An overview of Haiti and Port-au-Prince post-earthquake

Looking out through the window of the airplane, I see the barren hills of Haiti and understand now what is meant when people speak of the severe deforestation of the country, which has led to so many problems.  I remember last time I arrived -- everything I had been told had led me to expect a totally barren country with no tropical vegetation -- and I was pleasantly surprised to see plenty of banana trees and other green plant life, where I was out in the countryside.

However, I realize this does not reflect the full reality.  Compared to the lush tropical jungle on the Dominican side, Haiti is a desert.  Last time I came to Haiti, I missed out on a window seat and so I saw nothing of the country as we flew in (although I did get a little glimpse of it as we departed).  Now I see it.  And later as we drive through the mountains, it becomes all the more apparent. The barrenness of the natural environment reflects something essential about the state of the Haitian nation.  

As you can see below, the landscape is dotted with blue tarps and tents, showing how so many have lost their homes.  People are either living in tents on the street next to the rubble of their destroyed homes, or crammed into one of the 1,300 camps that now exist in the Port-au-Prince area.

With this project centered in Port-au-Prince, where we spent most of our time during our three weeks, I got to witness on a much larger scale the extent of the earthquake's catastrophic impact.  For my prior project, we had driven straight through the city and into the countryside to get to Grande Goave, and I didn’t really get a full sense of the destruction or how widespread it was.  I remember thinking, well, hmm, it doesn't look quite as bad as I expected.  But, of course, the devastation is in fact massive.
Everywhere there are cracked or semi-collapsed or completely destroyed buildings, interspersed with functioning structures.  Our hotel is flanked on both sides by crumbled buildings.

The presidential palace and what remains of the cathedral.




Everywhere there are piles of rubble that people climb over and the cars drive around.  Life goes on, business has resumed, while the city remains in ruins.  Downtown Port-au-Prince, the center of commerce, is completely decimated with large blocks of nothing where before banks and other commercial buildings stood.  In downtown Manhattan, we’ve got the gaping hole of the World Trade Center.  Imagine many such flattened areas, and multitudes of crumbling structures.  Downtown Port-au-Prince reminds me of pictures I’ve seen of war zones.  Business has returned, not quite 'as usual,' but bustling enough, with vendors lining the streets and crowding in under semi-collapsed stories that might fall in any moment.  I guess people are desperate enough to make a buck that they are willing to take the risk. 

Not much debris has been cleared, indeed not much of anything seems to have been done to improve the situation even now over a year after the earthquake.  Close to a million people still live in tent camps.  And they will probably continue to do so for years.  Look at how long it's taken here in the U.S. for the World Trade Center to begin to be rebuilt; and, apparently, there are still people living in temporary shelters post-Katrina!  I predict it will take ten years for Port-au-Prince to recover from the devastation of the earthquake.  If not more.  Given the shaky political situation in Haiti with at present a more or less non-functioning government, there is no firm foundation in place for effective action to be taken.   Thousands of international aid organizations have descended upon Port-au-Prince.  But there seems to be no coordination between them and help does not appear to be reaching the people who need it most. Where's all the money and where's all the help?  It's trickling down to the people but mostly held up by a formidable dam of bureaucracy.

All that remains is the cross

Haiti's political and social situation is so complex, I can't possibly fully explain it here.  Decades of political unrest, extreme poverty, natural disasters.  And now cholera.  People are frustrated and desperate, stuck in the camps with no clear way out.  No one has any work (unemployment hovers at 70 or 80%!  Compare that to the U.S. today where it's around 8.9% and that is considered a crisis).  There is growing frustration and resentment toward the international community.  The fact that UN workers supposedly brought in the cholera has definitely not helped.  From what I understand, some are frustrated at what they feel is an occupation of their country by outside forces.  To many it looks like foreigners are once again just meddling in Haiti's affairs, as they have throughout its history.  They resent all the foreign aid workers driving around in shiny SUV's making what appears to be only a marginal difference and yet making a lot of money.  Still, most Haitians are frustrated by what they feel is a lack of sufficient intervention, desperately wanting and needing and depending on international aid and attention. 

 

 We can't take it anymore

In an October 2010 report, Refugees International criticized the aid agencies' dysfunctional efforts: "The people of Haiti are still living in a state of emergency, with a humanitarian response that appears paralysed. Gang leaders or land owners are intimidating the displaced. Sexual, domestic, and gang violence in and around the camps is rising. . . . Action is urgently needed to protect the basic human rights of people displaced by the earthquake.  Living in squalid, overcrowded and spontaneous camps for a prolonged period has led to aggravated levels of violence and appalling standards of living." (http://www.refugeesinternational.org/policy/field-report/haiti-still-trapped-emergency-phase)

Against this backdrop, we arrive in Haiti with the objective to lift people’s spirits through an entertaining and inspiring performance and through creative workshops focusing on the healing nature of self-expression.  It may seem the last thing people need, but in fact what we hope to contribute is crucial.  We aim to help them recapture a sense of self, a sense of dignity and a sense of community -- that is, a sense of humanity! 

Now don't despair from this depressing outline, I have beautiful things to report from Haiti!

 

And look, lo and behold, in the downtown area stands a beautiful new market place!  Something has been accomplished, something new built!