14421: Senou: Re: 14419: Antoine Re: 14408: Nekita on the Haitian intellectuals' Role (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Senou <senou@yahoo.com>

Indeed, we should focus more on the positive side.
Last Friday, one of my students who bought the latest
CD of Mr. Wyclef Jean (Masquerade) had asked me if I
could find a copy of the two extra songs. Thank you
Mr. Wyclef for doing your best to lift up the Creole
language. Last night in Atlanta, I had the opportunity
to listen to Mr. Ron Daniels; this gentleman had
mastered the Haitian history.
Why foreigners are interested in the Haitian culture
and language? My friends, speaking positively about
your country will change many minds. I can tell you
many of my students are curious about learning the
Haitians history and as well as their daily life.
We had come from a long way; in the 1980’s Haitian
kids did not want to identify themselves as Haitian.
Today, foreigners and Haitian alike are dressing in
Bleu and red for Haiti’s Flag Day and in Carabela for
our independence day.
You have to learn to read between lines and know when
people are against something but they cannot clearly
say it.
We have the tendency to be “PC” politically Correct,
we do not want to make mistake. How many of you had
taken part in the biggest march in Haitian history: it
was the march against FDA in which we Haitians had
made it clear to FDA to stop linking our name to AIDS.
It was a success. I saw Haitians white, black, grimo,
cribiche chaudé, bleu, marron, chili chichi joined
hand together to denounce that policy, I saw Black
American, white American, Canadian, Jamaican, African,
and so on join us in that struggle.
My friends other will join you, will help you but
don’t forget it is your struggle and you must be in
charge of it.
What have you seen in the latest OAS negotiation? You
are no longer a priority, they put you in the back
seat and also in the ignore list. Ampil nan nou manje
manje blyé, you had helped them get their independence
and they did not invite you in the first conference of
the independent countries in this continent. Now, some
of you are going to team up with the Dominican
Republic, you had already forgotten 1939 when Turillo
had massacred thousand of Haitians, my mother,
grandmother and people in Ouanaminthe had seen a river
of blood in the Massacre river for three days and
three nights.

Now how can you expect your children to love your
country and learn the Creole language when you have a
negative stance against the country? Learning more
than one language is in your best interest and
according to research a child can learn up to 4
languages and speak like a native speaker from 4 to
12. Nobody can force you to make your child learn the
Creole language and the idea that your child does not
want to learn it is ridiculous. What are you going to
do if your child does not want to learn math or
science? You are going to buy appropriate materials
and putting him/her in after school program and hiring
if possible a private tutor.  Also, you are going to
give him/her some rewards like sending him/her to
spend vacation, buy him the latest play station or a
pc and also visiting important site in Haiti as well
as Haitians community in your area. I believe each
parent whether you spouse is a foreigner or not can
assist your child to learn the Creole language. I
don’t believe the foreigner will “there” object to it,
usually you are the one who has a low self-esteem.

Senou


**********
From: Pascal Antoine <pascal.antoine@verizon.net>

> As I am observing the  lack of professionalism
and/or
> mediocrity that exists
> in the Haitian society be it in the diaspora or in
> Haiti, I am wondering what
> role the Haitian intellectual community should play
or
> is playing  in this
> lassitude?...

Nekita,

I think it’s unfortunate that you see only the lack of
cohesiveness in
the Haitian community, while I see the great strides
we have made in
the last 5, 10, or 15 years. It’s the difference
between seeing a glass
half empty, or half full. Many points that you brought
up are true, not
only for the Haitian community in Boston, but the
individual Haitian
communities all over the US and the globe.

Also, every city in the US with a Haitian presence has
a different
level cohesiveness and professionalism. This is
usually directly related to
the number of support organizations available to
Haitians, which is in
turn related to the number of Haitians present within
that community.
That would therefore, leave the Boston community
somewhere in the middle
of the list, following New York and Miami and a couple
of other cities.
Go to those cities and see what is happening there.
The biggest
disservice you can do to the Haitian community would
be to tell a young person
not to “get too involved in your own Haitian
community.“  We have just
come through a long period of our young people being
ashamed of their
ancestry, and indications show that that is quickly
coming to an end.

You write as if the Haitian community has no hope. It
also sounds like
a recent, personal experience has prompted you to
write your letter.
So, instead of looking at the negative side of things,
look at how far we
have gotten, and concentrate on filling in the gaps
which would allow
us to get to where you think we ought to be.

Pascal Antoine
pascal@haitixchange.com
HaitiXchange
http://www.haitixchange.com
Peyi Nou Pap Tonbe!


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