photo courtesy of literaturewithoutborders.com

It was hard not to see the symbolism in the pictures portraying the crumbling Presidential Palace. The fact is the problems of Haiti didn’t start with the earthquake. And it won’t end there either.

The relief efforts have been astounding and the global response touching. But after the wounds heal, and the rubble is cleared, what would be needed to bring Haiti the infrastructure it desperately needs?

Hananie Albert, a young Haitian-American graduate student at Brown University, set off to figure that out. She said:

“I plan to spend the next several months in Haiti interviewing, video recording, photographing and documenting stories—filling in faces, histories where we can only see the gaunt lines of despair which can preclude the sustained engagement necessary to the large-scale systemic changes Haiti requires.”

For those who wish to see a change in Haiti, we need to be thinking long-term as Albert is doing. Knowing her personally, I know she is an extraordinary intellect and progressive thinker. There is indeed hope for Haiti when minds like hers keep it as their focus.

She will be sharing her experiences on www.literaturewithoutborders.com.

Her first post is scheduled for February 15.

February 8, 2010 by Stefani
Tags: b-activists, b-listeed, Haiti, Haiti earthquake, Hananie Albert, Literature Without Borders