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Haiti
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Within Haiti, the only movement with any impact was spiralisme, founded by Franck Étienne in the late 1960s. Never openly political, spiralisme advocated a literary experimentation which was totally opposed to the closed discourse of authoritarian politics. It was only during the somewhat more relaxed regime of Jean-Claude Duvalier that spiralisme began to confront the Haitian state in Étienne's theatre, written exclusively in Creole. Outside Haiti... writing was characterized by a strident anti-Duvalierism. Novels by Depestre, Gérard Étienne, and Anthony Phelps were some of the most successful in the genre but never attained the high quality of the Latin American novels about dictatorship. Indeed, some of the most successful writing outside Haiti was not single-mindedly anti-Duvalierist, but began to question some of the received ideas of Haitian writing—cultural authenticity, national identity, and belief in the written word.
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In 1925, Haiti was a lush tropical paradise, with 60% of its original forest covering the lands and mountainous regions. Since then, the population has cut down all but 2% of its forest cover, and in the process has destroyed fertile farmland soils, while contributing to desertification.[1] Erosion has been severe in the mountainous areas.}. Most Haitian logging is done to produce charcoal, the country's chief source of fuel. The plight of Haiti's forests has attracted international attention, and has led to numerous reforestation efforts, but these have met with little success to date. Despite the large environmental crises, Haiti retains a very high amount of biodiversity in proportion to its small size. The country is home to more than 6,000 plants in which 35% are endemic and 220 species of birds in which 21 species are endemic.
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Haiti had seven presidents between 1910 and 1915, the last of whom was killed by a mob after ordering the execution of political prisoners. The following day the United States occupied Haiti. The Occupation lasted from 1915 to 1934 and had a profound effect on Haitian culture in the 20th c. Haitians, divided by colour and class when left to themselves, become united in the name of race and nation when there is a threat from outside. Consequently, the neo-colonial American presence in Haiti provoked a new wave of nationalism which manifested itself in different ways. There was a short-lived peasant revolt, the ‘caco’ rebellion, led by Charlemagne Peralte. The poet Georges Sylvain founded L'Union Patriotique in 1920 to protest against atrocities committed by the Americans.
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Haiti has a vibrant and large carnival season; referred to as Mardi Gras or Carnaval in French and Kanaval in Haitian Creole. It is held every year on the Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. The Jacmel Carnival is well known for its culturally appealing displays of costumes and masks. While it is a rather large carnival, it is dwarfed by the much larger Carnival of Port-au-Prince; the national parade which draws thousands of people annually. Vivid floats that are sponsored by the country's popular brand name products host some of the country's most well known musicians. Carnival season is a joyous event which is attended by both locals as well as those from abroad, which include the diaspora and foreigners.
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As co-founder of Harvest of Haiti, Patrick Moore provides medical care to desperately poor people in remote villages. Using his experience as a firefighter and former emergency medical technician, Moore treats patients with injuries, disease and malnutrition. When Moore realized that many of the villagers' health issues were caused by a lack of access to clean water, he began installing water filters and training people to maintain them. In six years, he has made 48 trips to Haiti, set up 475 water filters and helped nearly 10,000 people. Moore has brought four children to the United States for surgery, and even adopted a little girl who underwent cleft palate surgery. To expand its reach, Harvest of Haiti is ... funding medical school for two Haitians.
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In July 1996, the United Nations Support Mission in Haiti (UNSMIH) replaced the 6,000 person UN Mission in Haiti. The newly-elected Haitian Government had requested a follow-on UN force, approved by the Security Council on the understanding that part of its cost would be covered by voluntary contributions, rather than by assessment of all UN members. UNSMIH served as a stabilizing influence as Haiti consolidated its fledgling democracy. With international help, Haitians are building a new 6,000 strong national police service, and restoring a judicial system and economy devastated by years of violence, neglect and mismanagement. UNSMIH ... supports the role of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General to Haiti to coordinate UN activities that promote institution-building, national reconciliation and economic rehabilitation. UNSMIH's mandate expired on July 31, 1997.
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