6918: $30 million hotel in PaP/language problems (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Christopher Keesey <tanbou1@yahoo.com>

 I discovered the following job solicitation for a
project manager on large-scale hotel construction
project in PaP. My bliss over the prospects that this
$30 million dollar endeavor might hold for the Haitian
economy quickly soured as I read on.
     I've always found it rather dégoûtant that
international agencies, often NGOs who work directly
with monolingual Créole speakers, list French as a job
requirement without the mere mention of Créole skills.
 This company has taken such linguistic exclusion one
step further as they are demanding that "applicants
must be fluent in English...French skills are a pre."
In this they've not only barred monolingual Créole
speakers from the project, they've excluded the bulk
of the French speaking elite as well. 
     I'm aware that English skills are necessary on
such a large-scale project in order to deal with the
inevitable American material vendors. Still, imagine a
construction project in the States soliciting foreign
contractors or managers requiring French fluency,
Spanish skills a plus then no mention of English.  It
makes no sense and I can't believe that a $30 million
budget wouldn't leave room for a translator or two. 
Forgive such idealism on my part but shouldn't such a
project require fluency in at least one of two
official languages and at that, at least some skills
in the language of the majority?
    Will Créole speaking subcontractors be welcomed on
the project? Employees?  I can't help but see this as
a mere symbol of the divisionary and exclusionary
barriers towards the advancement of Créole speakers in
their own country.  I'll conclude this rant with that
and a couple of thoughts:  What in the world is a
cigarette manufacturing company doing in the hotel
development business in the first place? And after its
completion, will Créole speakers be allowed to stay at
the Anglophone Hotel?

Christopher Keesey

-------------------------------------------------------
BE-Antwerp-Haiti-Project Manager 
We are seeking for our modern and expanding cigarette
manufacturing company and food distributing company
the following staff:

Project manager.
The group is involved in preliminary development phase
of an US$ 30 million Airport Hotel in Port-au-Prince.
For the construction of the Hotel we are looking for
an experienced Project manager. The Project Manager
will be responsible for the construction of the hotel,
which will be built under his management team with
sub-contractors. The project will take two to three
years. The candidate should have experience in the
field, having been responsible for the construction of
a 150-room or larger hotel. Experience in developing
countries or in the Caribbean is clearly a pre. The
applicant must be fluent in English. Fluency in French
and Spanish is a pre. An attractive remuneration
package will be offered, based on an expatriate
contract. Serious candidates and their partners will
be invited to Haiti for interviews.

 

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