This week concluded our reading of The Dew Breaker by Edwidge Danticat. Toward the end of the novel we get to see what the past of the father, the dew breaker, and those around him. We see how the macoutes affected the people who they interacted with back in Haiti. They tortured for the Duvalier regimes and caused misery and terror. The transformations that the dew breaker had were explored. He came from poverty and was given a chance to have power and authority and he loves it. But the price he pays is that he has to commit these crimes against humanity and love with them later on. He ends up murdering a rebellious priest. And this man is the stepbrother of the woman he ended up marrying. I found it really interesting how in diaspora, people on both sides of the violence found themselves together. They need each other and must stick together. This lines up Christian themes of forgiveness and redemption in order to make recover from a dark past.
This week we read Transnationalism in the Aftermath of the Haiti Earthquake: Reinforcing Ties and Second-Generation Identity by Garvey Lundy. In the article, Lundy summarizes what transnationalism is and ties it into the event of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. Transnationalism is the phenomenon of people migrating from a homeland to elsewhere while establishing connections and loyalties where ever they go. Lundy breaks down transnationalism in a way that I really like, since it makes it very clear. There are six domains of transnationalism: social morphology and formation of relationships, consciousness and identity, cultural reproduction and hybrid cultural productions, avenue of capital, political engagement, and finally relationship with space. Lundy only focuses on three of these: social morphology and formation of relationships, consciousness and identity, and political engagement.
The earthquake was very strong (7.0 magnitude) and caused mass amounts of destruction and loss. The earthquake left many homeless and injured. The physical destruction, in regards to buildings and infrastructure was very hard-hitting as well. The combination of all these factors left Haiti crippled and in a very vulnerable position. It was very difficult to get aid to the places where it was needed, so Haiti needed help from lots of groups. One of the major groups to help was the Haitian diaspora.
The social morphology section explores how people of the diaspora gathered together to help with the situation back in the homeland. Haitian families in the diaspora acted through churches and other benevolent associations to take care of kin at home. Some even opened their homes in the United States to family members, refugees, and orphans. Others in the diaspora went to Haiti in order to personally help to rebuild the country
There were some groups who aided who were not part of the diaspora. The U.S. government granted a temporary legal status to those leaving Haiti due to the earthquake. Haitian professional organizations sent skilled people from the United States to the Caribbean to help those devastated by the earthquake. Western Union introduced a “no transfer fee” for any amount of money sent to Haiti from the US. Some Airlines let the Haitian Diaspora send aid supplies to Haiti for free and donated to Haiti relief programs through frequent flier programs. Digicel enacted a plan to replace broken SIM cards for those who needed them in Haiti and created free charging sports for Haitians to use. These kinds of aid programs by outside parties, were extremely helpful to the recovery process.
After this, Lundy focuses on the political side. He explains how prior to the earthquake the Haitian diaspora was not well incorporated in the happenings of Haiti and had no say. Earthquake caused Haiti to open up to its diaspora and there is a will to reform the relationship between Haiti and its diaspora. Some advancement has been made in integrating since the earthquake happened. Since then, some Haitian presidential candidates have made visits to the United States (especially New York City) as part of their campaigns. Haitian politicians also use the Internet and other “diasporic public spheres” to communicate with the diaspora.
The finally aspect analyzed was the side of identity and consciousness. Lundy explains that in the past many Haitians tried to cover up their Haitian ancestry but as time has passed the second generation has gained a stronger nationalistic Haitian identity. A strong signifier of this is the amount of Haitian Student of Associations at colleges that distinguish them from other Caribbean people and blacks. After the Earthquake, these student groups faced a swell in membership. More people were recognizing their Haitian identity. Regardless of the negative depiction of Haitians and the lack of direct connection to Haitians, most of the second generation still has a strong Haitian identity. Lundy brings up the example of Wyclef Jean, who is a second generation Hip-Hop star who ran for president in Haiti after the earthquake. He had a strong following from the youth and this shows how strong those transnational connections really are.
Lundy believes that transnationalism has a strong effect on people of the second and third generation, not just on the migrants themselves. It affects the identities of the later generations in a dramatic way. He also believes that as time passes, the diaspora will become more and more important and involved in what happens in Haiti.
