I am in another forum where the idea of targeting Haitian college students as part of the tourist clientele in Haiti. I think I will share my insights here also.

I was very glad that someone wrote about college students. However, before we think of this population as contributors to tourism in Haiti, Haitians need to provide outreach programs for college students in the United States, Canada, or Europe. Education, Youth and particularly Haitian college students are my frames of discourse in my monthly Boston Haitian Reporter (BHR) columns that I have shared in this line.

Last March , in an open letter format I reiterated in my BHR column suggestions on tourism, Haiti's infrastructure, young people that I have been addressing for more than a decade. I assume these columns posted here are in the yahoo website. If not they could be found somewhere in < haitiforever.com, formerly <windowsonhaiti.com>. I don’t know if BostonHaitian.com , The Boston Haitian Reporter’s website has an archive.

I have also suggested in other Haitian list serves that Haitian businesses, the community and Haitians with disposable income could start investing in programs that would do outreach and support young people and learning. I did not get any feedback. I have tried asking in two Haitian list serves and individuals in my address book to sponsor some Haitian youth to attend a National Haitian Student conference last spring. No one responded. As an active person who shares a lot of what I learn to the Haitian community, I asked both in the radio and in some yahoogroups for the community and those who read my posts and my columns to sponsor me to several institutes and conferences this summer. No one replied either.

My point is Haitians may need to start investing in their human beings, in their children, in young people, in the college population, in adult learning in order to have the systemic change that we dream of.

In regards to bringing college students to Haiti, we Haitians need to provide the structure, to develop a collective rapport with college campuses, and learn the college student culture. We can do it because a significant number of us from the first generation had gone to college and have a sense of what college life entails though the times may be different. The Haitian community would have to dispose and raise money to travel with college students. As a first generation parent of two college students, I can attest after tuition is paid that many parents and the students can not afford tourism. Bringing young people to help in Haiti’s future and tourism would have to be a collective effort that begins, grows, and nurtured right within the Haitian diasporic community.

An idea that came to mind and had written a prominent Haitian artist about it is that the musicians and promoters who profit from balls (a Creoglish cognate) and concerts dispose a portion of their profits for youth endeavours in the community. This is a money that is made from the Haitian community and is given back to the youth of the community who go to those dances and purchase CD’s, DVD’s, and videos.

In regards to writers, artists, painters who don’t have a lot of money either, I have suggested that business owners continue reinvesting their capitals in the community to support creative people. For instance, besides Educa we need more Haitian printing companies in the Diaspora. A prominent Haitian business person I wrote about investing in a printing company in the Diaspora that writers would run had not yet responded. Artists from all domains, writers, and learners are a group of people that should not live in close to poverty and that money should not be a barrier in their production and creativity.

Based on my life long experience growing up in the Haitian community while a college student, “targeting” college students as tourists in Haiti requires giving back to the community, investing in learning, in human beings which are areas that Haitians need to improve also in order to start seeing long term structural changes in Haiti and active participation of this younger generation in Haiti’s affairs.

Nekita

P.S Since I am reading an SOS for Wyclef to help in Croix des Bouquets. Maybe he and other Haitians artists could consider having concerts in several regions in the Diaspora to raise funds for Haiti Youth project. As I said, some of the profit can be put in an account so that the money could be disposed for sister projects where young Haitians here could bring their talents to young Haitians like those asking for help in Croix-des-Bouquets. Competent and experienced Haitian adults could work with young Haitians here in terms of supporting them (ankadre yo) in their dream to be helpful in the Haitian community here, in Haiti, in the U.S (where I am writing from) and in the larger world.

Another idea- I have noticed here in Boston several consulates like the Brazilian, the Cape Verdean, the Japanese, they work with the community also. Some have them have classes for their expatriates. They teach the children the curriculum of their countries. I had Japanese children who used to go to those classes on Saturdays. I have proposed the need to take care of young Haitians to some Haitian officials but no one is listening. I am wondering who is really overseeing the well being of Haitians in the diaspora?

Furthermore, Haiti is a country in the Caribbean that had remained closest to Africa in terms of culture and customs. For instance, I saw “lanp tet gridap” in Benin (lamps made of empty evaporated milk tin cans that are lit up in the market places at night). In a context of Pan African exchange and dialogue, Haiti can also target African Americans, Afro Canadians, Brazilians, Afro Latinos and other Caribbean’s islanders as a her tourist clientele. I think the world needs to see Black people as tourists also.