Viewpoint - Haiti Observer Blog

This is not scientific but I can safely say that more than eighty percent of Haitians who are eligible to vote in the US actually voted for Barack Obama this past election. People may have different reasons. Some Haitians voted for Obama because they believe that he is for poor people. Others think he is pro immigrant and wanted to thank him for the TPS he gave Haitians recently. Some Haitians also voted for Obama just because he is Black. That's OK too.

However, just like the other groups after voting for a candidate who wins an election, the Haitian community should expect something in return. We have issues within the Haitian Diaspora living in the US as well as back home in Haiti.

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This is the day we all have been waiting for. This is election day in the United states and according to every single election poll results, the race is extremely close. We have a 50 percent chance that the next president of the United States could be either Barack Obama or Mitt Romney.

So the question is what is the implication for Haitians and Haiti if the next president of the US is Mitt Romney Vs Barack Obama?

Haitians all over the US overwhelmingly voted for the Democratic candidate Barack Obama. Will we be better off if Obama wins?

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While Haitians do not exactly celebrate Halloween, they have their own version of the holiday. It is called the Haitian Voodoo, a tradition wherein tributes are paid to dead ancestors on November 1, which is referred to as Fete Gede. It is believed that voodoo god Baron Samedi, who is always depicted as a man donning a black coat, a bowler hat, and a pair of eyeglasses with only one lens, always appears on that day. His wife Gran Brigitte holds the highest authority over cemeteries in Haiti.

To commemorate the tradition, Haitians troop to cemeteries to pay their respects to the dead every November 1. It is common for them to bring food, flowers, and rum with chili peppers at the cemeteries. The next day, Haitians will then honor the Catholic saints.

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We just received a videotape raising the issue of race in the Haiti 2010 Presidential election. The main question, according to Mr. Wilner Nau who produced this videotape was:
How can we Haitian, with over 90% of the population being of African descent, elect a White Man in 2010? Mr. Nau further stated that Haiti is the first Black independent nation in the Caribbean. Over 100,000 Haitians were killed to put the white people out of the country. For a country that killed White people to get its independence, Mr. Nau would like to know what to say the next time a Jamaican, people from Trinidad and Tobago, or anyone who is working with him asks him the question: "What's up with your White President"

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In the aftermath of Haiti Earthquake, Valentine's day should have a very special meaning to us Haitians. Valentine's day should be a special day to remind us Haitians how fragile we are and for us to appreciate even more our loved ones.

If we don't learn anything else from Haiti earthquake, we should at least learn that we can't wait for tomorrow to do something that needs to be done today. The same way, we can't wait to show our love because it might be too late.

Let' show some love on this Valentine's Day with this beautiful Haitian music video from Gracia Delva for this Special Valentine's Day:

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Kanaval (Carnival) in Haiti. Due to Haiti Earthquake, the Haitian Kanaval was cancelled this year.

I know this is unpopular, however, I believe that Haiti Kanaval or Carnival should not have been cancelled this year because of Haiti Earthquake.

What is the argument for a Haitian Kanaval (Carnival), specially after over 200,000 people passed away, many more Haitians injured, more than 1,000,000 having no place to stay. Also we can not even think about those who have lost everything: family members, property and more.

The argument for having a Haitian Kanaval or Carnival few months after Haiti Earthquake is simple. We need to move on.

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