Haiti: Before and After by Moises Saman
Haiti is no stranger to disaster, natural or man-made. Violent coups, devastating hurricanes, an AIDS epidemic, gang violence, epic floods - turmoil has almost become synonymous with this impoverished Caribbean nation. Through it all, the people have shown an amazing ability to manoeuvre the chaos that confronts them, approaching each facet of their lives - religion, culture, music, art and more - with unmatched passion and devotion. It borders on the fantastic. The extreme circumstances in...
more »Haiti is no stranger to disaster, natural or man-made. Violent coups, devastating hurricanes, an AIDS epidemic, gang violence, epic floods - turmoil has almost become synonymous with this impoverished Caribbean nation. Through it all, the people have shown an amazing ability to manoeuvre the chaos that confronts them, approaching each facet of their lives - religion, culture, music, art and more - with unmatched passion and devotion. It borders on the fantastic. The extreme circumstances in which most Haitians live bring a new test of survival, and they survive with intensity, as if each day is their last on earth.
The massive earthquake that levelled most of Port-au-Prince and its surroundings on January 12th was catastrophic even by Haitian standards. The magnitude of destruction and human death was incomprehensible, even in a culture most comfortable with the afterlife and its phantom inhabitants, sometimes more relevant and respected than the living. In the immediate aftermath, downtown Port-au-Prince - one of the areas hardest hit by the earthquake - became a surreal stage in what resembled a theatre of the macabre. Rubble and dead bodies everywhere, fate meeting its victims unexpectedly. In the rubble of a collapsed hotel two naked bodies, surprised by the earthquake during lovemaking, frozen in the act and sandwiched in bed between the floor and the ceiling of their room.
Prior to the earthquake Haiti's troubles registered in the news only in passing, a chronic failed state dangerously close to Miami. After the earthquake there is talk of a concerted and long-term international effort to turn around the destructive tide in this country. The compassion and level of commitment shown by the international aid community in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake must remain, long after the rubble is cleared and the last victim buried.
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