Cite Soleil: Chapter I
Cite Soleil is the largest slum in the western hemisphere. Crowded and squalid, desperation reigns supreme here. It is the battleground between Brazilian United Nations troops and the gangs. Bullet holes and pock marks scar most buildings; some have been reduced to rubble. Most are sick of the fighting and want MINUSTAH, The United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti, to go.
Most people who have heard of Cite Soleil have heard only of the gangs, violence and extreme poverty. That much is true, but there is life here. Fisherman can be seen fishing around the wharf and the coastline but the fishing is not what it once was. The fish are smaller and the fisherman have to go further out to sea.
Living conditions are absymal here. Houses are constructed with whatever materials are available, which in most cases, isn't much. Scrap boards, tin and metal from cars can be used to construct modest dwellings. Many people don't have concrete floors, only dirt floors which makes the spreading of disease worse.
The vast majority of children in Cite Soleil cannot attend school. Even the most affordable schools are out of the price range for people who survive on less than a dollar a day or nothing at all. Electricity, food and water, basic neccesities that many take for granted, are things that people struggle to acquire everyday.
Contrary to popular belief about the mannerisms of the cocorats, a derogatory term used by some Haitians in reference to those who live in Cite Soleil, I was treated with great kindness by many people who took me by the hand and allowed me to photograph their lives. The class system is firmly entrenched in Haiti and it is common to hear people speaking with great contempt for those who live in Cite Soleil.
Many find living under UN occupation humiliating. The people of Cite Soleil have lived under military occupation since the summer of 2004, shortly after former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide's forced departure. The UN mission has been tainted by allegations of slaughter and wrongdoing by the people of Cite Soleil. Like everything here, the truth is probably somewhere in the middle.
Comments
Nick,
What a facsinating contrast to my first impression of the United Nations presence in Haiti. It never occurred to me that it would be humiliating to the people who live there. I always thought of it as being a comforting presence of safety. Again, you have impressed me with your ability to dig deeper into all views and seek the truth. Your photos are beautiful!
Love Mom and Dad
Posted by: Anonymous | October 6, 2006 06:26 PM
Cocorats? Can you choose a nicer word? Perhaps "Malere"?
For those who don't know, cocorat is literally translated as "rat p***y."
Posted by: Anonymous | October 6, 2006 06:43 PM
Hey Nick,
The pictures alone tell a compelling story! It is hard to believe that in this day and age we still have people living in such conditions. And it is also a reminder that the gift of education is just that "a gift". I'm sure most of those children would do just about anything to be able to sit in a classroom and have the opportunity to learn, shedding some light of hope for a future. Keep up the good work and please be careful.
Uncle G.
Posted by: George Brun | October 7, 2006 05:48 AM
I chose to use the term "cocorats" deliberately in order to convey the way in which some Haitians feel about the people who live in Cite Soleil.
Many people who have never been to Haiti aren't aware of the level of class warfare here - the people who live in Cite Soleil are the lowest of the low (according to some) and that term should help give people a sense of that.
I am simply trying to shed light on some of the problems here - that being one of them. I think that my post atempts to paint the people of Cite Soleil as something more than that - as human beings who have feelings and lives too, not as sub-humans, which is how some portray them.
Posted by: Nick Whalen | October 7, 2006 02:45 PM
I think you stated very clearly in your article that cocorats is a derogatory term that is very misleading. I, for one, appreciate the fact that you are writing about the truth and not trying to gloss things over. There is nothing "nice" about living the way these people do. It is heartening that you found kindness in the people there. There is hope. I also think it is great to get a reaction to what you have written and not apathy.
Love Mom
Posted by: Maria Whalen | October 7, 2006 06:11 PM
Nick,
Keep telling the story like it is. I totally understood were you were coming from with your choice of words, and appreciate your explaination for the more sensative among us. Yes the term cocorats may not be "nice" but who said the world was always a nice place, I for one would rather hear it like it is, no cupcakes for me thank you!
Posted by: George Brun | October 8, 2006 03:21 AM
Wonderful post. Thank you!
LeAnne The Haiti Lady
Posted by: LeAnne The Haiti Lady | October 14, 2006 02:47 AM
these are some wonderful black and white photos.
Posted by: J Sprague | October 24, 2006 07:13 PM
The translator extraordinaire who confines in literally translating "kokorat" for "those who don't know" is creating a lot of confusion with his/her ignorance. For the anonymous doctus translator par excellence, the word - and I repeat, the word - kokorat, in Haitian Creole, means wood-louse or compost bug (cloporte, in French). The use of the word to characterize the majority of the Haitian population living and dwelling in the surrounding slums of Port-au-Prince is an analogy between these people's way of life and that little crustacean critter.
George did write Kokorat in one word. Given the text and the context herein, this is the right word and there is no better or "nicer" word to replace it. This is simple, because this is the truth.
Anonymous translator prefers to go all litteral and make it two separate words: koko + rat. Indeed, as two distinct words and when associated, we have a phrase that refers to the rodent's genitalia. But we all know this is not how translation works. Perhaps it was a way to express either a libidinous urge or some sort of prudishness. Which ever one it was, such twist of a single word, still so foreign to non native Creole speakers, creates more confusion than education.
Great job, George!
Kudos and respè pou ou!
Mèsi anpil tou pou bèl travay sa a!
Posted by: natifnatal | November 9, 2006 06:32 AM
Thanks for the post natifnatal, the author is Nick BTW ;).
Posted by: Nick Whalen | November 9, 2006 08:37 AM