The campaign I have chosen comes from a current international social movement to educate Haitian students in their vernacular language. Throughout this campaign, history and politics are linked to defining what Haitian society should be like tomorrow. Increasing graduation rates and providing more career opportunities for Haitian students is the campaign's goal to minimize conflict and violence in the country. Advocates mission to influence lawmakers to apply article 5th of the amended 1987 Haitian Constitution stipulates "all Haitians are united by a common language: Creole. Creole and French are the official languages of the Republic." According to article 2nd of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, everyone is entitled to the same rights and freedoms without distinction based on their race, color, sex, language, religion, political opinions, national or social origin, property, birth, or status. The campaign transformed into a social movement to question why Haitian students cannot be taught the language they understand and speak best.
It is reported in the International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism that 90% of Haiti's population is monolingual. Still, French remains the language of 'enlightenment' and learning, excluding the majority. Fundamental education is mandatory according to Article 32-3 of the Constitutional Law of May 9, 2011/June 19, 2012. The State shall place all necessities and didactic materials at students' disposal at the fundamental education level, free of charge. Educating the masses is the first responsibility of the State and its territorial divisions, as it is the only way the country can develop. Advocates argue that even though students can learn international languages such as French, English, and Spanish, studying in their mother tongue will help them better understand what they are learning. The State shall encourage and facilitate private enterprise in this field.
At a recent event, ITIAHaiti honorary member Pastor Renel Richardson questioned former Haitian Social Welfare Affairs prime minister Dr. Bellevue and attorney Renand Hedouville, the former Haiti Human Rights Protection director, about Haitians coming to the diaspora. He commented that the transition of having an organized diaspora resulted from what Haiti had inculcated in its citizens before they left the motherland. Having made Haitian citizens hate their country by forcing them to leave, Haitian leaders shouldn't expect naturalized Haitians to cherish their country the same way, which is why some Haitians no longer want to call themselves Haitians. Pastor Richardson stated. His approach called for debate during a conference organized by a nonprofit organization called COSED'Haiti in Randolph, Massachusetts, on July 30, 2022, discussing problems and realities of human rights in Haiti and citizens' commitments to a new country. Discussions also focused on Haiti's economic prospects and social realities.
Some parents prefer their children to be educated in a foreign language, such as French, so they can participate in international exchanges. Many elites and influential intellectuals do not negotiate for their children to study French because they have never been taught to write the vernacular language, Haitian Creole, despite speaking it fluently. They also said if Haitians are the only ones communicating between themselves in the hemisphere, Haiti can be deeper plunged into economic chaos. In Haitian Creole, there are few technological resources, and the country does not produce enough for exportation, so its financial aspect may be more difficult to discover by tourists and share with other countries regarding political power. It is argued from different perspectives that Haiti's education failure has nothing to do with language. As an alternative, opposing views think that the Government should develop more didactic material and train teachers to accommodate an equitable program for everyone.
Haiti's political crisis and economic instability have marginalized most of the population, leading to increased violence against young people and women, including exploitation, human trafficking, theft, assault, rape, and kidnapping. Tourists are discouraged from visiting Haiti due to the popular perception of the country as one plagued with violence. According to a survey by the Haitian Government, 29 percent of women had experienced intimate partner violence within the previous twelve months (Gage, 2005). Women, children, and young people, especially those living in economically depressed areas, are targeted as most at risk of experiencing violence. A vernacular language education could improve children's opportunities of succeeding in school, leading to better creativity and a lower jobless rate. Hence, the idea of creating an organization called ITIAHaiti dedicated to fighting for language justice in Haiti was born in 2008.
Since 2019, ITIAHaiti has been a 501c3 organization dedicated to bringing Haitian culture to Boston, Massachusetts. Youth advocates wanted to ensure that immigrants had access to suitable jobs and tools to develop their skills. They hoped to empower them to engage in civic education and leadership by combining creative arts and entrepreneurship. Through poetry and play, they aim to promote inclusion, social cohesion, and conflict management, restore youth confidence through self-reliance seminars, and strengthen intrinsic abilities in youth. In addition, they endeavor to build a culture that paints, translates, and reflects the beauty of Haiti by teaching the Creole language to Haitian kids in the diaspora who lack self-confidence in speaking their vernacular language. ITIAHaiti then reveals the gap between Haitian success in the diaspora and their national origin.
Based on the Haiti Ministry of National Education and Professional Training records, less than 2% of Haitian secondary school students pass the Certificate examination at the end of grade 5. Students cannot understand the test due to their difficulty in understanding French. Chaos awaits them when they enroll in high school as well. There is a lack of adequate materials in many rural schools, most classrooms are damaged, and many teachers are not adequately prepared. The fact that elite students attend schools elsewhere is not surprising. Numerous professors have observed in Haiti that students have different programs and pass the same national exams during their lifetimes. In contrast to the Brown vs. the Board of Education case in the United States, Haiti challenges critical social scientists to move smoothly between theory and classroom life to understand how power relations develop in classrooms today. Our studies are best put into practice when we study in our vernacular.
Benjamin H. (2012) argues that Haiti's French-dominated school system hinders its development. Haitian Creole-dominant education, however, will lay the foundation for long-term success. In Haiti, most people speak Haitian Creole, while French is spoken by only 5% of the population, and only 5-10% can receptively understand French (Valdman 1984: 78; Dejean 2006). Up to 80% of Haiti's teachers lack proficiency in French, and only a minority of students complete school (Dejean 2006). Low educational achievement in Haiti can be explained by economic, historical, sociolinguistic, and demographic factors. Academic language policies play an essential role but are often neglected. According to international data on educational language policy, using a second language in schools correlates with high illiteracy rates and poverty (Coulmas 1992).
Several essays reject arguments in favor of maintaining a French-dominant education in Haiti, including Lawless 1992; Youssef 2002; Francis 2005; Ferguson 2006, etc. In addition to improving learning and graduation rates, Haitian Creole will also increase Creole literacy, resulting in a more streamlined and cohesive economy, society, and State (Efron 1954; De Regt 1984; DeGraff 2003; Dejean 2006). The French, English, and Spanish hegemony is unknowingly perpetuated in Haiti's reconstruction following the earthquake of January 12, 2010 (DeGraff 2010). Haiti's long history of suppressing Haitian Creole and promoting French in education, administration, and development hinders the nation's efforts to educate a promising class of citizens, achieve universal literacy, and make socioeconomic progress. States Benjamin Hebblethwaite.
In October 2020, a meeting was held by ITIAHaiti to orient Haitian youth before traveling abroad. Two guests were invited to that meeting, linguist Emmanuel W. Vedrine and Professor Marcel Georges, former dean at Haiti State University. In their rhetoric, advocates demonstrated that immigrants' success or failure began in their home countries. They focused their remarks on orienting the diaspora and creating an excellent educational system in Haiti that helps students succeed rather than zombifying them with a foreign language, French, that they do not understand and inadequate instructional materials. According to the speakers, immigrants' experiences in their motherlands determine how they live in foreign communities. Foreign-born immigrants with a high school diploma or a bachelor's degree are more likely to continue their education overseas than immigrants with no college education who must start from scratch. Instead of studying all their lives in a language they don't speak or understand, immigrants would have preferred to learn in their native language.
ITIAHaiti offers Haitian youth worldwide online educational software programs as part of the campaign. Networks such as grassroots organizations and secondary schools are always utilized to recruit participants. Government institutions, businesses, and nonprofit organizations contribute financial and material support to equip members to broaden the campaign. Staff members organize training sessions and group discussions on WhatsApp groups, Facebook and Zoom, and other social media platforms to stimulate followers. In addition to other tools, partner organizations broadcast video conferences via their YouTube channels and Facebook pages. Seminars are focused on eradicating violence and conflict as it exists in Haiti. Group discussions are based on violence, conflict management, social cohesion, and peaceful conflict resolution. In addition to protesting, advocates execute projects in Haitian Creole to practically teach the Haitian youth.
Since many youths learn best through applied teaching methods, the advocacy strategy program includes sports and creative components. As part of the sports program, they focus on teaching fair play and conflict prevention in their native tongues during basketball, soccer, volleyball, and other tournaments. Many art forms are used by artistically minded youth in the art program to express their views and opinions about violence and conflict resolution, such as paintings, musical compositions, theater plays, and other works of art. Similarly, the organization organizes singing, dancing, poetry, and drawing competitions to engage youth in discussions about addressing issues of violence and oppression in their society in Haitian Creole. At the end of each program, a graduation ceremony showcases participants' achievements. These activities provide participants with a peaceful and comfortable environment to express themselves without language barriers.
Through the vernacular language teaching practice, many local and international nonprofit organizations and Government agencies have become very interested in conflict resolution and eradicating violence through educational projects. There is a growing desire among religious groups, schools, and nonprofits to implement these programs to build a more cohesive society and improve learning environments. Because other organizations have never designed and delivered an educational program focused on violence awareness with Haitian Creole didactic materials, this social movement and campaign differ from others. Furthermore, this campaign emphasizes the importance of a collective group in conflict resolution. Participants express themselves and discuss issues in groups in their most comfortable language. Rather than sending people to schools, advocates strive to bring schools to people.
Elected officials finally realized that the primary step to influencing and orientating each individual's actions was to teach them in their vernacular language to apply better what they learned. As another aspect, they believe even climate change results from citizens not being well-educated in schools that neglect the practical part of protecting their environment. Government agencies’ work now is part of an integrated effort to eradicate violence by mobilizing Haiti's youth and giving them the training they need to become community educators, fieldworkers, and specialists in their mother tongue. Community leaders believe advocates’ dreams can only become a reality if the population is taught a language they fully understand. They also note that violence is a problem encountered by many people, especially girls, women, and children. As a result, these issues were rarely discussed openly in national arenas and are often overlooked.
The movement's success is determined by several critical indicators, such as funds raised, enrolled participants, attendance at online discussion groups, and participation in sports and cultural activities. A good indicator of the campaign's success is the percentage of participants who complete the campaign program and receive a certificate. Participants are asked to complete a closing survey to rate the program's effectiveness and share their comments and suggestions on social media. Community mentors also asked participants to share experiences they had during the Haitian Creole workshops in which they applied conflict resolution skills versus what they learned in French seminars in the past. Participants are asked which aspects of the campaign they found most prevalent in their surveys and what they would like to see changed in future steps.
Youth can implement different programs to help increase the public consensus about violence, improve human communication in resolving conflicts in Haiti, and mobilize elected officials and community leaders to improve the situation of human rights in the country. The language justice advocacy campaign enables young people to lead such efforts in the Haitian communities and finish school. The artistic works they produce during the program are displayed for others to learn about participants' ideas on peace and eradicating violence. Also, those who advocate in the campaign teach their peers the rhetorical concepts they have learned. The social movement's structure includes administration, human resources, equipment, teaching and training, backup plans for unforeseen events, and follow-up and evaluation.
References:
Aleksander M., Alex D., and Alex B. (2022): Scholar Pro. - Education System in Haiti: Ministry of National Education and Professional Training
Carl A. S., Winston M. T., Michael T. T. (2000), Fairfield University
Emmanuel W. V., and Joseph. M. G. (2020): Orienting Youth in Haiti
Esrock, S., Hart, J., Leichty, G. (2007) Smoking out the opposition: The Rhetoric of Reaction and the Kentucky Cigarette Excise Tax Campaign. Communication Activism: Volume One – Communication for Social Change.
French General Assembly (1789), United Nations (1948), Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Ken W. (2009), Effective Policy Advocacy: Framing, Messaging, Tactics, and Tools.
Maria C. G., Jefri J. R., William S. H., & Co., Inc. (2012), Article 5th of the amended translated 1987 Haitian Constitution.
Michel D., Glenda S. S. (2018), Kreyòl, pedagogy, and technology for opening up quality education in Haiti: Changes in teachers' metalinguistic attitudes as first steps in a paradigm shift - Linguistic Society of America
Monroe, A. (n.d.) Monroe's motivated sequence. CSPS, fourth-week course content.
PAULO F. (1968), Pedagogy of the Oppressed.
Saltmarshe, E. (2018). Using story to change systems. Stanford Social Innovation Review, 1-14.
Valerie Y. (2002), International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism: Issues of Bilingual Education in the Caribbean: The Cases of Haiti and Trinidad and Tobago.
Wilson Thelimo Louis,
MPS Candidate.
