OMs -1 [Occasional musings from Haiti] or Self-Archiving without the Vanity!

*I’m here in Haiti for the next few months primarmily as a 2013 IRP New Media Fellow but also to help with developing a couple of projects as well as some teaching. It’s my 3rd time in Haiti since the 2010 earthquake. A sister friend suggested I post daily musings or to be precise ’Daily musings from a ‘Pan-African Feminist in Haiti’ [from now on Occasional Musings / OMs] which is an honourable description. Discussing the idea with another friend, I mentioned I was uncomfortable with ‘new media self-promotion’ – it makes me cringe. He agreed entirely but explained how he was learning to separate ‘Self-Archiving” from ‘plain vanity’ so I think I will go with that. It makes sense. But these musings might start in a flurry and taper off, even end who knows. I am not making a commitment, I have enough of those already.

As always when I am in Haiti I am staying with an amazing family, warm, beautiful people . We are many plus other guests come and go and I await for my good friend Mark, of Growing Haiti, to return. The family reminded me last evening that I was the first foreign guest to stay in their house [2007] and the room I’m in this time is that same first room so it’s now my room. How things have changed since then in so many ways but also somethings have remained the same.

Che’s comment on revolution and love are made real here because there is so much love amongst everyone, here at home in the every day things we do, at work and the various gatherings we all attend. At the risk of sounding ridiculous this quote from Che is apt

“”At the risk of seeming ridiculous, let me say that the true revolutionary is guided by a great feeling of love…. We must strive every day so that this love of living humanity will be transformed into actual deeds, into acts that serve as examples, as a moving force

To be welcomed and trusted in this community is an honour and out of respect for my friends I wont be writing about happenings which I consider to be of a personal and or sensitive nature. Also where necessary I will use inconsistent pseudonyms.

*This piece was written in retrospect.