Haitian Culture and Society - Essay Example

?Haiti is often described as “rich in culture but deep in poverty”. Explain this paradox with illustrations of creativity in Haiti in the face of dire misery. Haiti is a small country surrounded by a number of other small nations in the Caribbean and located just off the South Eastern tip of the United States. Most people think of Haiti as a place plagued by poverty, unrest and natural disasters. The devastating earthquake of January 9th 2011 drew the world’s attention not just to the immediate damage and destruction caused by the earthquake itself, but also to the everyday living condition of the population which were already well below Western hemisphere standards even before the earthquake hit the country. This paper outlines the origins of Haiti’s poverty in its geography, history and political evolution. There is then an outline of the main features of Haitian culture and a discussion of what culture is and how it is understood within Haiti and by outsiders looking on. Finally there is an explanation of the paradoxical “rich in culture but deep in poverty” paradox which both sustains Haiti’s sense of identity and inhibits its development in the future. Haiti’s geography is typical of the Caribbean region in so far as it is part of a larger tropical island. The Dominican Republic occupies the Eastern portion and Haiti has the smaller western portion. The terrain is mountainous in parts, and conducive to fruit and timber production, and the surrounding seas provide ample fishing possibilities. The climate is drier than in most surrounding islands which presents some problems for agriculture. Mineral resources are present, which made the island an attractive target for colonial activities from the 15th century onwards. The early history of Haiti is lost in the time before literacy and so it is impossible to tell exactly when and how the area was colonized and who set up the first settlements there. What is clear, however, is that the land was inhabited by an Amerindian people called the Tainos long before Columbus and the Spaniards arrived. The whole island was known as “Hispaniola” in deference to the European conquerors and it was quickly taken over and subjected to the exploitation of plantation and mine owners, using the local population as a convenient workforce. From this time onwards a pattern of emigration developed which still haunts the country to this day. The incoming Europeans brought with them many aspects of Western culture including the Roman Catholic faith, colonial architecture and incidentally also many diseases and vices which were unknown to the indigenous population. There are some records of local culture, including sporting and cooking practices, house designs and the “elaborate social structure organized around local chiefs or caciques.” (Girard: 2005, p. 19) Having taken what they wished from the part of the island which is present day Haiti, the Spaniards retreated to the far eastern tip of the island and left the west to return to its natural tropical jungle state. The next wave of conquerors were the French who added slavery to the list of exploitative practices that were used in Haiti. This brought huge changes to the island, such as the arrival of many thousands of captives from Africa and the building of western style cities and roads. It was at this point that one of Haiti’s most famous cultural practices was introduced: the tradition of voodoo. This was a loosely defined set of religious and cultural beliefs based on the polytheistic societies in West Africa. It existed alongside Catholicism, and the population often integrated elements of both religious traditions into their lives and practices. A combination of poorly educated priests and strong ties to ancestor and spirit worship from Africa ensured that this unusual combination was maintained into the present time. This syncretism is perhaps one of the most significant features of Haitian culture and it is carried through into its art, architecture, language, music and sports. Discrete elements are fused in a particular Haitian way and promoted with gusto, despite pressure from established authorities to adhere to standards and norms which have been accepted elsewhere. So, for example, animal sacrifices can be carried out for a family by voodoo priests one day and they would be quite happy attending a Roman Catholic mass on the next. Western culture demonizes voodoo and hypes it up with lurid tales of zombies and demons but in daily life in Haiti the people see it as a longstanding connection with their past which is handed down through oral traditions and which marks them out as different from the book-based culture of the west. Having been thrown together by forces from outside the small island nation, Haitians have fused a lively creole culture and what originally was regarded as a backward and inferior imitation of more established cultures has become established and cherished by the people who made it, and even in current times recognized for its innovation and creativity. It was during the period of colonization by the French that Haiti developed its food culture, but also a number of other features such as lawlessness, in the form of piracy, drunkenness and a thriving illegal drug culture. These symptoms of oppression still hold Haiti back from developing into a fully functional modern state, and the distribution of wealth continues to favour a small elite at the expense of many thousands of poor and hungry citizens. Even the injection of massive amounts of charity aid have not improved this situation and it seems that a better quality of political leadership within Haiti, perhaps with the help of returning expatriates, would be needed before this situation improves. The Haitians were never comfortable with the domination of the colonialists and there have been many rebellions against it. Regimes which have followed the colonialist period have often been brutal dictatorships, and the country has never known a stable democracy without the interference of larger players such as the United States and European colonizers. Many Haitians emigrated to the United States and further afield, taking their culture with them. They included both wealthy elites and the poorly educated who went in search of employment and a decent standard of life. The greatest influence on American culture has come through Haitian art and music. Jean-Michel Basquiat, for example, used his skill in graffiti to proclaim highly relevant political messages with a radical touch. The presence of brightly colored graffiti is one of the most noticeable features of the capital city Port au Prince, and it makes the built environment look more like a riot of witty conversations, and it is form of mass culture which comes from the ground up, and is very different from the commodified mass media of America, for example, which are dominated by large corporations and concerned much more with profit than with social comment. In Haiti the press, and television are weak, and successive regimes have operated restrictive policies and a lot of censorship. Expatriate publications supported by wealthier members of the diaspora have, however, been vocal in raising issues of relevance to the poor in Haiti and this international dimension has helped to promote Haitian culture abroad and cement social and political ideas in a more liberated way. In music there is a similar effect where expatriate bands like The Fugees, whose title is a contraction of the word “refugees” even became successful in mainstream American culture with their refreshing and irreverent lyrics and their distinctive Haitian sound which updates elements of Compas songs and includes elements of reggae and rap and other styles. There are many definitions of culture in the modern world, from elitist and “highbrow” notions which depend on a wealthy establishment and fixed traditions to much freer and often oral based folk culture. If one includes local Haitian music, film and art with expatriate contributions it is clear that there is a lively, sophisticated and relevant Haitian culture today. A lack of access to media like television and internet has meant that radio has has remained popular, which in turn has favored music as the medium of choice for popular art and culture. Lack of investment in education has meant that the population has low literacy levels, and this inhibits any strong literary traditions like novels and theater productions. One form of popular culture, the carnival or “Mardi Gras” is, however, a continuing celebration of dance, drums, dressing up and processing which goes far beyond the originally Christian origins of the event. The celebrations are community based, and involve long preparations and family friendly, inclusive activities which demonstrate healthy social relations at the village and small town level. People decorate their homes and take pride in their gardens, giving expression to their artistic leanings in a very unrestrained and public fashion. This is an egalitarian kind of exuberance that reflects the importance of family and the establishment of stable living conditions. Haiti’s creole language, post-colonial architecture, and hybrid religion and art forms are highly relevant to the fragmented media of the modern world. When taken as a free expression of multiple struggles over many centuries, Haitian culture is every bit as sophisticated and relevant as the more highly polished western artefacts that it is so often unfairly compared to. The trouble is, however, that observers are lulled into a sense of complacency when they note the resilience and creativity that survives such regular devastation. Haiti’s art and music survive at a very great cost to its people. Great cultural activity comes out of such stressful experiences, but it remains to be seen what more can be achieved with a more stable economic and political environment which reunites the scattered Haitians from home and abroad. References Dash, J. Michael. Culture and Customs of Haiti. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2001. Girard, Philippe. Haiti: The Tumultuous History – From Pearl of the Caribbean to Broken Nation. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005. Read More