Haitian culture featured for bicentennial

An endless stream of hats flew around the city, destroying buildings and attacking the… An endless stream of hats flew around the city, destroying buildings and attacking the residents of the community.

This was just one of the paintings featured at a slide show on Haitian Art and Culture, part of a series of events commemorating the bicentennial of Haitian independence.

The painting represented a belief that notorious Haitian leader Francois Duvalier, also known as “Papa Doc,” could kill a man with only his hat.

The slide show was held in the Lower Lounge of the William Pitt Union last Friday evening and was one of the many events co-sponsored by Pitt’s Department of Africana Studies, the Caribbean and Latin American Student Association, Penn State’s McKeesport Campus, and the Functional Literacy Ministry of Haiti.

Professor of Africana Studies Joseph K. Adjaye gave a brief history lesson about Haiti, which declared independence from France in 1804 – making it the second oldest country in the western hemisphere.

“Two hundred years ago, the French colony of St. Domingue was liberated as the nation of Haiti. This was an event that transformed the history of not just that Caribbean island country, but also of the western hemisphere, and indeed the entire world,” Adjaye said.

Adjaye also spoke about the poverty and turbulent political history that many people associate with Haiti, and he gave his own interpretation.

“To me and most people around the world, Haiti symbolizes freedom, the triumph of the human spirit, and unbounded resourcefulness and creativity – ideals that we want to celebrate today,” Adjaye said.

Another one of the speakers, Bill Bollendorf, is an art dealer and frequent visitor to Haiti. Part of his collection was set up for viewing near the Lower Lounge of the William Pitt Union.

Bollendorf talked about Haiti’s colonial period and the decimation of the native Taino people after the initial landing of Columbus in 1492.

Bollendorf also spoke of Haiti’s politically troubled past.

“Between 1843 and 1915, there were 22 presidents. Only one served his full term,” he said.

Counting the beauty of the country as one of the reasons people love the small Caribbean nation, Bollendorf also cited the character of the citizens of Haiti.

“The other thing we like is the dignity of the people,” said Bollendorf.

While visiting the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince, Bill Bollendorf encountered a group of men weightlifting with used car parts. When he asked what was going on, one of the men responded, “It’s a spa.”

Some of the slides featured photographs taken on one of his trips to Haiti. Many pictures featured Port-au-Prince, and one showed the statue of Neg Mawon. Neg Mawon is often translated as “the unknown slave,” representing the slaves who eventually became part of the army that brought independence to Haiti.

Bollendorf ended the slide show with a series of pictures featuring the children of Haiti.

“These faces are why we love Haiti so much,” Bollendorf said.

When asked to explain his love for Haiti in greater detail, Bollendorf pinpointed the country’s attraction.

“It’s very inspirational to be there,” he said.