Karlito's blog

Wyclef – Prison For the Electoral Council (English Translation)

// August 26th, 2010 // 5 Comments » // Politics

I decided to do this rough translation for our international friends. Helping you to better understand the things that Wyclef said in his news song “Prison for the Electoral Council” – Enjoy

Original song: Prizon pou KEP

Forgetting what we dreamed of…what we hoped for…

// June 28th, 2010 // 1 Comment » // Thoughts

PetionVille this monday morning is not much different then the one on january 11th. Perhaps the increase in traffic and the net growth of the street markets. Besides that, we seem to forget that six months ago we experienced the worst catastrophe in our 200+ years of history.

Would another earthquake be so bad to remind us that we are not out of this mess? – As long as we do not have any lost of lives, I think we need a good shake. A wake up call that life as we knew it changed on January 12. The hopes of a new haiti and a new way of thinking faded little by little as the weeks went by; leaving us with this idea that “god for all and one for self” is probably the best way to go.  Talks of projects of reconstruction keeps on being at the top of the headlines, along with elections and the rise in insecurity. A reconstruction process that we have yet to see the begining of six months later. Promises of aids have been made but the complaints of donors not coming thru keeps multiplying. An election in which, the youth have yet to identify a leader, someone they can relate to; to say that we are not even aware of whom will be running. Most likely the same people, the same people who since 1986 have been power and money hungry. The same people who refuses to bring in new and young people to combine with the experience they have gain in order to provide a better result with better system or way of doing things. And as far as security is concern, we wont stop questioning the role of the TOURISTAS (MINUSTHA) in our country. They have failed considerably in providing the necessary support to the haitian national police which btw is working hard to prevent what we lived back in 2004-2006 to come back (the days where we would be scared of going out to certain locations at certain time in a certain car…)

We forget quickly, how we dreamed and talked about how Haiti is going to be this place we all want to live in. We forget quickly.

And just like many times before, it’s sad to say that six months later, we have missed the golden opportunity of changing forever the Haiti we know and complain about so much….

Viril et la Boule d’Or

// June 26th, 2010 // Comments Off // Perso

Viril: Mlle sait-elle qu’elle a de jolis yeux et que son sourire ne fait que rechauffer mon coeur?.. Et pour ne pas etre indifferent au sentiment que j’éprouve, j’aimerais prendre un peu de temps pour me faire connaitre, et ceci avec son agreable oui, bien entendu!

Boule d’Or: mais msieu n’a t’il pas encore compris que c’est oui? quand dès mon reveil, son nom me monte a la tete et que je m’empresse de lui dire bonjour pour que mon soleil à moi se leve a son tour…..

Viril: Je ne doute pas des sentiments de Mlle d’agreer à ma demande de me faire connaitre. En toute franchise, j’aimerais etre avisé de ce qu’elle ressent.Car Je me trouve dans l’incapacite de m’opposer à son opinion ou de pouvoir l’appuyer par mes actions ou mes mots.

Boule d’Or: elle vous mentirait si elle disait ressentir quelque sentiment defini, seulement , elle apprecie, et savoure chacune de vos conversations decouvrant à chacun de vos mots un tout autre sens que ceux auquels ils ont ete attribues…..

Viril: Est-ce que Mlle a une idee de comment je commence a l’apprecier malgré la distance qui nous separe et le fait que l’on se connait a peine? Mlle est tres interessante

Boule d’Or: Mlle vous remercie du compliment.Et vous dirait que contrairement a vous qui commencez a l’apprecier, elle vous apprecie deja.car avec elle c’est la loi du tout ou rien soit ca clique ou ne clique pas.Elle ne perds jamais son temps avec quelconque soupirant mais les econduit plutot avant de perdre trop de temps

Viril:Bien entendu, Mr. n’aime pas precipiter les choses. Mon desir est de me faire connaitre et induire en vous, ma tres chere demoiselle, l’idee d’eventuellement me joindre a vous

Boule d’Or: mlle aimerait tout aussi bien vous rencontrer……et meme impatiente a cette idee qui n’est pas tres pres de se concretiser…..

Viril: Est-ce la concretisation de cette idee un point vital dans sa prise de decision?

Boule d’Or: mlle est un peu troublée…de quelle idée vous parlez???

Viril: L’idee de rencontre Mr.

Boule d’Or: toute troublée mlle s’est trompée. Elle voulait parler de la decison dont parle Msieu.

Viril: Mlle , la demarche que j’aimerais tenter aujourd’hui pres de vous vise tout simplement a vous persuader que je vous aime d’amour je serais veritablement enchanté de vous offrir ma vie tout en m’engageant a faire l’impossible pour vous procurer un bonheur parfait!

Boule d’Or: Mais mon cher msieu….parler d’amour de si tot…n’est ca pas impromptu??? toutefois….je savourerais bien quelque mots d’amour tres doux a mes oreilles et delicieux pour mon mon coeur ….

Viril:Le temps n’a point de poids sur les sentiments que l’on peut ressentir chere mlle. Depuis quand l’amour, noble sentiment, s’attarde-t-il dans les froids calculs?

Boule d’Or: certes, il ne s’attarde jamais sur de froids calculs et viens pratiquement vous visiter sans s’annoncer…mais j’aime me bercer danss l’illusion qu’il n’est pas encore arrivé à ma porte et et je suis ravie pour vous qui l’avez reconnu et acceuilli chez vous.

Viril: Cessez de nourir dans votre esprits des idees chimères. Il ne convient pas a une jeune fille de se barer le chemin et de douter de la possibilité que ce que je ressens est vrai. Quand vous doutez, vous niez timidement la possibilite de toute evolution et en quelque sorte etouffez chez moi toutes nobles aspirations.

Boule d’Or: Ne faites pas de mes doutes un barrage inffranchissable mais plutot considerez les comme une haie, qui ,bien taillee concretiserait vos aspirations

Viril:A force de retenir votre ame dans la sombre inquietude qu’engendre le mal de douter, vous finirez par vous faire du tort a vous-meme, vous finirez par voiler votre avenir. Je ressens qu’un avenir avec moi vous mettrait des frissons dans l’ame. Pourquoi?

Boule d’Or: mon ame est trop bien protegee pour avoir des frissons,,,seulement si je la decouvre juste un ptit peu j’ai peur qu’elle ne s’acclimate pas et tombe malade, alors je lui evite tout risque en la gardant protegee mais espere quand meme un jour la voir frissonner

Viril:Le doute qui vous dechire n’est que le produit de la maladie de votre imagination. J’aimerais tellement voir la palpitation de votre coeur a travers vos yeux. Mlle, je vous prie de laisser frissonner votre coeur de tendresse et d’amour

Boule d’Or: laisser frissonner mon coeur de tendresse et d’amour…..c’est beaucoup demander pourtant j’avoue que j’aimerais essayer…..

Viril:Et pourquoi pas? Ecoutez. La destinee de mlle, bonne ou mauvaise est l’oeuvre de sa volonte, de son seul vouloir. Et saches que nul ne peut etre la cause du bonheur ni le malheur d’autrui. Ce que je ressens pour toi reste et sera toujours serieux!

Boule d’Or: si nul ne peux etre la cause du bonheur ou du malheur d’autrui et que seule moi est responsable de ma destinee peu etre je libererais mon ame pour qu’il s’abreuve de tendresse et d’amour……

Viril:Et mlle se retient parce que….?

Boule d’Or: elle se retenait….mais desormais….ne se retiens plus…… …….

Viril:Si je comprend bien , Mlle est en train de me dire qu’elle veut considerer unir sa destinee a la mienne….?

Boule d’Or: je crois que oui…..

Viril:Et je dois te croire parce que?

Boule d’Or: parce que tu as effacé mes doutes et m’a convaincu de m’ouvrir un peu à l’amour….

Viril:Mlle veut-elle me dire exactement jusqu’ou je puis m’aventurer dans ce coeur qui m’est étrangement ouvert tout d’un coup…?………….mlle

Boule d’Or: mlle se saurait vous dire jusqu’ou vous aventurer dans ce coeur à peine ouvert quand elle ne sait si c’est un labyrinthe ou un simple chemin bordee de fleurs…….qui mene au fond de son coeur……

How is your money being spent in Haiti?

// May 24th, 2010 // 3 Comments » // Misc

It’s 3 o’clock in the afternoon and we just left the office of HelpAge International at Belvil to go meet with CEOs of the charity who had just arrived that day for a four day visit, an evaluation of HelpAge’s work in Haiti as they called it.

After half an hour drive thru traffic, we pulled into what should be described as a tent camp. Kids running half naked, a “clairin” vendor on one corner and a bunch of guys playing dominoes on the other.  However this little spot, with the inscriptions: Asile Communale, is located in the heart of Delmas #2, a spot well known for gang violence right after the departure of Aristide and recently after the evasion of gang leaders during the earthquake that hit Port-au-Prince on January 12.

We walked straight toward what seemed to be a small church destroyed by the quake, which benches, made out of concrete, served as sleeping area for some and dinner table for others. We were on the look out for the CEOs whom had already started visiting the area. The tents setup in front of the main building was separated by a stagnant smelly white greenish water and the beginning of what looked like a sludge. Even tho the brown and beige building who used to house part of the elders was not subject to any damages unlike the other buildings in the complex, scared of aftershocks, they decided to sleep outside.

We finally found Richard, Richard Blewitt, as he was presented in the staff meeting a couple of hours ago. He has been the CEO of HelpAge International for the past three years and was seemingly quite proud of the work that he has done globally. Nevertheless, we were quickly distracted by the voice of an old lady, about sixty years old, and plates of respectively rice and spaghetti on the ground. The quite frustrated woman could not stop talking about the food which she was being served everyday. “We are not animal”, she shouted, “I can’t throw rocks but, I can start screaming, this is not right and not fair”. I could not help noticing Richard’s face smiling, puzzled a little, clueless of what was going on. His translator who is no one but a Dr. in charge of the program at that location, tried his best to calm the lady down, even went as far as giving her money to buy ingredients to cook something else to eat. As this whole scene unfolds, my nose could not distinguish the smell of the smelly water to the smells from the tents where the old people chose to sleep.

As this visit continues, an array of questions started popping in my head. Would I want to be living in this condition at sixty, seventy or eighty years old? Would have I let my parents, my grandparents in such condition? Would Richard let her parents live in such condition?

Actually I have the answer to that last one. While I question the treatment of foreign staff members of HelpAge in Haiti, it actually helped me understand the type of care that the aging parents and grandparents of the senior officers of HelpAge would have received. As you can imagine, not compared to this.

HelpAge who is one of the top British NGOs in Haiti while helping a lot of old people still gives me room to raise my eyebrows on some practices which I find not unfit for a charity. The offices of the charity are located in the heart of Belvil, one the most prestigious gated community in Port-au-Prince. The small villa where the organization runs it’s operation is in my opinion way too much for the type of work being done. If my first day in the office was troubled by this, later on that week, a white villa at Delmas #60 where 2-3 foreign staff members reside would make me question even more, where and how all the money being donated to the Haiti cause being spent. The house in the picture did not ease my mind either. It is the residence of a few other staff members and the lunch spot for the six foreign members of the almost 50 staff members of HelpAge in Haiti. A similar one not to far from the front gate, guarded by armed security just like the other houses, is the storage house.

After all this, I can’t help question the money being spent by NGOs in Haiti. Not that nothing is being done, just that things could have been way better if the money was well spent.  HelpAge could have helped getting rid of that nasty water by which all this old and vulnerable people sleep. Or provide better food for the residents of the public nursing home of which they claim to fund at 70%.

Myjan12story.com

// April 25th, 2010 // Comments Off // Misc

Please note that I am getting ready to publish the site, please let submit your entries as soon as possible. I would be really grateful. This is none other then our story.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Dear friends,

I am currently working on a project. We can not deny the powerful effect that January 12 had on our lives. I would like to help document that day in the most natural, original and accurate way possible in offering you the chance to tell your 35 second story and the minutes that followed to the world.

I will soon launch a website, myjan12story.com, which will contain all of the stories that I will receive from everyone in the weeks to come.

What I am asking of you is extremely simple. It doesn’t matter if you were in Haiti or abroad. All we need to know is how you lived that day. Here is how to participate:

1) Write 2-3 paragraph telling your story to a stranger. You are free to write it in creole, french, or English, which ever language you are more comfortable with.

2) You can send us a video of you, preferably upload on youtube or vimeo but if you can’t upload it, we will do it for you. No biggie.

3) If you wish not to have a video, you can send us an Audio with your story.

4) For photographers, I would like for you to send me at least 15-20 pictures that you selected and in your opinion depicted what you lived that day.

Now keep in mind that this is the story of how you lived the EQ. Please try to keep it from let’s say 4:45 PM to 11 PM if possible. You do not need to tell me all that but keep it in that range please.
For option 2 and 3, keep your video under 10 minutes.
Your submission doesn’t have to be perfectly written and edited. I want it to be as natural and original as possible.

Afterward, please me your submission at karl@urbansketchhaiti.com with “myjan12story” in the subject line.

If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to contact me at anytime via facebook, the email address provide up there or by phone at 3652 9459.

Thank you very much, your help in making this project a success is greatly appreciated.