss what it was like to live in the orphanange from her point of view.

For more information about the What if Foundation, please visit their site.   To find out about Margaret’s book, please visit here.

In our conversation with Jimmy, we chatted about where he was born in Haiti and some of the places he’s lived since then.  We briefly touched on his film career (Tears of the Sun and others) and some of the TV shows he’s worked on (The Shield and most notably Heroes).  I found it interesting that he still considers himself part of the cast in Heroes. I hope that means we’ll see him again in the show.

But the real focus of our conversation was about what drew him back to Haiti, what made him start Hollywood Unites for Haiti, some of the celebrities that have been involved, and the purpose of the organization.  He also shares his hopes for Haiti.  If you would like to know more about Jimmy Jean Louis and Hollywood Unites for Haiti, click here. Hope you enjoy the show!

The following is a brief description of Mission Manna from their website.

Mission Manna’s Core Values:

• Integrity
• Respect
• Humility

Mission Manna is a faith-based organization providing medical care for malnourished children and continuing health care education for adults in and around the Haitian town of Montrouis, while nurturing relationships through respect and creation of understanding between our two cultures.

The stories we tell…Mariam, who works as a physician’s assistant, saw the dire medical need in Haiti and traveled there three years ago to work in the remote villages of Haiti, meeting their medical needs.

Then there are the stories of the Haitians themselves, the people that lived there or still do, each one with a different unique perspective, on their own country.  I think of Arnold who came across on a skiff the the US, struggled the eight years he lived there, and used a forged passport to get back to Haiti.  He believes that Jesus and education are the only way to help Haiti.

And what of those stories of people like Chris Lieb, who sacrificed a six-figure salary in the computer industry to go live on a mountain in a mission that focuses on helping Haiti holistically?  Five years he has lived there with no thoughts of turning back.  He has been there in the midst of political upheaval, serving the Haitian community.  The organization he works for helps reforest Haiti, helps educate Haitians, provides a hospital with a 100 beds, and much, much more.

The stories we tell, the perspectives we share, the means and the way we all arrive in Haiti and grow to love the country are all different.  Some see the poverty and react, others go because of some religious experience calls them to go, while still others end up in Haiti because of jobs and adoptions.  Everyone’s story is different. Everyone’s story worth telling.

And we at Haiti in Focus want to tell it.  This means that we will at times have widely varying opinions and perspectives on the show.  Some will come across very religious, some will convey passionately a certain niche of work they are doing in Haiti, and some will share they way they see Haiti.  We lay out all out there, believing that some how the truth lies somewhere in the midst of all this.

We hope that such interviews will not be a deterrent to you listening to this show.  As always we welcome feedback and thoughts on all interviews we have and would love for you to share your perspective in writing or audio format to us. You can email us at haitiinfocus@gmail.com or call our listener line at (206) 600-482.

My first gut response is to exclaim: what do you mean let Haiti fail?  That is absolutely ludicrous!  Haiti needs our help.  We can’t just stand idly by.  What about our responsibility to the poor? The sick need to  be healed, farmers need to be taught, and orphans need to be loved.

But say for a moment that what we are talking about is not what we physically do in Haiti, but the money government and organizations throw into Haiti.  When we look at it from this way, Punchinello may have a point.  After all, the World Bank, the United States and many, many other organizations have dumped money into Haiti in an effort to help ease the poverty.  The effects of all our efforts are that while there have been pockets of change, over all Haiti remains the same.  Blame it on corruption with the Haitian government or whatever you want, the millions that we have thrown at Haiti already has largely not reached the masses.

So would it make a difference if we stopped pouring government finances into Haiti?  it doesn’t seem so, unless I am missing the picture somewhere.  I certainly don’t consider myself an expert on the issues surrounding Haiti.  I do know that the average Haitian could be given a bag of rice that would last them the month for around 50 bucks.  Divide that by a million dollars and you could feed 20,000 Haitians for a month.

There are many humanitarian organizations that are making a difference in Haiti.  Giving to these organizations makes a bigger difference than the money that is handed to the Haitian government.

Perhaps it is not so much giving up on hait, but rather giving up on the government.  However, its catch 22.  Can Haiti change without its government? Questions, questions, questions.

Do Haitians have a responsibility to help themselves? Certainly.  But I also believe that we need to walk alongside of them as they develop and progress.  We need to use the knowledge that we have to help them build a better, more effective, more sustainable country.

Thoughts?

Recently I was shocked to find that seventy years ago, a different Port-Au-Prince existed, one in which the streets were clean, where the cars that drove them were beautiful, where the people dressed cleanly and proudly.  The following video came to my attention once again from my friends at AIDG. I have never scene the Haiti that is in this video.  Yet I have hope, hope that if Haiti was once beautiful, that if Port-Au-Prince was once the glorious representative for it’s nation, that it can be so again.

It has been wonderful to see some of the attention Hollywood has been paying to Haiti recently. The Burn Notice recently had an episode focusing on Haiti. Heroes, of course, has had the reoccurring role of the Haitian.

Recently AIDG brought to my attention an humanitarian organization, founded by none other than the Haitian himself, Jimmy Jean Louis. He founded “Hollywood Unites For Haiti in 2008 as a means of helping the people of his beloved native land Haiti.” Born in Petion-Ville, Haiti, he knows what it is like to grow up with little, and has apparently not forgotten it. What follows is a brief interview with him. To find out more about Hollywood Unites For Haiti, please visit their website at Hollywood Unites for Haiti.

About two weeks ago, we were chatting about the possibility of using Carnival to foster tourism in Haiti.  However; now that Carnival is past and we find out that it has left one dead and 540  injured, there is a problem with this.  And this was our concern about the idea from the start: the safety of people and tourists traveling to Haiti for Carnival.

Sebastian said it well when he wrote “But for a country to receive high numbers of tourists, its infrastructure must be up to par, it must have both political and social stability, but most importantly it must reduce the insecurity that has plagued Haiti for the past 15-20 years. Additionally, there are not enough hotels in the capital to accommodate an influx of tourists and there are still today too many isolated instances of crime and kidnapping. Before tourism can be a significant part of Haiti again, it needs to have some basic transformations. Although I agree that the initiation of the tourist industry is the only way of developing it, who will come to Haiti when the basic infrastructures and basic security is not in place? I think most would rather be in the Bahamas or elsewhere.”

And we can not agree more.  He later goes onto say that Carnival might work in the tourist trade if we move it out of the capital city of Port-au-Prince.  Yet in a city in which 1 million people participated in Carnival, it would be wonderful to see the infrastructure of Haiti strengthened so that it could remain in the place with the most hotels and and the main avenue into Haiti.

I reposted the article about Carnival below from Sina English.

One dead, 540 injured during Carnival in Haiti

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) — At least 259 people were reported injured in the concluding hours of Haiti’s Carnival 2009,bringing the total casualties in the festivity to one death and 540 injuries, local police said on Thursday.

The sole fatality was identified as 15-year-old Sandra Pierre, who suffered several fractures in the skull after a gigantic carriage rolled over upon her during a street concert in Port-au-Prince, a police spokesman said on Thursday.

According to official statistics, around one million local residents participated in this year’s Carnival, which began on Sunday.

In order to guarantee social order and security, Haitian police had sought the cooperation of the Red Cross and UN peacekeeping forces, Gary Desrosiers, Haitian police spokesman, told Xinhua.

Olsen Jan Julien, Haitian minister of culture and communication, said that Carnival celebrations help create employment and consumption in sectors like tourism and transportation, which implies considerable economic profitability to the Caribbean country.

He deemed the cultural-social event to be positive despite the casualties, and said that a permanent committee is to be established for the conservation and promotion of the Carnival, which he called a cultural-material heritage of Haiti.

Finally, after weeks of wanting to do this, and after one botched recording session, we finally have Curt, Co-founder of the Connection Network and Haiti for the Kids, on the show.   He shares with us how he got involved in Haiti and what has drawn him back into Haiti year after year after year.  He shares stories of the an orphanage fire and the time an American Airlines flight down was turned around due to a supposed fire.  He and Kris comment on the current status of the Connection Network and the future of the organization.

These are the words of Maxis, a girl whose life mirrors closely the life of the protagonist of “Slumdog Millionaire.”  Now attending Luther College, she remembers growing up hungry in Haiti, though her mother made sure she had at least one meal a day.  Now her ambition is to return to Haiti and help her country.

This is really what we love to see.  It is certainly great that foreigners jump in a help Haiti.  No country in the Western Hemisphere needs help more.  But the thing that warms my heart and that of the Connection Network is seeing Haitians trained, schooled, and released to help their own country.  This is why Maxis, if she follows through with her ambition, will be worth so much more than an 8 Oscar movie.  Blessed are those who do not forget their own.

For more on Maxis, visit The Gazette Online.

We interview Steph, who was a first time traveler to Haiti last year and find out about her experiences there.  We also talk about navigating the Port-au-Prince Toussaint Louverture International Airport.

Cow on the back of a tap tap as referred to in the show.

Steph and crew waiting to get into the airport as mentioned on the show.

I think this is a phenomenal opportunity for any Haitian national who longs to better their country.  This is part of the grassroot’s efforts to help the infastructure of Haiti.  Below is the press release.  Even if you are not Haitian, I would encourage to check out AIDG and their work in the third world.

Scott

Zogpod.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Catherine Lainé, 800-401-3860 x703, claine@aidg.org This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Boston, 12/30/08 –  The Appropriate Infrastructure Development Group (AIDG), a technology R&D and small business development non-profit, is calling for innovative and dynamic ideas for its 1st business plan competition in Northern Haiti, KonKou Biznis Ayiti. The purpose of the competition is to help smart and passionate Haitian entrepreneurs solve some of the most pressing issues facing Haiti today.

This year’s contest focuses on biogas, a form of renewable energy that can hold an important place in the sustainable development of Haiti. This methane-rich carbon neutral biofuel can be substituted for charcoal, propane, kerosene and other combustible fuels for the purposes of cooking, heating or even electricity generation. The by-product of its production is a nutrient rich liquid fertilizer that can significantly increase yields of certain crops.

The team with the most promising idea for commercializing biogas in Northern Haiti will receive US$50,000 in grants and early-stage business financing for implementation over 2 years. In addition to the cash awards, the winning team will receive technical training on a number of biogas systems as well as training on the best practices of enterprise management.

Applications are accepted until March 6th. Five finalists will be announced March 16th and will compete in Cap Haitien for the grand prize March 29 - April 4. To learn more about the business plan competition or to apply, visit http://konkoubiznisayiti.com/

Key Contest Dates

• March 6, 2009: Deadline for submission of all business plans (5PM EST).
• March 16, 2009: 5 Finalists announced.
• March 29 - April 4, 2009: Finalists compete in Cap Haitien, Haiti for the grand prize.
• April 14, 2009: Winner/winning team announced.

AIDG (http://www.aidg.org ), founded in 2005, is focused on small and medium enterprise development to bring renewable energy, sanitaiton and water to underserved communities.

Copyright 2008 Konkou Biznis Ayiti - All Rights Reserved

#travel

Anyone traveling to Haiti knows there is virtually only one way to get there and back:  American Airlines (well, unless of course you are going to take a skiff across).  This is why the news that Delta is going to start offering flights to and from Haiti is such good news.  No longer will AA have a monopoly.

Best yet, “Delta is offering an each-way introductory discount fare to Port-au-Prince for $129, exclusive of taxes and fees. Book and buy by Feb. 23 and fly between June 20 and July 31. You’ll have to make a round-trip purchase on Delta’s Web site for the lowest price.”   Deals like this are once in a life time.

I have included the press release below.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Delta adding routes to Haiti, Bermuda

Atlanta Business Chronicle

Delta Air Lines Inc. is adding flights from New York to the Caribbean, including its first flights to Haiti in about 50 years.

The Atlanta-based airline will start new nonstop daily service between John F. Kennedy International Airport and Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on June 20. The new flights are the first Delta service to Haiti since the 1950s when Delta (NYSE: DAL) flew from New Orleans to Port-au-Prince.

Delta also will bring back daily nonstop service between New York’s LaGuardia Airport and Bermuda beginning May 22.

“Delta’s long-standing commitment to the Caribbean basin is now reinforced as we provide the growing population of Haitians in the tri-state area with more options to visit friends and loved ones in their native country,” said Gail Grimmett, Delta senior vice president, in a news release.

Thanks to AIDC for pointing this out. ]]> http://haitiinfocus.podbean.com/2009/02/17/delta-takes-on-american-airlines/feed/ http://haitiinfocus.podbean.com/2009/02/13/grassroots-efforts-in-light-of-prevals-visit/ http://haitiinfocus.podbean.com/2009/02/13/grassroots-efforts-in-light-of-prevals-visit/#comments Fri, 13 Feb 2009 10:24:45 +0000 haitiinfocus Posts http://haitiinfocus.podbean.com/2009/02/13/grassroots-efforts-in-light-of-prevals-visit/ #haiti

Grassroots Efforts in light of Préval’s Visit

The response to my blog on Préval’s visit to Washington demonstrated two things: people are dissatisfied with what is currently happening economically in Haiti and that current solutions being pursued by the government have not worked.  Yet I believe it to also important to state that I am not anti-Préval, as some people took my blog to be.   My intent was nothing more than to state a belief that no government, whether it be the United States, Haiti, or otherwise is or can be the economic savior to its people; nor do I think it should.

One person suggested that the Haitian government, instead of asking for money, should pursue a tourist marketing campaign, inviting the world to come see carnival in Haiti, taking place February 22 – 34.  This way, it would allow Haiti to showcase itself to the world and bring in tourists who would stay in hotels, use Haitian transportation, eat at restaurants, and buy goods to bring home.  This would obviously benefit the Haitian people and the economy.

This is not a bad idea.  Of course this would require Haiti to find ways of guaranteeing the safety of all tourists in all respects (physical, property and otherwise).  It would also require Haiti to clean up the area where carnival is occurring.

One of the ways that I like to hear about Haiti revitalizing itself  is through the grassroots efforts of individual Haitians themselves.  One such site that highlights such individuals is the Lambifund of Haiti. They have a few videos on their site, some of which have won national/international awards.

One video focuses on a grassroots effort of Haitians combating the deforestation of their country.  Another, and the one that really stands out to me, is the video that highlights a peasant woman and a project she is running with breeding pigs to become financially independent.  Pigs in some of the rural communities of Haiti function almost like a bank account.  No pigs means no money. It is this video I wish to share with you today.  Enjoy the video and please visit the Lambifund’s website.

Now I have no problem with Préval asking for aid.  If any country needed aid, Haiti is certainly it.  The fact that he is asking for $75 to $100 million  to specifically help create jobs appears to be a good thing.  In a country where people are earning under two bucks a day, getting better jobs; well better paying jobs is obviously key.

He goes on to state that if nothing is done and no economic aid is rendered, Haiti risks losing all the progress that has been made under Préval since he was elected in 2006.   Here I smell a rat.  I wonder if he’s not more concerned about his own legacy than the people of Haiti? Especially since things in Haiti seem to have gotten worse, not better, under his governorship.  Now that may or may not be his fault, but the point remains.

Is Haiti on the brink of disaster?  When hasn’t it been.  Yet Préval touts the idea that if we don’t do something now, then all is lost, like some doomsday prophet.  I know I am coming off as some anti-Préval wacko.  It has less to do with Préval and more to do with his association with the Haitian government, one which has been corrupt in the past.  So much money has been dumped into Haiti over the years and to what avail?  No notable progress has been made and what has been done, has been more the results grassroots humanitarian efforts than that the government.

Throwing money at the issue of Haiti will be only a bandaid on the problem, especially if we trust the government with the solution.  A much deeper healing needs to happen within. For this we need the many humanitarian organizations that work in Haiti.  Its these organization I salute; these organizations I give my money to.

Well our second episode of Haiti in Focus is up and live.  In it Kristen and I explore the idea of the Haitian upper-class, commonly known to the Haitians as being bourgeoisie.  Many times this judged solely by skin color because typically the middle and upper class of Haiti are of lighter skin.  As a result, we Americans are also dubbed with the same term.  Our chat in this episode highlights the reaction of poor Haitians being brought into a bourgeoisie setting, their reactions to that, and their perspective on us.  Enjoy the show.

Alzuphar wrote a startling article citing statistics that, while I know some of them and had heard them before, I had not thought about them or heard recent updates on them in a while. Here is a run down of some of the key Haiti statistics she mentioned:

• 80 percent live under the poverty line
• 70 percent are unemployed
• 50 percent are illiterate
• Majority of all fresh water sources have been polluted due to the poor sanitation systems
• More than half the deaths in Haiti are due to water-borne diseases

One almost expects, though does not want, such high statistics in Haiti.  In comparison to the United States and the rest of the world, they seem even worse.  We havevirtually no issues when it comes to clean water for drinking.  Only 12.3 percent live under the poverty line in the United States.  According the the World Bank, the number of people living below the poverty line worldwide is 26%.  Haiti is way above that. In 1996, the illiteracy rate around the world was 16%.  Worldwideunemployment is on average 30%. 20% of all people lack clean drinking water.  These statistics help place Haiti’s numbers in perspective.  There is no doubt that Haiti is acountry teetering on the brink of disaster.  In today’s economic crisis, things do not look good.

But the statistcs, as startling and shocking as they are, are not what really struck me about Alzuphar’s article.  What struck as being ever more important was that she wanted to see the faces behind the statistics.   It is so easy to forget when the staggering numbers come rolling in; yet this is really what it is all about.   The people.   Seeing the faces.  Building the relationships with the families.

This is where I want to be.   This is what the Connection Network is all about.  Focusing on the individual, getting to know them, helping them individually get further training and networking them into the job force.   This is how we fight poverty.

One face at a time.

Scott Hertzog

Zogpod.com

Is Haiti dangerous?  Flipping the question around, is Haiti safe?  Certainly, Haiti has had its share of political unrest; some of that has resulted in rioting, home invasions, and kidnappings.  The food shortages have made people desperate.  Hurricanes have disrupted travel, even affecting the last team we had down, stranding them in Haiti for 5 days (like that was a bad thing.  Inconvientient maybe, but not necessary bad).

But in my opinion, Haiti is no more dangerous than any other place provided you take some precautions.  After all, my wife would never think of walking the streets of Port-au-Prince alone.  Whenever she travels out and about, she always travels in a group or with a Haitian escort.  She is always aware of where she’s at and her surroundings.   Perhaps this is due to her growing up in New York City.  She carries herself in Haiti as she would there.  After all, the same types of people who take advantage of Americans in Haiti are the same types of people who would take advantage of American’s here.

Perhaps this it is the lack of independece we struggle with when going to Haiti.  I mean we actually have to depend on other people and can’t move about like we own the place.

Here’s the thing.  I would hate for people to advoid Haiti just because there is a little bit of danger involved.  Haiti is beautiful.  The people, though needy, have huge hearts and are friendly.  The culture is exquisit.

Please travel to Haiti!  But do understand where you are traveling to, and don’t throw your caution to the wind.

The poverty and the danger is what makes what Hands Together is doing so remarkable.  It was actually over 15 years ago my wife got the urge to adopt from Haiti, a story which she tells in our first podcast. I’ll let the video speak for itself.

In the past two weeks, we have had over 250 people visit our blog and over 60 people downloaded our first show!   A big thank you to all of you who participated in that.   We are always looking to hear from you, get your ideas, or hear your stories about Haiti.  We will use them on the show.  You can contact us by calling the listener line at (717) 983-4314 or e-mailing us at: haitiinfocus@gmail.com.

Now I am sure she was not really experiencing Haiti in its raw,rustic sense; I’m not sure I would expect her too.  What excited me was she was visiting a third world country in which her government had invested time and resources to help make it a better place.  And its not like Haiti provides Spain with some huge commercial value.

I tried to place this in context for myself.  This would be the equivalent of Laura Bush or Michelle Obama visiting the impoverished streets of Haiti.  It didn’t happen in Laura’s time and I doubt it will occur in Michelle’s.

Now I am assuming that Spain has no commercial interest in Haiti.  I don’t know my Spanish economics or politics.  But if Spain is being truly altruistic, I  am looking for the time when the United States heads into Haiti to help the Haitian people just because its the right thing to do and not because they get something from it.

On our Live! page located at Haiti in Focus, we will be using Ustream so you can observe us recording the show and a Chatango so you can ask questions, comment on what we’re saying, chat with other folks listening, and join the overall discussion we are having about Haiti.

Curt Edwards, from The Connection Project and Haiti for the Kids, will be joining us and sharing his perspective on Haiti.  The podcast will start sometime between 8 - 9 PM.

Come join us and we’ll see what happens!

Using pictures to teach reading is not a new concept.  When I first set about learning Italian, one of the first tools I used was the Rosetta Stone, a computer CD that taught me through pictures that the words I was  hearing had visual and written meaning.  Yet using comic books is a bit more cutting edge than the traditional text book approach.   Will this revolutionize Haiti? Probably not.  But any step in the right direction, any way we can help Haiti and Haitians, is always a positive thing.

Click on link below to listen to the story.

Here is the story.

The entire article is below.  Please visit the NPR site for more information.

Haiti Fights Illiteracy With Comics

by Kenny Malone

January 15, 2009 · Comic books are being used to help fight illiteracy in Haiti. We explore the efforts of artists, schools and publishers to improve the percentage of the population able to read.

Story is copyright of the NPR site.

When we travel to Haiti, there is the idea of American time versus Haitian time.  Americans are typically punctual where as Haitians, if they tell you they will be somewhere at 5 o’clock, it might be 6, or 7, or even 8 till they show up.  That day in the bank, my wife was on American time.  She had come to Haiti to spend time with her future adoptive daughter, not to be in some bank line.

Call it my nievity of the whole adoption process, but I remember thinking when we started adopting it would be a year and a half and then we’d have Taicha.  This was based on websites we were reading at the time.   Now three years later, we are no longer reading those websites and we know that that timeline must have been Haitian time.

This is frustrating to Americans who feel like their adoptive child is growing up before their very eyes.  I would often joke that Taicha would be through college before we get her.   However, more and more I have taken the approach that this is Haiti.   To me, that explains it all.

But Taicha is coming.  Yesterday, we just received news that her passport is done and that the adoption is entering the American side of the process.   This is good news because once it hits INS, it takes about four weeks, give or take. That means that by the end of February, Taicha will be here.

We are ecstatic.

Yet we feel for the hundreds, if not thousands of families moving through the Haitian adoption process.  Its hard when you start the adoption  and the child is age four.  Then three years later, she is seven and you feel like she will be in college and driving before your get her.  Its hard when you hit road block after roadblock.  Someone forgot a signature.  The archive of a father’s death certificate is missing.  The lawyer spelled her name wrong so it needs to go back to her and then resent.

With all the hiccups we have felt in adopting from Haiti, we have wondered at times whether Haiti wants to help their orphans get a better life. You would think that in a country as impoverished as Haiti, they would be finding ways to expedite the process and move children from orphanages into their adoptive home as quickly as they can. We have felt all these things and I suppose we will eventually podcast a bit more about our experience and thoughts about adopting from Haiti.

Haiti: the poverty is extreme and every Christmas commercial stereotype of emaciated children is a reality here.  According to an article in the Miami Herald, Haiti’s problems are expected to get worse (See here).  When one flies over Haiti or walks the streets of Port-au-Prince, one might say the land is dull, worn, and destitute. The same, however, cannot be said when it comes to their art.

I remember walking the streets outside Baptist Haiti Mission this past summer and seeing rows after rows of vibrant paintings, depicting scene after scene of Haitian life.   The resilient canvases painted a proud Haiti, a beautiful Haiti, a Haiti that if only judged by her paintings would be much like her Caribbean neighbors.  This is one of the reasons we chose a Haitian painting for our logo.

And this is another reason why I was excited by Bryan Schaaf’s blog “Experiencing Haitian Art.” I will not recap the article here, but please do visit his post. It contains many links to places at which to see Haitian Art online.

The one thing I do want to point out is the Aid to Artisans site, which provides Haitians with an outlet to sell their art in various stores and online.

Talking about interacting, we got a new number that you can call and ask us anything or share anything about Haiti.  We WANT listener interaction and will make it apart of the show.  If we don’t know the answer to something you ask, we will certainly ask people who do.  You can call us at (717) 983-4314. Thanks for your support.

My Podcast Alley feed! {pca-77272a12514b2dbc2f39ef0df8c41dc5}

The feast of “Los Reyes Magos” (The Three Kings) is a Christmas associated holiday I first heard about while living in Mexico and Guatemala. Celebrated on January sixth, the day commemorates the coming of the three wise men or kings to visit the new born baby Jesus.  Children traditionally lay out grass and water in bowls for the wisemen’s camels.  In the spirit of St. Nicolas, the wisemen in turn give the children gifts, typically toys and treats.

This holiday is mostly thought of as a Latin American holiday, due to the huge influence of the Catholic and Christian traditions there, but it is celebrates in haiti as well.  The tradition is celebrated three different ways by the three main spriritual groups there.

Darlie writes: However, the Epiphany still remains controversial in Haiti for the country’s three most popular religions (Protestantism, Catholicism, and Voodism).

To mark this day, Catholics celebrate the Eucharist. For the voodooists, it’s a day to visit the “ougan” (voodoo priest) and take their lucky bath. While the Protestant christians don’t join in because for them, the holiday is for the Catholics…

If there is one thing about the holiday Haitians agree on, it’s that the Epiphany is the bridge between Haitian Independence Day and the festivities of Carnival. Yes, Haitians wait every year for this day to kick off Carnival. It’s surprising, but true. Haitian Carnival begins next Sunday on the Champs-de-Mars were numerous traveling music groups [buskers], called “bands on foot”, will gather to make the hundreds of thousands of people, coming from all four corners of the country, dance.

I suppose that no matter what their belief is, the core thing here is that Haitians are finding reasons to celebrate.   In a country like Haiti, with itd poverty, hurricanes, and school collaspes, any celebration and dance is wonderful.

Miami Thousands of shoes left on a road in Miami will be sent to families in Haiti. The Florida Highway Patrol said that workboots, slippers, trainers and in-line skates appeared mysteriously on a busy road, disrupting traffic for hours. The charity Soles4Souls, based in Nashville, said that it would redistribute them. (AP)

No, I did not empty my wife’s closet on the shoulder of a Miami Road. Nor was I in Florida.

While I would never condone littering in any fashion (even cigarette butts thrown out of car windows bother me), what impresses me about this event is that someone from Soles4Souls took the initative to claim the shoes for a Haiti, a country that has great need.  My hat is off to them, though I know little about them.

Now my only hope is that they dont end up on the side of an already cluttered Port-au-Prince street.

Some French-speaking Haitian bloggers pay homage to the anniversary while readying themselves for the difficulties their country will have to face in the future:

Darlie explains the historical events which led to the island’s independence but also tells of the traditional celebration inherited by Haitians: eating “soup joumou” on January 1st [Fr]…

On raconte que du temps de la colonie, à Saint-Domingue, la soupe était très en vogue et réservée uniquement aux maîtres d’esclaves et dans la plupart des cas à certains esclaves domestiques communément appelés esclaves talentueux comme par exemple Toussaint Louverture. Le parfum envoutant du mariage des légumes exotiques et de la viande bovine ajoutée sur les multiples revendications que les esclaves des champs murmurèrent déjà, suscitèrent chez eux le désir de révolte.

It is said that at the time when Santo Domingo was a colony, soup was in fashion, but only for the slave masters and mainly some house slaves, called Talented slaves, like Toussaint Louverture. The enticing smell of local vegetables and beef meat added to the numerous claims that slaves had already secretly provoked their desire for revolt.”

While she wishes her people “a good meal”, her Season’s Greetings sound more like a plea for solidarity [Fr]: Vivons en vrai, vivons ensemble, marchons unis sur le chemin de la fraternité, de la paix et de la réconciliation Let’s live truely, together, let’s walk united on the path to brotherhood, peace and reconciliation

These words from Darlie are all the more interesting given Haitian President René Garcia Préval’s forecast that 2009 will be “a difficult year…for Haitians” (as reported by Romandie News [Fr]) during his official visit to Gonaïves in northern Haiti. Coincidentally, Gonaïves is the historical birthplace of Haiti’s independence - and also the region that suffered most from 2008’s devastating hurricanes.

In the blog HaitiRectoVerso, Decky Lakyel relates with a certain amazement the early arrival of the Haitian government officials in Gonaives, one day before the official date of the celebration. Blogging about an interview heard on Radio Kiskeya, he explains the double motivation of this early visit: Le ministre confie que le séjour inhabituel de 48 heures des membres de l’Exécutif dans la Cité de l’indépendance pour marquer les 205 ans de l’épopée haïtienne, représente une « manifestation de reconnaissance de l’importance symbolique » de lieux fondateurs de l’histoire nationale. Outre les activités officielles, le Président Préval, la Première ministre Pierre-Louis et leurs principaux collaborateurs auront l’occasion de s’entretenir avec les victimes des intempéries qui avaient durement frappé les Gonaïves.

The Minister confesses that the surprising 2 day visit of the Executive officials to Independence City (Gonaïves) to celebrate the 205th anniversary of the Haitian epic, represents the “acknowledgement of the symbolic importance” of those founding places in Haitian national history. Besides the official program, President Preval, Prime Minister Pierre-Louis and their team will have the opportunity to talk with the victims of the disasters which struck Gonaives so brutally.

But after reading the last post of Haitian blogger Stanley Lucas in Solutionhaiti, it is quite obvious that not everyone is convinced by these efforts.

by Fabienne Flessel