6504: Re: 6476: Re: 6441: Haiti Celebrates Christmas (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Maxetluc@aol.com

Sabine Albert questioned the description of Petionville in the journalist's 
piece on Christmas in Haiti.

I'll admit that the part about fireworks warding off evil spirits is a new 
one on me.  However, there are plenty of bidonvilles throughout Petionville 
these days.  Most wealthy families have long since moved out of the town and 
many of the old houses are now shops.  

I know there are those on this board and elsewhere that will continue to 
insist on using Petionville's residents as the poster children for all that 
ills Haiti.  However, the majority of people who call Petionville home are 
poor -not La Saline or Cite Soleil poor - but definitely part of "pep la."  
(Don't take my word for it.  How could the FL candidate for mayor get nearly 
90% of the vote back on 21 May if it were otherwise?  How could Dany 
Toussaint pull a higher percentage in P-ville than he did in PAP?  Unless, of 
course, someone was stuffing the ballot boxes . . . but I digress.)

Maxetluc