This has been brought to my attention. An event was held at the Embassy of Haiti on January 1 2014, Haitian Independence Day. This event, the traditional serving of the yellow soup joumou this year was served only to 200 invited guests. This is a tradition which was begun by Ambassador Raymond Joseph when he was Charge DAffaires and Ambassador representing Haiti in Washington. From what I recall this is an event opened to the general Haitian public - Haitians who reside in the metropolitan area and beyond. This gives them an occasion to meet, greet, and mingle with other Hatian Compatriots. When the event was announced, a deadline was posted by which to call and RSVP to indicate if youre attending. That way the Embassy staff had an idea of head count and the number of people attending for purposes of food prep. It was clearly stated OPEN TO THE PUBLIC BUT RESERVATION REQUIRED - very self explanatory. That way if a person did not reply and call to indicate they are attending by the deadline date, well, the Embassy was covered. Plus, people call reserve and dont attend because things happen, thereby leaving a buffer for those who did not reserve who attend to be accommodate. That is just fine. But, when only 200 of closest friends are invited to Soup Joumou Day where does that leave the community of Haitians living in Washington who wish to attend? THE EMBASSY OF HAITI IS A PUBLIC EMBASSY ACCESSIBLE TO ALL HAITIANS AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC FOR PURPOSES OF CONDUCTING BUSINESS RELATIVE TO TRAVELING TO HAITI, TO ACQUIRE HAITIAN CULTURAL AND EDUCATIONAL KNOWLEDGE. A PLACE TO CONVENE FOR FORUMS ON VARIOUS ISSUES AND TOPICS CONCERNING HAITI - BE IT HAITIANS LIVING ABROAD AND HAITIANS HERE IN THE US. YOU KNOW IT WAS AT THE EMBASSY OF HAITI THAT I LEARNED MORE ABOUT AND TO APPRECIATE THE INTERNET. I THINK THE YEAR WAS 1995 AND THERE WAS A FORUM ON EDUCATION WHICH I ATTENDED. THE GUEST SPEAKERS CONSISTED OF PROFESSIONAL HAITIANS LIVING AND WORKING IN THE DC AREA AND THERE WERE HAITIANS FROM OTHER PLACES TOO. THERE WAS A VARIETY OF ISSUES OF INTEREST TO CONTEMPORARY HAITI THAT AFFECTS US ALL - PARTICULARLY WHETHER KREYOL SHOULD BE THE OFFICIAL LANGUAGE OF HAITI. EXPERTS IN LINGUISTICS WERE ON HAND TO LEAD A VERY INTERESTING DEBATE. IM GLAD I ATTENDED. AN IT EXPERT LED THE DISCUSSION ON THE INTERNET THAT WAS THE LATEST TECHNOLOGICAL WAVE, AND INCLUDED DEMONSTRATIONS ON HOW TO ACCESS THINGS ON THE WEB. FORUM PARTICIPANTS FORMED SMALLER GROUPS TO JOIN THE VARIOUS WORKSHOPS. I STILL REMEMBER THE DISCUSSION ON THE KREOLIZATION OF HAITI WHERE IT WAS THOUGHT THAT VERB CONJUGATION AND SPELLING OF THE KREYOL LANGUAGE WOULD BE CHALLENGING. YOU KNOW PEOPLE SET THEIR REGULARLY SCHEDULED ROUTINE ASIDE TO ATTEND THE CONFERENCE WHICH WAS HELD ON A SATURDAY TO SUPPORT CULTURAL PROGRAMS - WITHOUT PARTICIPATION FROM HAITIANS WHERE WOULD THE CULTURAL PROGRAMS BE. AND, IT IS NOT O.K. TO INVITE ONLY 200 OF CLOSEST FRIENDS. HAITIANS ARE IN AN UPROAR OVER THIS AND THEY SAY THEY ARE BEING EXCLUDED FROM THE EMBASSY - THE PEOPLES EMBASSY. THE EMBASSY IS HAITI REPRESENTED ABROAD. IN INSTANCES WHERE A FORUM OR CONFERENCE IS BEING HELD, CERTAIN SESSIONS MAY BE BY INVITATION ONLY DUE TO CERTAIN CERCUMSTANCES AND RESTRICTIONS. BUT, A CELEBRATION OF A NATIONAL HOLIDAY - HAITIAN INDEPENDENCE DAY OF ALL HOLIDAYS - A HAITIAN HOLIDAY CELEBRATION SHOULD NOT EXCLUDE THE GENERAL HAITIAN PUBLIC - WE ARE HAITI AND WE ARE HAITIANS AND THE EMBASSY IS OUR EMBASSY OF HAITIANS FOR HAITIANS AS HAITI IS OUR COUNTRY. FOLLOWING VARIOUS CONVERSATIONS WITH PEOPLE WHO ARE MIFFED ABOUT BEING CASTED OUT OF ENJOYING A BOWL OF SOUP JOUMOU AS THE TRADITION CALLS FOR, I LOGGED ON TO THE EMBASSY WEBSITE - THERE IT WAS, A PICTURE GALLERY OF 200 CLOSEST FRIENDS AND PEOPLE WHO WERE INVITED TO CELEBRATE HAITIAN INDEPENDENCE IN MY EMBASSY, OUR EMBASSY, THE EMBASSY OF THE REPUBLIC OF HAITI - THE PEOPLES EMBASSY. I ASK, WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE - NOT ONE RECOGNIZABLE FACE. WHY? BECAUSE THEY ARE THE 200 CLOSEST FRIENDS AND FAMILY WHO RECEIVED INVITATIONS TO ATTEND OUR INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATION AT OUR EMBASSY - THE EMBASSY OF THE PEOPLE. PLEASE HOLD PRIVATE PARTIES IN A PRIVATE SPACE, ON PRIVATE TIME. WHEN AT THE EMBASSY OF THE REPUBLIC OF HAITI, A HAITIAN IS ON HAITIAN SOIL. AND, REMEMBER SECTION J ARTICLE 41 OF THE REVISED CONSTITUTION OF 1987. A HAITIAN NATIONAL CAN NOT BE CASTED OUT FROM HIS HOMELAND. BY EXCLUDING THE GENERAL HAITIAN PUBLIC FROM PARTICIPATING IN THE NATIONAL INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATION AT THE EMBASSY CAN EASILY BE TRANSLATED AS HAVING BEEN EXCLUDED FROM GOING BACK HOME TO HAITI. REMEMBER WHEN AT THE EMBASSY, ONE IS ON HAITIAN SOIL - FOR REAL. THE HAITIAN EMBASSY SPACE IS A SPACE FOR ALL HAITIANS. WHAT IS GOING ON HERE? THE PRIVATIZATION OF A PUBLIC SPACE? HELL TO THE NO. I HAVE ALSO NOTED THAT THE CALENDAR OF EVENTS FOR PROGRAMS AT THE EMBASSY HAS BEEN OMMITTED. FOR WHAT? TO HOLD PRIVATE PROGRAMS? NO, NO, NO, NO, NO. THE EMBASSY IS A PUBLIC SPACE WHERE FORUMS ARE OPENED TO THE PUBLIC. PLEASE LOG ON TO THE EMBASSY WEBSITE, LOOK FOR ANY MISSING LINKS AND CALL THE EMBASSY TO DEMAND WHATS HAPPENING HERE. THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE HAITIAN NATIONALS INQUIRE WHY YOU, THE HAITIAN PUBLIC WERE EXCLUDED AND NOT INVITED TO HAITIAN NATIONAL INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATIONS AT YOUR EMBASSY - THE EMBASSY OF THE REPUBLIC OF HAITI, THE EMBASSY OF THE PEOPLE. AND, FOREIGN NATIONALS, PLEASE CALL TO COMMENT ON WHY YOU WERE EXCLUDED FROM EXPOSURE TO A FOREIGN CULTURE. DONT LET THE RUG BE PULLED FROM UNDER YOU. GO AHEAD MAKE THOSE CALLS AND SPEAK UP!
Posted on: Sun, 26 Jan 2014 14:23:02 +0000