(Also entered into the Concern Creative Writing Competition 2011 – “Important lessons we can learn from the developing world" http://www.concern.net/get-involved/schools/concern-writing-competition - edit: now shorlisted among the top ten adult entries and due for publication November 2011)

Crisp Sheets, Cholera and Creole

A report from a beleaguered Haiti

I currently sit in a dilapidated hotel room in Port-au-Prince. By local standards however, it is a palace, with clean linen and running water. Perhaps the most attractive feature is that it offers asylum from the stench of death and fear that stalk the Haitian streets. Footsteps crunch on the rubble-laden pavement outside my window, one of the many vestiges of the 7.0 earthquake that decimated the nation over a year ago. My decision to remain in the increasingly disease-ravaged capital raised my editor’s eyebrow­­­­s and hopes of a breaking story in equal amounts. I am in poor company – many of my colleagues have deserted for the richer pickings of Bahrain, Fukushima and Cheltenham.

Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, has an unfortunate history. From its initially promising inception (a successful slave rebellion is a rare event), it has been challenged by political upheaval, poor environmental policies, natural disasters and now cholera, a disease that had been absent for decades. Everything seemed different in the aftermath of January 2010 however. Despite the awful consequences, in a sense it offered a unique opportunity to rebuild a nation fractured long before the ground shook. Nature had leveraged a bulldozing that would never have been sanctioned by man, and with this came the promise of billions in tandem with the support to utilise it justly. The bulk of this aid has not materialised nearly eighteen months later. Of course this is nothing new - La Perle des Antilles has been allowed to wallow for decades, with little prospect of bettering itself. The fact that it holds no oil or mineral reserves is indicative of the West’s hypocrisy. The only choice seems to be for Haitians to wake up and smell the coffee, their main export.

Perhaps the one stressor Haiti has so far been relatively spared is the spirit of rebellion sweeping the Middle East and North Africa. The exercising of a right we often take for granted is borne of extreme oppression, an action often met barbarically by the powers that be. Recent Haitian first round elections were plagued by rumours of tampering, which resulted in several days of rioting in December, and a re-count. Violence has overshadowed the electoral process, but not on the bloody scale seen elsewhere this year.

The mood on the streets now, however, is visibly upbeat. News has broken of the withdrawal of government-backed Jude Célestin, who an initial ballot had indicated as a strong contender. This now leaves the population with two seemingly independent choices, and yet some critics feel Haiti bowed to international meddling. Whatever the motivation, it is fortunate timing. While a citizen standing up for his rights represents perhaps the last bastion of dignity, it could bring to the fore deadly consequences. Cholera, a rapid killer characterised by watery diarrhoea and vomiting, is the biggest concern. The disease spreads with ease via contaminated food and water, and thus makes large gatherings a recipe for disaster. While the United Nation has estimated that over 400,000 Haitians will contract ‘Kolera’ this year, a new Harvard Medical School study actually estimates this figure to be closer to 800,000, including 11,000 deaths.

What then can we learn from the misery of the Haitian legacy? The concept of gratitude comes to mind – for the simple things like food security, or having the choice to demonstrate peacefully and not endure a baton charge. The fact that we never seem to bother protesting in large numbers should concern us all, however. It is a mode of passive resistance Egyptians and Tunisians have been desperately embracing and indeed dying by the score for. One could argue our apathy is a by-product of democracy, others proffer it is a deficit in the Irish psyche – this notion of raising hell among family and friends by moaning about an issue, but a failure to act when it comes down to brass tacks. Our muted reaction to a penal bailout comes to mind, or the inexplicable length of time a hopelessly inept government was allowed continue the charade.

A modicum of perspective would not go astray either. Yes, an Irish default may be on the cards, underscored by the loss of homes as banks foreclose on frankly obscene mortgages. Yet life goes on. Countries have defaulted before and emerged intact. We will have to endure a hit on our standard of living, and inevitably those who fuelled the crisis will not feel anywhere near the pain they should. However, lifestyles will still be vastly more comfortable than the absolute poverty 80% of Haitians experience daily. I marvelled at the international celebration of Irish culture on March 17^th for St. Patrick’s Day. Despite our troubles, we still have a future worth embracing. Haiti and countries of a similar ilk cannot entertain this outlook. They were handed a raw deal from day one, whether through coups, corruption or colonialism, and have struggled ever since to break free from the stranglehold.

Perhaps the final lesson on offer from current world events is best illustrated by a rapidly changing Libyan landscape. Weeks of indecision by both the West and Arab League have allowed tyrannical Colonel Gaddafi to maim and murder at will. The eventual imposition of a no-fly zone was met with a specious promise of ceasefire, necessitating the move all the more. Sometimes taking too long to make a decision can be more detrimental than the action itself. Not following through, such as delivering on the promise of an active role in rebuilding a broken community, can be the most damaging of all. Until the West decides to overhaul its ethical compass, Haiti’s path will remain unchanged.

In the ironically named Cité Soleil (Sun City) - a slum regarded by the UN as one of the most dangerous places on earth - talk of gratitude, perspective and smart decision making ring hollow. Most of these people only know pain, and have little reason to think differently going forward. Will the upcoming elections, and the hitherto unrealised commitment of the West, change their minds?