Gabel delivers the real deal; T-Micky impresses in debut

GabelGabelGabel “Gon Jan Pou Ye” The restless band Gabel returns with a fresh batch of songs in their latest effort for the hearts of concert goers. The album, “Gon Jan Pou Ye” is an independent release hosting 14 original compositions from one of the industry’s up and coming ensembles. Gabel is earning its keep the old fashioned way. Whatever they’ve enjoyed in terms of fame or success has been the result of relentless effort on their part. They’ve learned from their lackluster albums and gradually produced better products. They’ve spent an incredible amount of energy on the road playing before diverse audiences and effectively showcasing their adventures on industry websites. They’ve yet to lock in the hit album that will catapult them fully into the mainstream but one thing time on the road gives any commercial artist is some significant insights on what their audiences want. So far, Gabel’s slogans are more popular than their songs; can the new album change all that?

Haiti: A Wobbly Cauldron Supported by Three Legs

BHR 3-12BHR 3-12The March edition of the Boston Haitian Reporter.Following the demise of the Duvalier dictatorship in 1986, Haiti enlisted a series of measures to heal the wounds of its venomous past. A new, more democratic constitution was written in 1987, Aléxandre Pétion’s red and blue flag was hoisted to re-invigorate the republic, and an electoral process was attempted to establish a representative democracy. Unfortunately, in Haiti, where power is traditionally lopsided, the practice of institutionalizing participatory democracy is often overtaken by leanings toward winner-take-all mentalities and practices. Despite preventive actions, the landscape unwittingly inclines toward dictatorship and corruption. One fundamental problem with governance is the fact that Haiti has never been fully democratic. The subjugation of the masses has been perpetuated by not only the policies and practices of Haiti’s elite (both political and economic) but also by members of the international community. Foreign hands are perpetually mired in the workings of the nation’s governmental, economic and social affairs, often to their own benefit, as they propel Haiti to an unstable future.

February edition features work of Haitian cartoonists

BHR 2-12BHR 2-12The February 2012 edition of the Boston Haitian Reporter is now available in print and online. In this month's edition, the Boston Haitian Reporter is pleased to introduce our readers to a new section of the newspaper that will feature the work of Haitian cartoonists and journalists. Their work has been brought to our attention through a groundbreaking project led by an international organization called the Cartoon Movement. We encourage our readers to learn more about the background of Cartoon Movement and their Haiti project by going to their website. You can also view more work from very talented Haitian artists, cartoonists and journalists who have teamed with Cartoon Movement in recent months. There is also a video that documents the month that the Cartoon Movement’s editorial team spent in Haiti last July. On January 12, 2012, the second anniversary of the earthquake, Cartoon Movement published the first chapter of the 75-page comics journalism project focused on life in Haiti— the first section of which is printed here in the Reporter. Written by Port-au-Prince reporter Pharés Jerome, and illustrated by Chevelin Pierre, Tents Beyond Tents takes us down to the Champ de Mars in front of the crumbled presidential palace to the squalid conditions in tent camps on the outskirts of town. Jerome tells us of the forced evictions by state authorities and the modest progress that is finally allowing some families to relocate.

Duvalier ruling sends a chilling message

On Jan. 30, Investigative Magistrate Carves Jean handed down a ruling on the Jean-Claude Duvalier case, recommending that all human rights charges against Duvalier be dropped and that he be tried instead in a lesser court on charges of financial malfeasance, but not on the accusations of misappropriation of public funds. The judge did not explain his reasoning. Human rights advocates responded with a forceful outcry against the ruling, claiming that human rights crimes during Duvalier’s regime are amply documented, and under international law, there is no statute of limitations on crimes against humanity.

Boston Police seek help to find suspect in double murder

Jean Weevens JanvierJean Weevens JanvierBoston Police have issued an appeal for the public’s help in locating their chief suspect wanted in connection with the double homicide of two sisters, Stephanie and Judith Emile, who were found shot to death in their Harlem Street apartment on Nov. 14. Investigators say that 30 year-old Jean Weevens Janvier of Dorchester "has been identified as the person responsible for the homicides" of the sisters— who were 21 and 23 years old when killed. According to Boston Police, "This investigation has included numerous interviews, along with the recovery of forensic evidence, which ultimately led to the issuance of an arrest warrant for Janvier."

State officials keep focus on Haiti two years after earthquake

STATE HOUSE, BOSTON, JAN. 30, 2012. As Haiti continues to recover from the devastating earthquake of 2010, state leaders on Monday recommitted themselves to helping Haitians and their families living in Massachusetts to rebuild their lives. “This was not about some distant calamity, but our neighbors, friends, co-workers and their families,” Gov. Deval Patrick said during an event Monday morning commemorating the second anniversary of the earthquake. To mark the anniversary, state officials gathered at the State House with members of the Haitian community where Patrick presented a proclamation recognizing the earthquake and promising to continue the state’s efforts to help refugees and their families who have since arrived in Massachusetts. Rep. Linda Dorcena Forry, a Dorchester Democrat and a Haitian American, led the event, which also attracted House Speaker Robert DeLeo, Senate Ways and Means Chairman Stephen Brewer, Rep. Russell Holmes of Dorchester, and Rep. Alice Wolf of Cambridge.

Why Haiti needs new narratives now more than ever

On Feb 3 at 6pm, BHR hosts a book launch at Harvard's Starr Auditorium - 79 JFK st in CambridgeOn Feb 3 at 6pm, BHR hosts a book launch at Harvard's Starr Auditorium - 79 JFK st in CambridgeAn excerpt from "Tectonic Shifts: Haiti Since the Earthquake", edited by Mark Schuller and Pablo Morales ...I realize that in focusing on this issue of representation, I am in a sense actually doing Haiti a disservice. After all, the emphasis on deconstructing symbols only reinscribes the dominant narrative, which already gets lots of airplay. So here my activist and academic goals clash. A deconstructive exercise alone cannot fill the lacuna of stories from Haitian perspectives with counternarratives about the earthquake and its aftermath. Those of us who study Haiti know this conundrum only too well. As scholars, advocates, or just plain concerned witnesses, we know, to put it crudely and in layman’s terms, that historically speaking, Haiti has an image problem. That remains Haiti’s burden. Sometimes I joke that when the first free black republic made its debut on the world stage, Haiti lacked proper representation.

Two Years Later, Where is the Outrage?

Kafou Ayopo camp: May 23 Destruction of the Camp at the Airport Road Intersection: Mayor Wilson Jeudy of Delmas was the first local official in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area to begin illegally dismantling the camps of internally displaced people.Kafou Ayopo camp: May 23 Destruction of the Camp at the Airport Road Intersection: Mayor Wilson Jeudy of Delmas was the first local official in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area to begin illegally dismantling the camps of internally displaced people.There is not enough anger for my anger, there is not enough grief  for my grief. At the two-year anniversary of the earthquake, I am finding myself with a case of insomnia. Here I am, enjoying the perfect Haitian winter, lying awake with my head filled with thoughts I can’t escape. Sure, it’s natural to reflect on what has happened as another year ends, yet what I can’t seem to get away from is all the things that haven’t happened. The hundreds of thousands who haven’t moved out of the camps they set up after the earthquake, two years ago. The permanent homes that haven’t been constructed, hell even the temporary shelters that haven’t been built. The tarps that only last a couple of months yet haven’t been replaced after two years. The jobs that haven’t been created, the billions that haven’t been spent, the building back better that apparently will never happen.

Within Haiti’s long history lies promise for its future

Author Laurent DuboisAuthor Laurent DuboisHistorian Laurent Dubois’ latest novel Haiti: The Aftershocks of History provides a rich narrative of the island’s long history, with a particular focus on the 19th and early 20th century. Dubois, a professor of Romance Studies and History at Duke University, is the author of the critically acclaimed Avengers of the New World: The Story of the Haitian Revolution. What sets Aftershocks apart from many recent historical narratives is not only the periods covered, but the extensive use of materials from Haitian scholars including luminaries such as Thomas Madiou, Roger Gaillard, Anténor Firmin, Dantès Bellegarde and Georges Anglade (to whom the book was dedicated). The Boston Haitian Reporter recently connected with Dubois for an interview:

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