Amizade Plays Role in Haiti Forum at West Virginia University

Aftershock: Knowing Haiti Now

The Earthquake in Context—History, Politics, Culture

a public forum

7:00 pm

March 23, 2010

Ming Hsieh Hall (Oglebay G20)

The January 12 earthquake that devastated Port-au-Prince launched Haiti into the world’s spotlight with scenes of unimaginable suffering. Too often, those are the only media images to come out of Haiti. And they leave us with more questions than answers: Why did the buildings fall so easily? How can Haiti be rebuilt? Will international aid do good? Does the Haitian political system work? And, amidst dire conditions of poverty and disaster, how do the Haitian people manage to show such resilience and faith?

This forum aims to answer these questions and more by putting the earthquake in context. Panelists from across the university will discuss Haitian history, US-Haiti relations, the economics of development, and media response to the earthquake. There will be plenty of Q&A with the audience following the presentations. Haitian music will play as we serve refreshments following the discussion.

Panelists

Karleen Jones West (Political Science)

"The Impact of Colonialism on Haiti's Development" 

James Siekmeier (History)

“US-Haitian Relations in Historical Context”

Kayode Ogunfolabi (English)

"Surviving the Kingdom of this World, Or Transgressing the Margins of Imagination" 

Eric Hartman (Amizade and International Studies)

“The Solutions are Small, The Effects are Large: Locally-Driven Development”

Moderator

Gwen Bergner (English)

"Haiti in the US Imagination"

Exhibitor

Michael Vercelli (Music)

"Survival Instincts: African Musical Influence in Haitian Vodou Tradition