24415: Vedrine: (interview) Dialog on reforestation in Haiti (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: E Vedrine <evedrine@hotmail.com>


DIALOG ON REFORESTATION IN HAITI
(first part - September 2004)
E. W. VEDRINE

CORRESPONDANT #1 : It’s important at this time that we talk more on the
reforestation issue. We’ve talked about it before where you said that the
solution of the problem should start with a reform in agriculture.  I
certainly agree with you.

E. W. VEDRINE : Well, I talked about that before through my articles that
are available on-line, and in my new novel, Season of drought in Haiti, that
will be published soon.
CORRESPONDANT #1: But now, we should look at the problem as a priority.
That’s the second time of the year that heavy flood has caused the death of
many people.

E. W. VEDRINE: This flood issue (as we call it “lavalas”), hm! Well,
globally, that should have been ONE of the agriculture reform phases if ever
there will be a serious government who would lean on that. But since these
guys are just interested in ascending to power more than solving the
country’s problems, so that’s the reason why the country continues to suffer
from all these crises.

CORRESPONDANT #1: We should find a solution to be able to solve this
problem.

E. W. VEDRINE: The solution lies in the hands of those who are in power, not
in the hands of little organizations or NGO’s. As long as the government
does not take the problem of the country seriously in order to start
implanting some bases for infrastructure at all levels, we will continue to
talk ‘til the year 3000 and Haiti will remain the way it is today. I am very
practical in all that I am doing where I always show theory and practice at
the same time. These guys who are leading know the country’s problems. But
the question that we may ask is: do they want to try to solve them (with the
type of mentality that they have)?

CORRESPONDANT #1: I have asked you before if you know some organizations.

E. W. VEDRINE : The issue of organizations, NGO’s, this and that… are not
the real issue, but it’s important to have organizations… We need a
government who comes to power and who starts implanting the bases for
infrastructure at all levels, a government who shows that they want to work
toward the development of Haiti, one who invites the people and the Diaspora
(the two real wings of the bird) to this great collective work, one who
comes to the radios to have dialog with the people each month in order to
see the possibility of what can be done, no matter who little it may be;
this is called leadership. We need  a guide, a coach to guide us at all
angles. When there’s no guide, the people spread out and things also spread
out. We, individuals, can just have dialog, can talk globally about the
issues because we live them daily but it’s those who hold the rein of power
who can do whatever they want, who can do a series of things. Globally
speaking, we can say: political will, something that has not been existed
yet among many Haitian leaders.
CORRESPONDANT # 1: On the issue of reforestation, your answer was not
specific (clear), but it would seen that there is no organization that
exists and which are working in this domain.

E. W. VEDRINE: My answers are always clear, but it seems that you’ve
misinterpreted that one. Yes, there were some organizations (if you research
on that, money that was being wasted because when you are heading an NGO
there must be literature, unimportant noises or what we call “bri zèl sapat”
in Kreyòl) but when the government who is leading does not take anything
seriously, so there is no guide; it’s like washing the hands and wipe them
on the ground, keep on turning around. What we need is a government who is
conscious, one who can speak with the people, who can have dialog with the
people (in their native language) from time to time, one who can tell them
here is what we are trying to, one who can invite them to collaborate, to
show them that they play an important role, one who can educate them at all
angles, one who implants a series of  bases, one who can have open dialogues
to see what can be done within a short period of time and do in a way that
the next government continues the works that were in progress. Many times in
the history of Haiti when a government is gone, we see that it’s just
destroying what the former has done; there is always a “dechoukay” (getting
rid of) somehow. We are no longer living in a “koupe tèt boule kay” (chop
the heads and burn houses [of the oppressor]) era but we are in twenty first
century, an enlighten century. I don’t agree with that (getting rid of
everything that a leader has done when this one is gone); there must be
political leaders on the ground, educators, journalists, educated people,
all those who can help educating the people on that issue because it’s the
country that they are destroying when doing that; they are destroying things
that can be helpful to them. We can take a last example of the week before
February 29, 2004, all these chaos, destructions that were going on, things
that could help the people and they were destroying them. Why? They did not
have a leader to tell them: this is not good. So, they suffered at the end,
but a suffering that they themselves have created.

CORRESPONDANT #1: This note continues the discussion that we had on
reforestation with it’s importance. I am waiting for your answer.

E. W. VEDRINE: In the meantime, read “Sezon sechrès Ayiti” (the first
version- http://www.palli.ch/%7Ekapeskreyol/bibliographie/vedrine/sezon.pdf)
because the other versions (German, French, Italian, Japanese, Dutch,
Spanish, Papiamento, Russian and Swahili) will be based on the English
version which is longer and which has more details also.

(End)