The politics of Rice

Another short documentary from Al Jazeera English. Interesting again, because it looks into the recent history of trade policy in Haiti. Why a country with such a fertile land imports more than half of the rice its people eat: that’s the crux of the matter in Haiti’s economic underdevelopment story, and the real thing the international community needs to acknowledge. Subsidies for farming in the US and EU, opening up markets and not prioritizing local production when food security is an issue. How do you defend that?

Nevermind the bad English translation from Creole sometimes.

Talking about a Green Revolution

Last weekend, I went visiting the farm of ITECA (Institut de Technologie et d’Animation), called “Ti Boukan”. When there’s not too much traffic the 30kms from Port-au-Prince only take a small hour drive on the way south.

Extending the MINUSTAH mandate within Haiti’s recent history

With its resolution 1892 of 13 October 2009, the UN Security Council extended the mandate of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) with another year. As a peacekeeping mission Haiti appears to be different from most of the peacekeeping missions deployed in UN history. At least nowadays.

President Préval

Last week all heads of state gathered in New York to bring their message to the yearly session of the UN General Assembly. Obviously, the president of Haiti, René Préval, did not stand much of a chance to make his way into the international media headlines with what he had to say,

When in Cuba

Going to Cuba in August almost felt like going back in Europe;but – as tourists’ tales have it – to a decayed version. As if there has been a standstill in maintenance and evolution of ordinary life. Something which is particularly felt in Havana, with its great architecture, a mixture of colonial buildings with Moorish, Spanish, Greek and Roman influences. Restoration projects in the old town are on its way, but that still leaves Centro Habana and Habana Vieja with a feeling of being thrown back in time whilst compensating for it with an

Les droits fondamentaux loin d’être respectés dans l’Artibonite

P-au-P, 30 juil. 09 [AlterPresse] — Une enquête de la Plateforme des organisations haïtiennes des droits de l’homme (Pohdh) relève la non jouissance des droits fondamentaux par la population du département de l’Artibonite (Nord).

Garantir le droit à l’alimentation et la souveraineté alimentaire nationale

L’urgence d’une nation souveraine en production et accès aux aliments est posée dans le cadre d’un séminaire, déroulé début juillet 2009 à Port-au-Prince sous les auspices de la plateforme des organisations haïtiennes de droits humains.

Il y a urgence, aujourd’hui en Haïti, de parvenir à des conditions de souveraineté nationale favorisant la production et l’accès aux aliments pour toutes les couches de la population (Communiqué de presse, Alterpresse).

Enjoy the silence

Today President René Préval finally broke through his long silence. And how. With press notes and an open letter in Haiti’s newspapers

Protests ahead

Student protests enter their fourth week in Port-au-Prince. What started as a movement of protest against the changes in their curriculum has now been transformed into a crusade for a higher minimum wage. Meanwhile, more demands and social groups join the scene.