Advertisement

The future of Haiti depends on reclaiming our humanity — even amid the chaos | Opinion

Haiti has been a beacon of freedom and has played an essential role in promoting humanity. Resisting oppression is a cornerstone of the Haitian identity. Our unwavering commitment to human dignity is demonstrated throughout the world, as in our solidarity with freedom fighters from Greece to Latin America.

However, we have seen a degradation of humanity in Haitian society, documented by countless human-rights violations. In this moment of urgency, as cries to #FreeHaiti sweep through social media, we must ask: How do we reclaim our humanity?

Our concept of what it means to be human is anchored in such qualities as love, compassion, and empathy. Therefore, when individuals and collectives fail to behave accordingly — or abuse power and hoard resources — it leads to questioning the presence of humanity. Violations of human dignity often show up in concrete practices and conditions, such as torture and rape, poverty and exclusion.

There are many signs and symptoms of a society — or a person — losing its sense of humanity.

While the issues underlying human-centered crises are not new to Haiti, the past couple of years have seen a rapid and more overt display of degradation of humanity there. We see:

The lack of respect for the value of life. There have been countless acts of violence. Images of its victims are disseminated and frequently and recklessly, showing a lack of regard for an individual’s life or the impact that such loss has on the lives of the person’s family or community.

The rights of the people are not respected. Human rights are in decline. People are sexually violated or executed without any consequences or accountability for the perpetrators.

The lack of unity. The current situation is pulling us further away from our practices of Konbit and Lakou, in which we work collectively, with our neighbors and communities, toward common goals. Paralyzed by fear, the country’s crises and insecurities have led to an environment in which every man and woman fends for themselves.

Dehumanization of the aggressors, who are often referred to as heartless and without regard for life. They are often described as less than human beings. As a result, we have a society where both victims and aggressors are dehumanized.

Grounded in the Haitian revolution’s ideals, a free Haiti must have at its core the restoration, reconnection and reestablishment of the fundamental values that center human life. We must sharpen our pens, clean our lenses and imagine the impossible.

We must have faith that these young minds can be the change we desperately seek in Haiti. We must look towards those minds to see the possibilities.

We need to look at the incidents of humanity taking place amid the atrocities and chaos. For example, during a recent kidnapping attempt in a small town on the northern coast, residents intervened to prevent the crime — they stood up and said “No!” There are other such stories, and we must amplify them to harness their collective impact.

Throughout the years, we have seen countless examples of how Haitians come together in crises. We in the United States cannot turn against our brothers and sisters and must recognize that we have a role to play in protecting their human rights and their lives.

We owe it to our ancestors who fought so courageously to secure our rightful place on humanity’s stage. Let us walk in our humanity. The next generation, the children of the country — the country’s future — depends on the actions we take today.

Let’s not disappoint them.

Guerda Nicolas, Ph.D., is professor of psychology at the University of Miami School of Education and Human Development. Manolia Charlotin is co-founder of Press On.

Nicolas
Nicolas
Charlotin
Charlotin