BOOK REVIEW OF: SOCIAL AND ECOLOGICAL JUSTICE IN HAITI Germain Clerveau (Author) By Marie Philomène Péan, D.Min.
I was born in Haiti and lived there. I witnessed the devastation of the land in Haiti that Germain Clerveau speaks of in his book. With the earthquake of 2010 and the potential threat of another earthquake in the south and north region, it is clear that the devastation is an ongoing event. As Clerveau says we have lessons to learn from this unending ecological disaster. Three lessons that I learned from the Urgency of Social and Ecological Justice in Haiti are:
1) The environmental urgency to prevent loss of the arable land due to deforestation.
2) They are less forest in Haiti. Therefore, young people outside of books and photos or movies have no ideas of what a forest is. All what they can see is a desert like area called “Savann Dezole” near Gonaives.
(3) The history of Haiti began with the destruction of its nature and inhabitants. The Spanish and French stole the country's wealth and introduced slavery. From birth Haitians have been exploited and deprived of their dignity.
Are there solutions to these problems? Clerveau proposes some ideas to address such issues:
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1. Justice 2. Solidarity 3. Kindness
Clerveau reviewed the doctrine of the Church to support his ideas. From Pope Pius XII, Paul VI, John Paul II, Benedict XVI to our current Pope Francis; they talk about the correlation between nature and the human being. They argued that nature is one with us. Our human subsistence depends on our solidarity with nature and each other.
Thus, solidarity is the key issue. A prime example of this solidarity is the Haitian reality of “Konbit” which is a way to cultivate land and survive hardships.” If Haitians in the country and in the diaspora would become aware of the degradation of the land, they could force the government to take its responsibility. Clerveau also called upon the Church, the private sector, NGOs, international agencies and other countries to fully participate in this cause.
Haiti needs a better plan in order to recover from its land degradation. This requires that each person offer their intellectual, economic, and good will to compose that plan. Thanks to Germain Clerveau’s book, we already have a first draft.
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