diaspora - Haiti Observer Blog

The Haitian Diaspora has a vital role in helping Haiti revitalize its economy. One of its contributions is to Haitian families, overwhelmingly poor and dependent on remittances to provide for themselves.

Education is another area in which monetary support of the Diaspora is needed. Remittances have been estimated at up to 30% of Haiti's gross domestic product, essential to President Martelly's push to offer free public education to all Haitian children. He wants to tax wire transfers that could amass a broad projection of $50 million upward. The only obstacle is having enough political capital, ensuring the Diaspora will send money through wire transfers instead of other means.

Read more →  

Haiti needs help from the most powerful source of financial resources, its Diaspora.

The Diaspora, dispersed throughout many countries, has the largest population living in the U.S., at 2.5 million plus residents. Its remittances to Haitian families, most of whom are desperately poor, totals up to around one billion annually, 25% of Haiti's gross domestic product (GDP). To give an idea of the significance of remittances, they exceed the GDP's annual foreign direct investment and export revenue.

The Diaspora is flush with not only huge cash reserves, but with potential investors, business partners, and innovators. The educated class of the Diaspora includes people with advanced degrees in law, education, medicine, science, and information technology, as well as business. Their brain trust is powerful and multi-faceted.

Read more →  

Many Haitian Diaspora living in states like Florida, New York and Massachusetts send money to their families in Haiti with regularity. The recipients of these remittances are overwhelmingly poor. With their remittance income, they spend for the basics, which mean shelter, food staples, articles of clothing, and medicines. These people live well below the poverty line by any standard and 55% of them have no other income to depend on.

Since the 2010 earthquake toppled Haiti, the country's economy has depended heavily on receiving remittances from the Haitian Diaspora. With about one in five families receiving remittances from relatives, Haiti's Central Bank estimates the Diaspora sends around one billion yearly to Haiti. This figure adds up to more than 25% of Haiti's Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and exceeds its annual foreign direct investment and export revenue.

Read more →  

Is there such a thing as a real Haitian? Is it an ethnic confluence? A little Spanish blood here, a little French blood there? Is the real Haitian an émigré from the Congo? What about the lightness or darkness of skin tone? Is darker more Haitian than light? Or vice versa?

Does a real Haitian speak Créole or French? Are they Catholic, Protestant, or Voodoo believers? What kind of music do they listen to? To the big band sound of the 40s and 50s? Compás, Zouk, Racine? Or music that can only be described as country or folk? Is Manno Emmanuel Charlemagne or Emeline Michel the real Haitians, rather than T-Vice or Shleu-Shleu?

Read more →  

Let me put it this way instead. Can Government Commissioner, Jean Renel Senatus, really crack down on beggars in Haiti?

To be fair to the Government Commissioner, he made the point that he is referring to beggars in front or near banks. "There are beggars, who are part of networks of thieves who stand in front of the BRH to the Rue Pavée, in front of the BNC, of commercial banks and serve as scouts for thieves".

If we had to come up with the real list of beggars in Haiti, I assume that the list would be pretty long. I have a few names:

1) The people at Airport Toussaint L'Ouverture who want to help you with your bags whether you want it or not.

Read more →  

She was just spectacular at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, this week. Ludmya "Mia" Bourdeau Love drew rousing cheers during her speech at the Republican National Convention.

A Haitian-American in center stage at out of anything, a " Republican National Convention"?

What do you think of this?

Not only that, Mia Love delivered quite some heavy blows to President Obama. Mr. President, said to Love, "I'm here to tell you the American people are awake and we're not buying what you're selling in 2012" . "Mr. President, I'm here to tell you the American people are awake and we're not buying what you're selling in 2012," . Love further said: "Let me tell you about the America I know. My parents immigrated to this country with $10 in their pockets and the hope the America they heard about really did exist. When tough times came, they did not look to Washington, they looked within. So, the America I grew up knowing was centered in self-reliance and filled with the possibility of living the American dream."

Read more →  

The world looks at Haiti as country of corruption, abysmal poverty and illiteracy. This is true but it cannot be ignored that the world has also seen some Haitians rising out from their poor condition and shining bright enough to lead others and be inspiration for other Haitians. Reginald Fils Aime is one such name.

Reginald Fils Aime, also known as Reggie Fils-Aime or simply Reggie is a US national with Haitian origin. He works as Nintendo America's President and Chief Operating Officer for North American Division. Prior to this, he worked with the same company as Vice President of marketing and sales. Reggie Fils-Amie was born to Haitian Immigrants who settled in US permanently to avoid the conflicting views on politics of the grandparents of Reggie. Reginald was born in 1961 in New York and throughout his professional career he marked his presence with extraordinary marketing skills.

Read more →  

Haiti en Marche is an online news publication, which also puts out a print issue distributed to major markets on the U.S. eastern seaboard and in Canada, France, and Switzerland. It is a weekly newspaper covering local news, the economy, post-earthquake recovery efforts, government of Haiti activities, and other news of interest to the Haitian community and Diaspora.

Recently its coverage included an article about the city of Jeremie, capital of Grand Anse Department, whose citizens are up-in-arms over stoppage of a road project. Commissioned by the Organization of American States (OAS), who awarded Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) the contract, a Brazilian construction company started work on a road just outside Jeremiah last year.

Read more →  

We in the Diaspora are being hit once again. After levying a tax on the money I send to Haiti to pay for my children's education. After taxing the phone call I make to my family to make sure they received the money. Now it's the turn for the government to take part of the money I send to my family itself. The latest scam by the Haitian government is the decision that will require all money transfers in direction to Haiti to be delivered in Haitian Gourdes.

Read more →  

Haiti Progres, a weekly started in 1983, targets news events that affect the lower classes in Haitian society. It owns printing and distribution centers in Brooklyn and New York, and publishes in French, English, and Créole. Its headquarters are located in Port-au-Prince.

Among Haitian weeklies, such as Haiti Liberté and Haiti en Marche,and dailies, Morning and Nouvelliste, Haiti Progres is the only left-wing publication representing the voices of the poorer strata of society.

Haiti Progres's editorial policy is to deliver a perspective on news analysis that favors a liberalist outlook and Marxist philosophy. Its website, designed with a red and white color scheme, symbolizes a strident approach to class struggle that remains underground politically. Its unwillingness to share news and editorial content on its website reveals paranoia, understandable in Haiti. Corruption and violence, whether apparent or not, still fuels government of Haiti's administrative engine at all levels.

Read more →