Haiti Lab

Humanitarianism in Haiti: Visions and Practice seeks to bring together grassroots activists and donors, international NGO workers and theorists to critically assess both the aims of humanitarian and development aid and the efficacy of aid design and delivery. By creating a horizontal space to cut through the sometimes competing agendas of different actors, the conference hopes to foster more honest and practical dialogue. Through these conversations we anticipate capturing a more comprehensive picture of the politics and on-the-ground challenges shaping the reconstruction effort in Haiti, and lay the groundwork for action that more effectively addresses Haitian-defined priorities. Hosted by the Duke Haiti Lab, this conference is an outgrowth of the Haiti Project, a joint Duke-North Carolina Central University class on aid in Haiti. We are grateful to the Bank of America Foundation for its generous support along with the Mellon Foundation.

Humanitarianism in Haiti: Visions and Practice seeks to bring together grassroots activists and donors, international NGO workers and theorists to critically assess both the aims of humanitarian and development aid and the efficacy of aid design and delivery. By creating a horizontal space to cut through the sometimes competing agendas of different actors, the conference hopes to foster more honest and practical dialogue. Through these conversations we anticipate capturing a more comprehensive picture of the politics and on-the-ground challenges shaping the reconstruction effort in Haiti, and lay the groundwork for action that more effectively addresses Haitian-defined priorities. Hosted by the Duke Haiti Lab, this conference is an outgrowth of the Haiti Project, a joint Duke-North Carolina Central University class on aid in Haiti. We are grateful to the Bank of America Foundation for its generous support along with the Mellon Foundation.

Humanitarianism in Haiti: Visions and Practice seeks to bring together grassroots activists and donors, international NGO workers and theorists to critically assess both the aims of humanitarian and development aid and the efficacy of aid design and delivery. By creating a horizontal space to cut through the sometimes competing agendas of different actors, the conference hopes to foster more honest and practical dialogue. Through these conversations we anticipate capturing a more comprehensive picture of the politics and on-the-ground challenges shaping the reconstruction effort in Haiti, and lay the groundwork for action that more effectively addresses Haitian-defined priorities. Hosted by the Duke Haiti Lab, this conference is an outgrowth of the Haiti Project, a joint Duke-North Carolina Central University class on aid in Haiti. We are grateful to the Bank of America Foundation for its generous support along with the Mellon Foundation.

Sidney Mintz, whose work in Anthropology and History transformed both fields, and has profoundly shaped Caribbean Studies, will reflect here on his intellectual trajectory, his life and fieldwork, and the future of the disciplines. Other participants in this conversation include Eric Mintz (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), Laurent Dubois (Romance Studies and History; Haiti Lab), and Deborah Jenson (Romance Studies; Haiti Lab).

Ever thought of going to Haiti just for fun? Just to enjoy it's beauty, culture and food? With all the press focusing on disasters and poverty in Haiti, this might seem outlandish. Paul Clammer doesn't think so, though. He is the author of the 2013 Brandt Travel Guide to Haiti, the first tourist guide to Haiti to come out in decades. Clammer is suggesting that people reconsider how they think about Haiti and consider new narratives in which Haiti is a source of fun, education, and wonder.

In Haiti, the failure of the school system is due to, among many other factors, the fact that the language of instruction is mostly French even though most Haitians, including most teachers, are fluent in Creole only. In this talk, we will mine history and linguistics for lessons that may help improve education for all in Haiti. In so doing, we will examine how attitudes toward Haitian Creole have been shaped by, and have shaped, a history of power struggles. For example, we will ask these two “big” questions: (i) What do past and present scientific theories about the languages spoken in Haiti, and in the Caribbean more generally, reveal about the making of race- and class-related hierarchies of power, hierarchies that marginalize people who speak Creole only? (ii) What is the relationship between the history of these linguistic theories and the socioeconomic and political trajectories of people of color, not only in the Caribbean, but throughout the Americas and beyond? As we look into these questions, we will take Haitian Creole in Haiti to represent a case study from the “margins” with significant lessons for the “center.”

On January 14, 2010, two days after the catastrophic earthquake that crushed Port-au-Prince and the surrounding towns, the journalist David Brooks published a column in the New York Times in which he claimed that “voodoo” is a “progressresistant” cultural influence because it spreads the message that “life is capricious and planning futile.” Alongside Brooks, many authors, especially those who profess Christianity, proclaim similarly prejudicial views (for example, see André 2007; DeWitt 2010; Félix 2009; Olivier 2007). In this presentation I look at the historical factors and linguistic policies that have benefitted Haiti’s French-language institutions while suffocating Haitian Creole ones, like Vodou religion. I look within Vodou to show that the practitioners of the religion demonstrate an underlying commitment to progress given their attention to planning ceremonies and initiations, the tight-knit organization of Vodou communities, the formalized ritual and lexical structure, the clearly defined hierarchy, and the rigorous education through teaching and initiation, among other constructive practices. Finally, Vodouists also demonstrate commitment to progress through the publishing of sacred texts or descriptions of aspects of the religion (Marcelin 1950; Rigaud 1953; Wilcken 1992; Beauvoir 2008a & b; Jil & Jil 2009; Hebblethwaite 2012). Commentators like David Brooks do a grave disservice to Vodou’s reputation and it is important to correct the record and show that many aspects of Vodou religion are grounded in a culture of progress and order.

The most significant event in improving basic education in Haiti was the Réforme Bernard. Launched in 1979, it instituted a transitional bilingual approach in which Haitian Creole (HC) became the primary language of instruction during the first four years of elementary education. Since that time, as Uli Locher concluded : “A score of education ministers…have tried to variously promote, modify, or sabotage the reform…Probably not a single student in Haiti has ever been taught exclusively according to reform plans” (2010:179). In addition to free and obligatory education that has been promulgated by the Martelly presidency what is needed to improve basic education in Haiti is an effective and generalized application of the Réforme Bernard. It would be useful in the meantime to review the original implementation of the reform in order to avoid the errors that, in addition to the lack of genuine governmental will, opposition from the bilingual elite and a dysfunctional educational system, led to unsatisfactory results. After reviewing the original evaluation of the Réforme Bernard undertaken by the World Bank that provided financial support, I will outline the various types of research needed to reinstate the Reform: assess the access to French on the part of monolingual children; assess the implementation of Article 40 of the 1987 Constitution (the State is required to publish by means of oral, written, and televised press in the Creole and French languages all laws, rulings, decrees, international agreements, treaties, accords, everything that impacts on national life…); explore attitudes toward HC on the part of the intended beneficiaries of the Reform as well as teachers; and review programs that instituted the use of HC as the primary instructional language prior to the launching of the Reform. It goes without saying that the successful implementation of an educational reform requires improvement of the Haitian educational system that is still dysfunctional and over which the government has questionable control.

Haitian Creole (kreyòl) is a French-based Creole spoken by the entire population of Haiti. It is also one of the two or three Creole languages to have an officially standardized orthography. However, despite its relatively old history of standardization, the orthography of Haitian Creole is constantly criticized by native Haitian speakers who want to call into question the legitimacy of the official orthography. This paper examines the language beliefs, language attitudes and orthography practices of the Haitian speech community in the diaspora of New York City.

Haiti: History Embedded in Amber was a collaborative project produced in the Haiti Laboratory of the Franklin Humanities Institute during the 2010-2011 year. Led by renowned artist Edouard Duval-Carrié, it brought together faculty, graduate and undergraduate students, and visitors in the process. It is now on permanent view in the "Garage" at the Franklin Humanities Institute, at Bay 4 of the Smith Warehouse.

DukeEngage Haiti This two month summer program "Building and Sustaining Healthy Families" will provide 8 students with the opportunity to live, learn, and engage with people of Leogane, Haiti by working with Family Health Ministries (FHM). FHM is a Durham-based, non-profit organization dedicated to developing long-term relationships with underserved individuals, families and communities to support their efforts to build and sustain healthy families. Currently most of FHM's activities encompass the areas of maternal and child health (cervical cancer prevention, nutrition, health education, etc.) in Haiti. In collaboration with local Haitian partners, FHM has been asked to build a health center that will address unmet needs of families. Students will be integrated into existing FHM program needs and will have the opportunity to provide service to the community by working in the cancer prevention program, developing educational materials, providing educational outreach to women, learning data collection and management skills, working on surveys in the community, and working with women's groups. For more information, contact FHM Director and Haiti Lab affiliated faculty Kathy Walmer.

Creole / Kreyòl Studies I (Pierre) FRN 190.01 TTh 11:40am-12:55pm An introduction to the essential elements of Haitian Creole or Kreyòl language and aspects of Haitian culture. The first of the two-semester sequence of elementary Haitian Creole or Kreyòl. the course provides practice in understanding, speaking, reading, and writing the language, culturally contextualized through units on health care, Haitian women's rights issues, and unpaid child servants (restavèk). Students will acquire enough vocabulary and idioms to be able to interact with Haitians. Each participant will pick a theme to work on and write a two-page final project. The textbooks "Kreyòl Ayisyen pou Swen Sante (KAPSS)" and "Ann Pale Kreyòl (APK)" will be supplemented by texts retrieved from Haitian websites and Haitian newspapers. Copies of these texts will be handed out three weeks before working on them in class. Additional cultural and grammatical notions will be explored in relation to each lesson from KAPSS and APK dialogues introduced in class. Throughout the course participants will be exposed to different aspects of Haitian culture through documentaries, music, films, card games, and proverbs. No prerequisite. The course is taught in Haitian Creole. Creole/Kreyòl Studies II (Pierre) FRN 193.01 TTh 2:50-4:05pm This second course in the two-semester sequence on elementary Haitian Creole provides essential elements of Creole language and aspects of Haitian culture. This course is designed to help students develop their speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills in Haitian Creole. Students will be engaged in different communicative tasks to assimilate the materials covered every day. The textbooks Ann Pale kreyòl (APK), Ti Koze Sou Istwa Peyi Dayiti (TKSIPA), and English Haitian Creole: The oxford Picture Dictionary (OPD) will be supplemented by simple articles retrieved from Haitian websites and newspapers to expose students to new words and basic structures which are not in the textbooks. Copies of these articles will be given to students three days before working on them in class. Additional cultural and grammatical notions will be explored in relation to each lesson and text introduced in class. Throughout the course students will be exposed to different aspects of Haitian culture through films, storytelling, games, music, and proverbs. Pre-requisite: Creole I or Haitian Creole for the Recovery in Haiti or a comparable level of previous Creole language experience, such as Duke Engage experience in Haiti or a familial background in Creole. The course is taught in Haitian Creole. Creole III/Creole 63 (Pierre) Check back for course number, meeting times, and other info This course is the first semester of intermediate Haitian Creole or Kreyòl, intended for students who have taken Creole I and Creole II, or Creole for the Recovery in Haiti and Creole II. This course will help students move beyond "survival skills" in Creole to more complex social interactions and expressions of analysis and opinion. Intermediate skills in understanding, speaking, writing, reading Creole will be contextualized within a broad range of issues such as rural life in Haiti, religion, frenchified Creole vs popular Creole, through texts, poems, and excerpts taken from novels written by Haitian authors in Haitian Creole. Students will learn to carefully follow contemporary events and debates in Haitian culture using internet resources in Creole. For each text related to the above issues; idioms, proverbs, songs, paintings, and stories will be studied and analyzed so that students can get deep insights into Haitian culture, society, and religion. In addition, movies and documentaries will be watched to support learning. Furthermore, students will be asked to transcribe texts into Haitian Creole as well as translate simple texts from English into Haitian Creole and vice-ve

Co-directed by Laurent Dubois and Deborah Jenson, the "Haiti Lab" is the first humanities laboratory at the Franklin Humanities Institute. The lab merges research, education, and practical applications of innovative thinking for Haiti's disaster recovery and for the expansion of Haitian studies in the U.S. and Haiti. Located at the FHI's new headquarters at the Smith Warehouse, the Haiti Lab takes its inspiration from the collaborative and discovery-driven model of research laboratories. Undergraduate and graduate students work with specialists in Haitian culture, history, and language on projects featuring vertical integration of Duke University expertise across disciplines and schools. The Haiti Lab is also a resource for media outlets seeking to gain knowledge of Haiti.

This is a collaborative project exploring both qualitative and quantitative data sources to deepen our understanding of cholera outbreaks in the Caribbean, especially as it allows us to understand the current Haitian epidemic.

Erica Caple James is a medical and psychiatric anthropologist whose research interests focus on violence and trauma; humanitarianism; human rights, democratization, and postconflict transition processes; race, gender, and culture; and religion and healing. Her first book, Democratic Insecurities: Violence, Trauma, and Intervention in Haiti (University of California Press 2010), documents the psychosocial experience of Haitian torture survivors targeted during the 1991-94 coup period and analyzes the politics of humanitarian assistance in "post-conflict" nations making the transition to democracy. Presented by the FHI Haiti Lab and Duke Law School

The Provost's Lecture Series presents renowned, award-winning writer Edwidge Danticat in a talk entitled "Writing Tragedy, Writing Hope: Haitian Writers at Home and Abroad Respond to the January 12, 2010 Earthquake." Danticat will examine ways in which writers both in Haiti and in the Haitian Diaspora have responded creatively to the earthquake, and will also read excerpts from her own work.