Amy Wilentz says post-earthquake Haiti isn’t what it seems.
Wilentz, a contributing editor of The Nation magazine, spoke on the politics and culture of post-earthquake Haiti on Tuesday, Feb. 18 in the Hinckley Institute of Politics as part of the World Affairs Lecture Series.
“I think resilience is human and not something that can be attributed to just one population, as people have done to Haiti,” Wilentz said about the aftermath of the massive earthquake that hit the island nation in 2010.
As for the happy children, Wilentz spoke about the “outsiders” of Haiti and the filming and reporting tactics they have used to raise money for relief efforts by circulating images of “white people surrounded by children.”
Wilentz is a professor at the University of California, Irvine and has written two books on Haiti. Her most recent book is Farewell, Fred Voodoo, which fell in line with the forum discussion of “outsiders” and the effects of the earthquake relief.
“There were many unintended consequences of the earthquake help,” Wilentz said. “Many said ‘this is a great opportunity for Haitians to fix their nation,’ while the Haitians didn’t really think of it as an opportunity, but more of a national funeral.”
Wilentz spoke about the “catchphrases” used by Haitians to describe the helping and relief communities. Phrases like “crisis caravan” and “charity anxiety” show how Haitians view the aid organizations and volunteers.
“Charity itself is called into question,” Wilentz said of relief help. “Involving people on the ground, including the people who are actually there before decisions are made, that’s the most important thing you can learn from this situation.”
Mike Hone, a senior in international studies, has visited Haiti multiple times.
“I felt like what she said was very accurate. Americans think they have to try to change the place,” he said.
Hone went to Haiti right after the earthquake in 2010 and said he thinks there are different ways to help.
“They don’t really need as much help as we may think,” he said.
Wilentz told stories of Haiti and shared many of her own experiences at the forum.
“I kind of am the Haiti Memory Project because I have been going back and forth for so long,” she said of her many trips to Haiti since the 1980s.
She said she wouldn’t know how to fix Haiti.
“I know [Haiti] so well, and I don’t even know how to fix it. There are some simple things that could be changed, but that the outside world might not be okay with,” she said.
Kirsten Wang, a junior in international studies, thought Wilentz had an interesting point of view because she was in Haiti both before and after the earthquake. She said the lecture resonated with her because she is going into crisis management.
Wilentz spoke as the February installment of the World Affairs Lecture Series at Westminster’s Vieve Gore Concert Hall. All lectures in the series are free and open to the public.
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