Understanding Haiti's History
http://thekojonnamdishow.org/shows/2010-11-08/understanding-haitis-history
Since January's earthquake, an influx of international aid has been promised to Haiti. But Haitians have an uneasy relationship with the international community, and the U.S. in particular, stemming from over two hundred years of huge debts, political turbulence, and foreign occupation. We'll go inside this history and learn more about the resilient people who call Haiti home.
Guests
Robert Fatton
Julia A. Cooper Professor of Government and Foreign Affairs, University of Virginia; Author of the book, "The Roots of Haitian Despotism"
Bob Maguire
Director of Programs in International Affairs at Trinity University; Chairman of the U.S. Institute of Peace's Haiti Working Group
Comments
Please familiarize yourself with our Code of Conduct and Terms of Use before posting your comments.
I am a Haitian-American. I left as a young woman and have no plans of coming back.
From my perspective, Haiti has been at war with itself since its' inception. It is an incredibly proud country. But this pride is debilitating. Today the society is torn and self loathing. Since Duvalier's murderous regime the rural and urban poor feel the "mulatres or bourgeois" are not even Haitian. The "bourgeois" regardless, of what they do, are suspect. There are many ways of being Haitian. Inclusion and respect for all the different factions needs to be part of a healing process. Allowing dual citizenship would help. There is so much rejection within the society, for the diaspora, for voodoo, wheverer you fit on the color spectrum you are never black or white enough. Enough! We need to come together to help this country stand up again.
I listened to Kojo's show for almost every episode on Haiti and will catch up with the ones I missed. He or one of his guests may have mentioned a new book by Isabelle Allende, Island Beneath the Sea, which is a novel delivered via the narrative of a slave pre and post revolution. Diane Rehm interest Ms. Allende earlier this year. It was very well done. Some people who do not have the fortitude to make it through a "history" book on a topic, can absorb this type of material thus leading to taking on a further study of the topic. It is very much akin to how James Mitchner spoon fed his audience.