Haiti's prolonged cries answered after earthquake
Mount Holyoke students examine the Haiti relief effort
By: Joanna Arcieri
Issue date: 2/4/10 Section: Opinion
When I think of Haiti, I do not think of the Jan. 12 earthquake that devastated the country. I think of the paintings that fill my sister's apartment in Berlin. My sister, a Foreign Service officer, was stationed in Port au Prince from 2006 to 2008. Her drab Embassy apartment comes to life because of the Haitian artwork that covers its beige walls. These bright and lively paintings depict idyllic Caribbean villages and seaports, scenes that are now fantasies following the earthquake.
In the wake of the Haiti earthquake, an immeasurable amount of much needed aid arrived in the country. Some donations came from expected places such as international search and rescue teams and Hollywood celebrities. Others were comical when John Travolta, for instance, flew his private plane, filled with both medical supplies and scientologists, to Haiti. While any international aid to Haiti is welcomed and absolutely necessary, it begs two questions: why is the aid just coming in now, and how long will the aid last?
The first question is easily answered. Or is it? Given the severity of this natural disaster, it is expected that aid would arrive from other countries and private organizations. But Haiti has long been the Western hemisphere's poorest nation. Furthermore, it is no secret that prior to the earthquake, the Haitian government had frequently failed to govern and that the buildings in Haiti were structurally unsound. Food riots and a school collapse in April and November 2008 respectively emphasize these facts.
For whatever reasons, the poverty and instability in Haiti has been largely ignored by the media and the general public. Some non-profit organizations such as Partners in Health and Yele Haiti have generated public awareness about Haiti. But until the earthquake, Haiti remained largely overshadowed behind a war on terror, an economic crisis, and the Jennifer Anniston-Brangelina love triangle.
This overall lack of knowledge about Haiti and its history came to light when televangelist Pat Robertson called Haiti a "cursed" nation and ESPN.com columnist Paul Shirley asked "Shouldn't much of the responsibility for the disaster lie with the victims of the disaster?" This is hardly correct. In 1804, Haiti launched the only successful slave revolt. That same year, Thomas Jefferson and European leaders placed a trade embargo on the nation, effectively beginning Haiti's long history of poverty and instability that we are only seeing another chapter of now. So no, Haiti did not make a deal with the devil, just the white colonialists.
It could take more than ten years to rebuild Haiti. While it is necessary to question why Haiti never received the attention it deserved, it cannot be dwelled on for too long. The more pressing question is how long will the international community care about Haiti's economic and political instability. The bitter reality is that there will be another natural disaster or international crisis that will pull Anderson Cooper out of Haiti. Once that happens and reports about Haiti are not on the 6 o'clock news each night, how long will we care about Haiti? How long will donations come in? How long before we just say, "That's horrible," and continue to eat our dinners? It's already happening.
In the wake of the Haiti earthquake, an immeasurable amount of much needed aid arrived in the country. Some donations came from expected places such as international search and rescue teams and Hollywood celebrities. Others were comical when John Travolta, for instance, flew his private plane, filled with both medical supplies and scientologists, to Haiti. While any international aid to Haiti is welcomed and absolutely necessary, it begs two questions: why is the aid just coming in now, and how long will the aid last?
The first question is easily answered. Or is it? Given the severity of this natural disaster, it is expected that aid would arrive from other countries and private organizations. But Haiti has long been the Western hemisphere's poorest nation. Furthermore, it is no secret that prior to the earthquake, the Haitian government had frequently failed to govern and that the buildings in Haiti were structurally unsound. Food riots and a school collapse in April and November 2008 respectively emphasize these facts.
For whatever reasons, the poverty and instability in Haiti has been largely ignored by the media and the general public. Some non-profit organizations such as Partners in Health and Yele Haiti have generated public awareness about Haiti. But until the earthquake, Haiti remained largely overshadowed behind a war on terror, an economic crisis, and the Jennifer Anniston-Brangelina love triangle.
This overall lack of knowledge about Haiti and its history came to light when televangelist Pat Robertson called Haiti a "cursed" nation and ESPN.com columnist Paul Shirley asked "Shouldn't much of the responsibility for the disaster lie with the victims of the disaster?" This is hardly correct. In 1804, Haiti launched the only successful slave revolt. That same year, Thomas Jefferson and European leaders placed a trade embargo on the nation, effectively beginning Haiti's long history of poverty and instability that we are only seeing another chapter of now. So no, Haiti did not make a deal with the devil, just the white colonialists.
It could take more than ten years to rebuild Haiti. While it is necessary to question why Haiti never received the attention it deserved, it cannot be dwelled on for too long. The more pressing question is how long will the international community care about Haiti's economic and political instability. The bitter reality is that there will be another natural disaster or international crisis that will pull Anderson Cooper out of Haiti. Once that happens and reports about Haiti are not on the 6 o'clock news each night, how long will we care about Haiti? How long will donations come in? How long before we just say, "That's horrible," and continue to eat our dinners? It's already happening.