Haitians and the mith about ‘blacks don't read'
(by E. W. VEDRINE, 08-13-05) |
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Not long ago, some writings have been circulating on the internet about ‘Blacks don't read'. Some people have even done extensive research on the theme. But for us, Haitian educators living in the U.S, how can we talk about this problem? What can we do in order to get deeper and deeper in this matter and see what can be done to help breaking the ice, knowing that to read and write is quite a powerful weapon an individual can have in his hand? Most of the times, these pieces of writing circulating on the net tend to blame Blacks instead of finding out the cause and effect. As a minority within a larger one, should we - as educators, just blame them and never finding out the real reason? As new Black immigrants, we (or our offspring) will soon be integrated in that larger Black Diaspora. When Haitians leave Haiti, they don't leave their traditions behind. Those living in Diaspora always represent a sample of those who remain behind in the main land. In the Haitian Culture, most things are still at the oral level since most Haitians in Haiti never had access to school. That means most of Haiti's oral traditions have not been written down. As research shows, 85% of the population is illiterate. No joke about it! And yet, we don't have any government who cares about that big problem. Their sole purpose is to get to power (by any means possible), steal as much money as possible, put their friends in key positions and then go into exile later. It's only after the Civil Right Movement that Blacks in the United States had a real chance to go attend “some schools”. It was not easy for them beforehand. Those who were lucky to go to school before, had to seat in the back of the class or gave up their seat to white students (most of the time). And after graduation, one of the jobs available for most black graduates in the U.S (late 19th century & beginning of the 20th) was being a waiter in some restaurants or hotels. Haitians who arrived in the United States after the Civil Right Movement were quite lucky, and many of them never realized that Dr. Martin Luther King had also sacrificed his life for them. So, in a way, some would buy the negative stereotypes about Afro-Americans without trying to know their true history and their struggle to survive in a country what was build upon their own sweats. Second, some Blacks in the U.S look straight where opportunity opens its doors to them, and most of the youth in this sense find that in MUSIC, SPORTS & the ARTS. So, to them, why bother working hard going to college and cannot get a good job later when they can make million of dollars in music and sports? Is this a silly thought for survival? Back in Haiti, EDUCATION opens doors to the “Pitit Sòyèt” (children of the low & lowest class – the untouchables) and it's the ONLY PATH that can help them climbing the social ladder. Let's not make BLAMING something funny here (as it appears to be in some writings), but rather let's try to understand the REALITY of the world, and as educators, see to what extent we can help changing the old order of things for the better. If a kid grew up seeing his parents are reading /writing - they have a library at home, it's natural that this kid will become a reader at a very young age. By the age of five, Jean-Paul Sartre was already a great reader. Why? He grew up in the midst of his Grandpa's library. Simome De Beauvoir (his girlfriend for 52 years) published her first novel before the age of ten. When I went to Paris (for the first time in 1982), I would feel uncomfortable if I did not have anything in my hand to read while riding the metro. That's the culture there (everyone reads). “Andere Lande, andere Zitten" (Other country, other culture) as the German saying puts it. Sometimes, some of us may put the same blame on Haitians without going deeper into The Haitian Reality back home (where in this case, people care more about the meal that they are going to find for the day and as we know, over 90% of Haitians don't have access to good meal on a daily basis). So, are we going to blame them for not being able to read and write when they don't have access to FREE SCHOOLS? And even if any real government (in the future) opens up free schools throughout Haiti, I don't think that will be a total success without FREE MEALS in order to keep the kids in school because most parents cannot feed them. Not being able to eat at least one meal every day in Haiti is one of the reasons why the country has many dropouts where most students never had a chance to even complete the Elementary Cycle. And again, SCHOOLS ARE NOT 100% FREE there (as it is the case in the U.S up to high school). Let's discuss what can be done to help solving these problems (be it in Haiti or in the Black Diaspora), in order to try to break the ice. (E. W. Vedrine)
Ayisyen ak mit «Moun Nwa pa li» (Emmanuel W. VEDRINE, 13-08-05) Pa tèlman lontan, kèk dokiman t ap sikile sou entènèt la apwopo «Moun Nwa pa li». Gen kèk moun ki gen tan fè rechèch avanse sou tèm sa a. Men nou menm, edikatè ayisyen k ap viv Etazini, kijan nou ka pale de pwoblèm sa a? Kisa nou ka fè pou antre pi fon nan nannan koze a epi wè kisa k fèt pou ede jwenn sous pwoblèm nan, lè n konnen konn li ak ekri se yon zam puisan yon moun kapab gen nan men li? Anpil fwa, koze sa yo ki sikile sou entènèt la parèt yon jan pou blame moun nwa olye pou chèche konnen kòz ak efè yo. Kòm minorite andedan yon lòt ki pi gwo, èske nou dwe – kòm edikatè, jis blame yo epi pa janm jwenn vrè rezon an? Kòm nouvo imigran nwa, nou menm (ak desandan nou k ap vini) pral entegre avan lontan nan pi gwo dyaspora nwa sa a. Lè Ayisyen kite Ayiti, yo pa kite tradisyon yo dèyè. Sa yo k ap viv nan dyaspora a reprezante yon echantiyon de sa yo ki rete dèyè nan manman peyi a. Nan kilti ayisyèn, pifò engredyan ki konpozan kilti sa a toujou rete nan nivo oral lè n konnen pifò Ayisyen pa janm gen aksè a lekòl. Sa vle di, pifò tradisyon oral Ayiti poko kouche sou papye. Pa gen jwèt nan sa! Epi nou poko gen oken gouvènman ki sousye de gwo pwoblèm sa a. Sèl sa yo gen nan tèt yo se monte sou pouvwa (pa nenpòt mwayen posib), vòlè kont lajan yo kapab, mete zanmi yo nan pòs kle, epi al an(n) ekzil apre. Se sèlman apre Mouvman Dwa Sivil ke moun Nwa nan peyi Etazini gen yon vrè chans ale nan «kèk lekòl». Se pa t yon koze fasil pou yo avan. Sa yo ki te gen chans ale lekòl avan, se dèyè klas yo ta chita oubyen bay elèv blan plas yo (anpil fwa). Epi apre yo fin diplome, youn nan dyòb disponib pou pifò nwa Etazini (fen 19èm [diznevyèm] ak kòmansman 20èm [ventyèm] syèk) se te travay kòm moun k ap sèvi nan restoran ou nan otèl. Ayisyen ki rive Etazini apre Mouvman Dwa Sivil la te trè chanse, e anpil nan yo pa t janm reyazli ke Dtè (doktè) Martin Luther King te sakrifye vil pou yo tou. Donk, yon fason, kèk ta pran o serye estereyotip negatif yo ta fè de Nwa Ameriken san ke yo pa eseye konnen vrè istwa avèk lit yo pou siviv nan yon peyi ki bati sou pwòp swè yo. Dezyèmman, kèk Nwa nan peyi Etazini gade dirèk dirèk kote opòtinite ouvri pòt pou yo, e pifò jèn, nan sans sa a, jwenn san an MIZIK, ESPÒ ak AR. Donk, pou yo, poukisa pou bat kò yo travay di pou ale nan inivèsite epi yo pa ka jwenn yon dyòb apre lè yo ka fè milyonven nan mizik ak espò? Èske ide sa a se youn ki move pou siviv? An(n) Ayiti, EDIKASYON ouvri pòt pou «Pitit Sòyèt» epi li se SÈL CHEMEN ki kapab ede yo grenpe echèl sosyal la. Ann pa BLAME yon koze konsa (ki ta parèt komik pou kèk moun), men pito ann eseye konprann REYALITE lemonn, epi kòm edikatè, wè nan ki mwayen nou kapab chanje òd bagay yo pou lavi miyò. Si yon timoun grandi kote l wè paran l ap li /ekri – yo gen yon bibliyotèk nan kay la, se yon bagay natirèl pou timoun sa a vin yon bon jan lektè abazaj. Lè Jean-Paul Sartre te nan laj senkan, li te gen tan konn li fen e byen. Poukisa? Li grandi nan mitan bibliyotèk papa l. Simome De Beauvoir (mennaj li pandan 52 ane) pibliye premye roman l avan l te gen dizan. Lè m te a Pari (pou premye fwa an 1982), mwen ta santi m enkonfòtab si m pa t gen anyen nan men m pou li lè m pran metro. Se konsa kilti a ye nan peyi sa a (tout moun li). «Andere Lande, andere Zitten» (Lòt peyi, lòt kilti [Chak peyi gen koutim yo]) jan pwovèb alman an di l. Pafwa, kèk nan nou lage menm chay la sou do Ayisyen san nou pa ale nan fondèt Reyalite Ayisyèn nan (kote nan ka sa a, moun yo sousye plis de sa yo pral jwenn pou manje pou jounen an epi kòm nou konnen, plis pase 90% Ayisyen pa gen aksè a yon bon jan plat manje chak jou). Donk, èske nou pral blame yo daprezavwa yo pa kapab li ak ekri lè yo pa gen aksèk a LEKÒL GRATIS TI CHERI? E menmsi yon vrè gouvènman (demen) ta ouvè pòt lekòl gratis tribòbabò Ayiti, mwen pa panse sa pral yon siksè san MANJE GRATIS, yon fason pou kenbe timoun yo lekòl paske pifò paran pa kapab ba yo manje. Lefèt yon timoun pa kapab manje yon plat manje chak jou, sa se youn nan rezon ki lakòz anpil timoun Ayiti kite lekòl kote anpil pa janm gen chans konple menm sik elemantè a. E ankò, LEKÒL PA 100% GRATIS TI CHERI Ayiti (kòm sa fèt nan peyi Etazini jiska nivo segondè). Ann diskite sa ki ka fèt pou ede solisyone pwoblèm sa yo (kit yo parèt Ayiti oswa nan Gwo Dyaspora Nwa a), pou kapab eseye jwenn koz yo. (E. W. Vedrine)
Emmanuel W. Védrine |
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