28784: KawolinaA (reply) Re: 28764: Re: 28755: Nekita (Comments) on post about college students and ... (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: KawolinA@aol.com

Two New York colleges: the City College of New York and Brooklyn College
conducted summer courses in Haiti in the past.  And if I recall correctly, the
University of Massashussetts Africana Studies Dept. offered a summer course 
with
Prof. Marc Prou, a couple of years ago.  We need to have some consistent and
lasting stability to regain the confidence of institutions to bring students
(Haitians, Haitian Americans and others) to Haiti. Just this past May, a
university in the midwest that had planned to travel to Haiti with 15 students 
had to
opt out and visit Brooklyn instead, because of the rampant cases of
kidnappings and high insecurity.
This is not say that the population should refrain from pressuring the
government to fulfill its roles/responsibilities/obligations -- the quest for
justice, freedom, civil rights, the right to live in peace, etc. must continue
through massive demonstrations and other peaceful means. But the chaos and
illogical tactics that certain groups are using to terrorize the population and
visitors would have to stop before we see student groups in the country. The 
current
atmosphere in Haiti can only further isolate us. Perhpas this works well for
certain groups. Poor Haiti..
Haiti is indeed the "motherland" away from the motherland for people of
African descent in the Americas. We could very well encourage and even 
establish
this kind of educational/cultural exchange. It is also a type of tourism. But 
do
we really want that? Do we know where we would like Haiti to be by the middle
of this century?