Social vibrancy and extreme disparity
What’s interesting about the Haitian culture is they as a people are hungry for culture, music, and intellectual stimulation. They value education; they love music and true quality social time. There is an indescribable vibrancy amongst the populace that is evident despite the sheer magnitude of hopeless poverty and the struggle to survive. In the literal sense the people are screaming for gentrification, but when one takes into account the reality of the situation on the ground in Haiti that concept gives a whole new meaning to absurd. While this mentality is present amongst the people and it manifests itself in certain subtle ways the fact of the matter is the severity of the situation prevents anything from happening. It is survival of the fittest on a day-to-day basis. There is zero surplus which results in zero time to participate in any kind of extracurricular activity other than working every day to maintain some manner of sustenance. I am not trying to say that the Haitian people have no time to socialize and or participate in celebrations. In fact they are incredibly positive and always seem to be celebrating in one fashion or another. What I am alluding to is the development of a more deep-seated cultural revolution from which springs, theater, art, etc. There is a sociocultural inability to experience / live any of the lavishness associated with gentrification and the likes because of this lack of surplus. While this is the case for the majority of the population there is a scene in Haiti that I still can’t wrap my mind around.
The wealth disparity in the Caribbean / Central America and throughout the Southern Cone tends to be rather extreme, however never have I seen anything like what has transpired in Haiti. This little country is phenomenally expensive and there is a minute % of the population who lives very well considering. You can smoke Hookah, eat sushi and easily spend more at dinner then you could in Miami and or New York…… in the poorest country in the Hemisphere. Try having a young Haitian kid walk around a very sheik Latin restaurant wailing away on a Tenor Sax and then walking out of the front gate after your aperitif to be confronted by all of the squatters living in the plaza. The extremes are pretty outstanding. Most shocking of all is how quickly you become accustomed to it and stop noticing it, subconsciously accepting it as the norm.
Hey Jesse, loved the article. I was wondering if I could pick your brain some time. What chatting interface are you normally using? Or would you prefer e-mails?
Ahmad Jafar said this on June 1, 2010 at 1:23 am |