ASSOCIATION

Pidetwal in Haitian creole means fireworks.  Haiti is the island that spurs various emotions, multifaceted, rich and unique by not only its historical legacy and natural resources but more so by the resiliency of its humble but proud people. Nevertheless, it is often portrayed as a country lacking autonomy, crippled by political and natural turmoils and poverty.  Haitian realities are often taken out of context by mainstream media, hollywood and various other agents who knowingly or unknowingly intrapped Haiti into this box of voodoo not voudou, downtrotten, this abject spiral of poverty, corrupt and most of all dirty and always begging. It is today very difficult to showcase the Haiti as we know it to be as haitians, without the alarm sound not going off.  

 

One gets accused of being a sell out to the rich up the hills, a tonton makoute (Duvalier paramilitary group) or directly a Duvalier.  When it comes to Haiti the lens focuses more on the negative rather than the positive and we as Haitians seem to have internalized this state of being.  The Duvalier era was a repressive dictatorship but there were things which were built under this administration as well.  We as Haitians should start focusing on the positive side of this part of our history and add it to our portfolio and give ourselves  a pat on the back, for we as a nation were strong enough to end this represive regime.  Duvalier, Aristide or other president may not have been your cup of tea, that is fine you are within your individual right to chose who you may represent you and so do others.  That is real democracy and diversity, this is how we growth and strengthen ourselves as a nation.  

 

 

Haiti has poverty, yes, just like any other country; basic services are lacking, yes, but it is not the only country to have such a problem.  The gap between the rich and the poor is widening it is not endemic to Haiti when in todays world there are individuals making millions just in bonus when down the escalator to the street there are people browsing through garbages in front of a McDonald. We baffled at the fact that the rich in Haiti owns a luxury car but there isn't anyone with a private jet in Haiti.  The millionaires of the first world do not even fly on the same plane as regular people.  That is a huge disparity.  Poverty has no color we say at Lakou Association, povert is a cancer that affects everyone in this world, it is not endemic to Haitians.  

 

Haiti is not yet the paradise that we all aspire it to be but even with its problems it is still our pearl.  Many may not like the fact that Haiti just like any other country has a social class system or that some people live in gated communities.

 

One would think that the same prosperity that is normalized in other countries are not suppose to be available in Haiti.  Being Haitian and having money or of a descent middle class lifestyle one is made to feel that the only way this money was made, was through corruption when in fact there are families that have worked very hard to attain their wealth some are from the Diaspora some are directly from Haiti.  Children are to aspire for what in Haiti than?

 

When it comes to Haiti, the responsability of the citizen is not hauled as the element for change unless it is time for a new election.  Putting pressure on the government to make basic services available to all is not being taught to the citizens of Haiti.  They are placed in a charity mode  and many are preaching to the poor that their salvation is only in religion because they are forever the sinners.  A battle is being raged against Haitian culture throughout Haiti by false preachers telling Haitians that they are evil worshipers,  that is why the country is in the state that it is and that they are poor.  These false preachers contends that by adopting protestanism the curse of the people  will be lifted and the mighty riches of heaven will be open to them.  For these riches they will have to wait until they die and ascend to heaven.

 

 

Today, Haitian culture and its realities are taken into hostages by many, even more so by those that wants to help Haiti.   We are depicted through pictures of pile of garbages, exagerated pictures of our most vulnerable moments, our children have become the stars of poverty. Worst of all, it has become even obscene to say that you are working in Haiti for the advancement of the country and you do not flaunt pictures of dirty children, streets filled with garbages or adults in acts of violence. To many, that is Haiti. Yet, Haiti has over ten million people and we has haitians do not see the children of Haiti walking around in this fashion, even the poorest Haitian always wants to be portrayed as a clean and dignify person.

 

You visit a poor family in Haiti they will put on their sunday clothes and swip the dirt floor to recieve a visitor.  Why would we want to portray Haitians as dirty and disease riden people with flies floating about?  By knowing who we are and in loving our frailties and potentials is how we will be able to build a strong enough barriers where others will no longer be able to use any one of us to misrepresent our country and our fellow brothers.

 

Those are the issues that we tackle with PIDETWAL. Haiti's humanitarian gifts to the world are often overcast, our focus is to bring into light the positive side of Haiti may it be in the arts, people, history or the country itself.  A country cannot prosper and its children evolve to something great if it is bombarded with negativities.

 

In the early 2000 we initiated a television show in Boston entitled "Presenting Haiti Differently" a collaborative effort with the Haitian Consulate of Boston.  The idea was to create a critical and informative voice by Haitians themselves, a platform for national and transnational dialogue among the various communities to talk about Haiti and the Haitian society today.  Propel a better understanding and to deconstruct Haitian identity as traditionally described by mainstream media.a

 

As part of the PIDETWAL program we organize a Leadership Awards Gala which pays tribute to great Haitian leaders, individuals who's achievements transcend the landscape of Haiti to illuminate ou nation and the generation to come.  We believe it to be important to showcase these role models to the youth this way they will understand that any dreams no matter how bold is attainable.  

 

PIDETWAL is also a civic engagement, our initiatives targets one,s own contribution in the negative portrayal of Haiti.  We encourage projects which enables civil society to look at Haiti differently and talk about it differently we hope by the act of every single one of us, just like every parcel of the fireworks it will create a great design that one will be in awe of when we in the near furture will look at Haiti.

 

PROJECTS

 

1. Relaunching "Presenting Haiti Differently" television show in the USA

2. Two major campaign: " I am Haitian and..."  and "Haiti is"

3. Sitwayen/Citizen, television show in Haiti