It's a continuous bad story.
What comes to your mind when you picture the Haitian national palace? Me, I see failure. Perhaps you have the same bitter feeling too. When I was a child, I was told that regular citizens passing by the palace had to hurry passed in order to avoid beating by Tonton Makout. This leaves me with a vision of bad people behind those white walls: Papa Doc with his little glasses like a wizard; Baby Doc with his fat self unable to control his appetite; and all the goons in there traumatizing and killing their fellow countrymen. This melancholic story, just like everything Haitian, has hit dead-end. A NGO led by Hollywood actor Sean Penn is voluntarily cleaning up the space occupied by that monstrous past.
Not too long ago, the taxi that was carrying me strolled by the eye-soar. It sat like a ruin in a tragic Roman story. The earthquake of January 2010 that had really brought to light the tragedy that is Haitian, had toppled down the nightmarish structure. It remained in the decrepit state since then, as the shame that is Haitian government and or leadership had not have the ability to address it. Sean Penn has agreed to clean it up for the worthless nation.
Critics have raised issues about a foreign entity having to demolish the "historic icon." Historic Icon? I see shame. Anyway, the palace was built by foreigners, anyway! And very likely by donation. So what now? And, if some outsider did not come to remove the garbage, it would remain sitting there just like all other garbage in the country, whoever and or whatever they are. Now the big uncertainty for the failing leaders there is that they don't know where a good Samaritan would pop up to throw some pennies in the bowl, (kwiy la), for the rebuilding.
I mentioned last time 'a Haiti' naturally no longer sustainable to life. If a new national palace is donated by the real people, them who have always come to keep life going in Haiti, my wish is for some leader to spring forth, that I don't have to imagine ignorant and goons behind the walls.
By E.C. GRANMOUN
ecgranmoun.blogspot.com
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Monday, September 10, 2012
Thursday, September 6, 2012
What would tomorrow be?
I was listening to a documentary on NPR a few days passed in which a science professor was discussing his new book concerning human nature as the greatest threat to the natural environment. The conversation became personal to me when he chose Haiti as an ultimate example of utter natural disaster. As he put it, Due to repressive governments (lack of leadership) the Haitian people are left without a choice but to destroy their own environment in the act of survival.
There was a report in the Miami Herald's Haiti Section on 8/30/2012 that read, Haiti park standoff highlights conflict over land. I had just flown over the Haitian ragged northern edge a few days earlier. Reading the report, it resonated with me. As the reporter boldly put it, The need to save Haiti's forests is obvious to anyone who flies over the country and sees the almost completely denuded landscape. In 1925, Haiti had 60 percent of its original forest cover. Today, it has about 2 percent, most of it lost because people cut down trees to make charcoal, the principal source of cooking fuel.
This just adds fuel to my fire in my efforts to help tackle this crisis. I fly over the northern tip of Haiti very often; and when I was stable in Cap Haitian I visited several mountainous landscapes. My associate and I took a very close look at the devastation as the treeless, rocky, dried up soils without vegetation were lamenting to our feet.
The following statements bring greater urgency. The wear-and-tear from squatters is evident in La Visite, where the cutting of pine trees is plainly visible. It's considered a critical wildlife habitat and water source for the capital of Port-au-Prince, about 15 miles (25 kilometers) to the northwest. It's also home to threatened bird species such as the Hispaniolan trogon and golden swallow.
The park dwellers survive by growing their own fruits and vegetables and raising livestock, all activities that require clearing trees. During last week Isaac, I was in Haiti. It was not such a powerful storm, but because of the fragility of the environment due to the deprivation of trees and vegetation, it caused maximum damages.
If you were to be listening to Michelle Obama's convention speech, it denoted some important core values that are not matter of personal satisfaction. They are those that are vital to our natural human existence and happiness. It is clear that the Haitian has lost all sense of dignity. Those of the past had done a terrible job determining the future. And, accept it or not, it is what we do today that is going to determine the Haitian tomorrow. So far, our level of leadership and our capacity of being are only leading to destructiveness.
By E.C. GRANMOUN
ecgranmoun.blogspot.com
Join E.C. Granmoun on Facebook and Twitter
Visit amazon.com for E.C. Granmoun's ebook: "Bully: A Novel"
There was a report in the Miami Herald's Haiti Section on 8/30/2012 that read, Haiti park standoff highlights conflict over land. I had just flown over the Haitian ragged northern edge a few days earlier. Reading the report, it resonated with me. As the reporter boldly put it, The need to save Haiti's forests is obvious to anyone who flies over the country and sees the almost completely denuded landscape. In 1925, Haiti had 60 percent of its original forest cover. Today, it has about 2 percent, most of it lost because people cut down trees to make charcoal, the principal source of cooking fuel.
This just adds fuel to my fire in my efforts to help tackle this crisis. I fly over the northern tip of Haiti very often; and when I was stable in Cap Haitian I visited several mountainous landscapes. My associate and I took a very close look at the devastation as the treeless, rocky, dried up soils without vegetation were lamenting to our feet.
The following statements bring greater urgency. The wear-and-tear from squatters is evident in La Visite, where the cutting of pine trees is plainly visible. It's considered a critical wildlife habitat and water source for the capital of Port-au-Prince, about 15 miles (25 kilometers) to the northwest. It's also home to threatened bird species such as the Hispaniolan trogon and golden swallow.
The park dwellers survive by growing their own fruits and vegetables and raising livestock, all activities that require clearing trees. During last week Isaac, I was in Haiti. It was not such a powerful storm, but because of the fragility of the environment due to the deprivation of trees and vegetation, it caused maximum damages.
If you were to be listening to Michelle Obama's convention speech, it denoted some important core values that are not matter of personal satisfaction. They are those that are vital to our natural human existence and happiness. It is clear that the Haitian has lost all sense of dignity. Those of the past had done a terrible job determining the future. And, accept it or not, it is what we do today that is going to determine the Haitian tomorrow. So far, our level of leadership and our capacity of being are only leading to destructiveness.
By E.C. GRANMOUN
ecgranmoun.blogspot.com
Join E.C. Granmoun on Facebook and Twitter
Visit amazon.com for E.C. Granmoun's ebook: "Bully: A Novel"
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