Haiti Jazz Festival to Push Through, Despite Country’s Instability
Since its inception, the Port-au-Prince International Jazz Festival (PAPJAZZ) has become a staple in Haiti’s calendar. Many anxiously await January to partake in the diverse musical events, discover new international jazz artists, see some of their favorite local artists and meet new talent. While the after parties afford a cozy intimate setting and spontaneous vibe that are as impressive as the concerts themselves.
The 14th edition of the PAPJAZZ Festival however is uncertain due to the sociopolitical unrest that has paralyzed the country on and off over the last 18 months, with the worst of it having taken place over the last four months. Under “peyi lok,” businesses at all levels have been impacted. Some enterprises were looted or vandalized, while others have had to downsize or lay off staff, or even close their doors indefinitely. In addition, the tourism industry, which for the past few years has been at an upward trend, is now at a standstill.
PAPJAZZ organizers though are moving forward, despite the many challenges they’re facing in putting together the event that is scheduled for Jan. 18 – Jan. 25, 2020. When festival organizers Milena Sandler and Joel Widmaier announced they were forging ahead with their plans, they received encouraging words urging them not to give up.
People were asking us not to give up and to save what can still be saved, Sandler, general manager of Foundation Haiti Jazz said. “The PAPJAZZ festival is one of the few things that we have left,” one supporter said to her. It is a commitment to the community and country, as well as a passion that has been driving the team despite the obstacles they’ve faced.
“With such challenges as a of lack sponsors – this past year has been so critical for the private sector. Most of them cannot commit to anything until things settle down, at best,” she said. “In addition, political uncertainty weakens public administration, everything takes more time and the government’s commitment vis-à-vis PAPJAZZ is also compromised.”
Sandler and Widimaier launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise funds and mitigate the impact the country’s civil unrest has had on the festival. To date, they’ve raised nearly $6,000 of their $10,000 goal.
Author Pens Book Celebrating Women’s Contribution to Haitian Revolution
On Dec. 14, Bayyinah Bello signed copies of her newest book, “Sheroes of the Haitian Revolution,” at Rendez Vous Creole Restaurant in Algiers. The book highlights the contribution of nine women to Haiti’s revolution. Accompanied by her publisher, Frantz Derenoncourt, Algiers was the final stop of a thirteen city tour. Bayyinah, historian, teacher, writer and humanitarian worker, created in 1999 the Fondation Marie-Claire Heureuse Félicité Bonheur Dessalines, referred to as Fondasyon Félicité (FF). Through this foundation, Bayyinah Bello trains young volunteers in various fields such as research, administration, business management
5 Haitians That Contributed To American History
Black History Month celebrates the contributions blacks made to American development. Take a look below at these five Haitian Americans who made an impact on America’s history.
Jean Baptiste Point du Sable was one of the first permanent residents of Chicago, Illinois and is hailed as the founder of Chicago. Point du Sable was a successful fur and grain trader who established a base in the Great Lakes region of Chicago in the late 1770s. The son of a Haitian father and an African-born slave mother, du Sable was summoned by the British to represent their trading interests with the Indians in Detroit. In 1784, Du Sable returned to Chicago, creating several buildings and infrastructure that steadily flourished into a major trading center.
Henri Christophe was an influential Haitian leader who played a significant role in the American Revolution, serving in the French unit in Savannah, Georgia in 1780. A former slave and key leader in the Haitian Revolution, Christophe was among the five hundred forty-five Haitian free slaves known as the Fontages Legion, fighting for the freedom of men and women in America who desired to be freed from the shackles of oppression.
Pierre Toussaint was a former slave from Haiti who was transported to New York City by his owners in 1787. He later gained his freedom in 1807. Toussaint is acknowledged and respected as one of the leading black New Yorkers of his time. Toussaint later went on to become a philanthropist, delivering charitable services by establishing an orphanage for refugees and offering them employment opportunities. Toussaint also contributed to institution and construction of the St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral, in New York City. Pierre Toussaint was acknowledged as venerable by Pope John Paul II and is highly regarded by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York.
Elizabeth Clarisse Lange, also known as Mother Mary, was a Haitian refugee who fled to Cuba because of the escalating slave rebellion in Haiti. Lange later migrated to Baltimore, Maryland where an influx of French-speaking refugees settled. Although Lange was a refugee, she was educated and recognized there were children of refugees who significantly lacked education. Elizabeth and her friend, Marie Balas had a mission to provide housing to orphans seeking a home and education for children of fugitive and freed slaves.
Rodolphe Lucien Desdunes was a prominent Haitian editor, author, and civil rights activist from New Orleans, Louisiana. Desdunes is best known for his work in the Plessy v. Ferguson trial, one of the most critical civil rights cases in American history. Desdunes helped form a committee called, Comité des Citoyens (“Citizens Committee”), to combat laws segregating blacks and whites in public spaces. In 1889, Desdunes became the editor of the Crusader, a weekly newspaper created to inform black and Creole leaders of segregation laws and efforts to advocate for equal rights.
Haiti TPS Extended To January 2021
On Nov. 1, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that it would extend the validity of documentation of certain foreign nationals under Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designations. The notice, which is scheduled to be published in the Nov. 4 Federal Register, will apply to TPS beneficiaries from El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua, and Sudan. TPS-related documentation, including Employment Authorization Documents (EAD), Forms I-797, and Forms I-94, will be automatically extended by this notice until Jan. 4, 2021. TPS designations for these countries were previously set to expire in January and March of 2020.
For Haiti, Victory Is In Sight In Fight Against Cholera
UNICEF USA
With no new cases since February, Haiti is on the road to eliminating cholera once and for all.
The moment Yolette Berdovil saw her baby son Jean's watery diarrhea, she knew what she had to do. She called for help.
Jean was quickly transported by motorbike to the Acute Diarrhea Treatment Center in Lascahobas, not far from the village where they lived in this remote, mountainous part of east-central Haiti, bordering on the Dominican Republic.
At the treatment center Jean would be given fluids to counteract the dehydrating effects of the diarrhea. And he would be tested for the bacterium that causes cholera — a preventable and treatable infection spread through contaminated food and water.
When treated, most people recover from cholera without any lasting effects. But when the patient has acute watery diarrhea and treatment is delayed, the disease can be fatal. Cholera is particularly dangerous for the very young, the very old — and the undernourished. In Haiti, persistent poverty leaves many children vulnerable to malnutrition.
Rapid response teams are focusing on remote areas — Haiti's last remaining cholera hot spots
Until health workers could confirm that Jean had in fact contracted cholera, his condition would be classified as a suspected case — enough to trigger the immediate deployment of a rapid response team to the area.
Jennyfer Joseph, the cholera project leader in Haiti for ACTED, an NGO and UNICEF partner, was part of the team that responded to Jean's case. These days, with cholera on the decline across most of Haiti, teams like Joseph's are working with the Ministry of Public Health to focus attention on the country's last remaining hot spots — remote areas like Lascahobas. “Sometimes, it takes four to five hours to reach suspicious areas, and we spend the night there because we do not have time to return to our base,” Joseph says.
First stop upon arrival is the family's home. A chlorinated compound is sprayed to disinfect the area. All homes within 50 meters receive the same treatment.
The team's presence attracts the attention of the neighbors — a great opportunity for Joseph to brief them on prevention tactics, and to distribute the disinfectant and other supplies, like soap and water purification tablets, and an oral hydration medicine to give to those with cholera-like symptoms.
“When you have diarrhea, or if you are vomiting, the first thing you need to do is take the oral serum,” Joseph advises those gathered.
Yolette says she didn't hesitate to seek medical attention for her son because of past experience. Cholera had claimed the lives of many of her relatives in the past.
And Yolette isn't the only one haunted by memories of what the disease can do. The cholera outbreak of 2010 in Haiti has been one of the worst public health crises in modern history. From 2010 through December 2018, there were 820,300 suspected cases of the disease, and 9,762 cholera deaths, according to government data.
But those numbers have dramatically tapered off in recent years, largely due to the response by teams like Joseph's — coupled with broader efforts, supported by UNICEF, to improve access to safe water for drinking and cooking and enable best hygiene practices and other methods of prevention.
Not a single confirmed case of cholera in Haiti since February 2019
The fight against cholera has been so effective, in fact, there hasn't been a single confirmed case in Haiti since Feb. 4, 2019. This puts the country squarely on the path toward eliminating cholera altogether, those closely involved in the elimination efforts say.
"If we continue on this path, we will almost certainly be able to declare an end to cholera in Haiti in the very near future," says Ganddey Milorme, an emergency officer with UNICEF Haiti. Changing basic behaviors — like washing hands with soap before eating — will make all the difference, he says.
Three years must pass without a single laboratory-confirmed case before the World Health Organization can declare an official end to the 2010 cholera epidemic.
“We are very happy to say that there has been no new confirmed case of cholera since February 2019,” says Maria Luisa Fornara, UNICEF Representative in Haiti. “That said, we must not stop. We must keep up the efforts, to continue mobilizing, strengthening community surveillance and capacity of laboratories. We must also work with communities on better water supply conditions and better hygiene and sanitation measures. We are truly in the very last mile.”
What it will take for Haiti to defeat cholera once and for all
A lasting victory for Haiti against cholera will require sustainable improvements to Haiti's water and sanitation systems and infrastructure and equitable access to safe water and sanitation for all. With support from Giorgio Armani Fragrances and others, UNICEF continues to work with government and other local partners toward these goals. Making sure Haiti is prepared for the next extreme weather event — and having the proper emergency response mechanisms in place — will also help keep cholera at bay.
Haiti government demands justice for women and girls abused by U.N. peacekeepers
LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Haiti said on Thursday it will demand action from the United Nations after a study found girls as young as 11 were sexually abused and impregnated by U.N. peacekeepers before being abandoned to raise their children alone.
Foreign minister Bocchit Edmond said abusers must face justice, after the study in the International Peacekeeping journal this month found “a multitude” of Haitian women and girls had been sexually exploited by U.N. mission personnel.
“A peacekeeper’s role is to protect the communities they serve, not exploit and abuse them,” Edmond said in a statement sent to the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
“We will be holding discussions with the U.N. to seek answers and the right actions without delay so that the victims receive the support and justice they deserve.”
The U.N. in Haiti “remains committed to assist complainants and victims get the support they need so that justice is served,” a spokeswoman for U.N. peace operations said.
U.N. Peacekeeping has said it takes the issues raised in the study seriously, and it is supporting 29 victims and 32 children born of sexual exploitation and abuse by peacekeepers in Haiti.
Under the current system, the U.N. can investigate crimes and send peacekeepers home but has no power to prosecute individuals.
There have been multiple reports of sexual contacts - and several rape claims - involving peacekeepers in the 13-year mission to stabilize Haiti following conflict and a 2010 earthquake.
The issue received fresh scrutiny with the International Peacekeeping study, based on interviews with more than 2,000 Haitians living near U.N. bases about the experiences of women and girls during the peacekeeping mission, which ended in 2017.
About 10% mentioned children fathered by peacekeeping personnel, though it was not clear how many were referring to overlapping cases.
Their stories highlighted how extreme poverty often led Haitian women and girls into exploitative encounters, where they sold sex for small amounts of money or food. Some said women and girls had also been sexually assaulted.
“They put a few coins in your hand to drop a baby in you,” one young man was quoted as saying in the study, while one woman said peacekeepers impregnated girls of 12 and 13 and then “left them in misery with babies in their hands”.
The study’s authors have urged better training for U.N. peacekeepers and stricter disciplinary action against those found to have committed sexual misconduct.
Reporting by Sonia Elks @soniaelks; Editing by Katy Migiro. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, property rights, and climate change. Visit http://news.trust.org