haiti

Hamilton Nolan · 05/26/16 10:45AM

A U.S. plan to donate a million pounds of free peanuts to Haiti could destroy the Haitian peanut farming economy. Some even “denounced the peanut donation as ‘a plan of death.’” Instead, why not give a million pounds of peanuts to me?

Hiding Black Behind the Ears: On Dominicans, Blackness, and Haiti

Roberto C. Garcia · 07/25/15 12:05PM

The first friend I made in Elizabeth, New Jersey was a white kid named Billy. As a New York transplant my Dominicano look wasn’t too popular with Jersey folk. I had an afro, wore dress pants, a collared shirt, and black leather shoes with little gold buckles. Most of the kids just wanted to know what my thing was. Billy and I couldn’t have been more different, but we got close pretty quickly. Despite the fact that Billy’s parents wouldn’t allow him over my house, my grandmother allowed me over his. She took one look at Billy’s blonde hair and blue eyes, and at his mother’s middle class American manners, and pronounced their household safe. “Where are you from?” Billy’s mother asked, referring to my grandmother’s heavy accent. “I thought you were black.” On that day I couldn’t have imagined how many times I’d have to answer that question in my lifetime. “We’re Dominican.”

Aleksander Chan · 07/29/14 11:00PM

A woman waves from a float during the Carnaval des Fleurs in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Monday. The three-day celebration was started by President Michel Martelly in 2012 as a summer tourist attraction; 22,000 people attended the carnival last year. Image by Dieu Nalio Chery via AP.

Haitian Machete Fencing Is a Real Sport, and This Old Guy Is its Yoda

Adam Weinstein · 05/20/14 01:20PM

Dodge. Parry. Thrust. Also, drop the épée. Take off that dumb facemask and grab one of them dull machetes over there. Count your fingers up, just to be sure. Okay, now you're ready for sport. Let ol' Alfred Avril, aka "Papa Machete," show you the ropes.

The Celebrity as Hero: When Sean Penn Fought a Phantom Epidemic

Jonathan M. Katz · 08/05/13 10:49AM

Halfway through the trailer for Ben Stiller's remake of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, the title daydreamer—stuck in the rat race with boring men in boring suits at Life magazine— lifts his eyes from his desk toward a photograph on a bulletin board. Now here's the payoff, when staid reality breaks into excitement, and the nebbishy lead is drawn into the world of fantasy and adventure that Fox is betting will win our $12 and two hours come Christmas. It's a photo of Sean Penn.

Public Service Announcements Are Advertising's Amateur Hour

Drew Magary · 10/22/12 01:05PM

Here's an ad created by DDB New York for WaterIsLife, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing clean drinking water to people in developing countries. The ad features a bunch of poor Haitian people reading a bunch of #FirstWorldProblems tweets out loud: "I hate when my phone charger won't reach my bed," "I hate it when I tell them no pickles, and they still give me pickles," etc. The message of the spot is clear: You're an asshole for whining about your problems when you have clean drinking water. Now here is why this spot is fucking terrible:

Haiti's New President Sworn In

Jeff Neumann · 05/14/11 12:07PM

Former singer Michel "Sweet Micky" Martelly was sworn in as Haiti's new president today in a ceremony where, unsurprisingly, the electricity cut out. Sweet Micky has a long road ahead of him.

Haiti Elects Pop-Star President

Max Read · 04/04/11 07:53PM

As expected, former carnival singer Michel Martelly defeated former first lady Mirlande Manigat in Haiti's presidential elections, and will likely become president despite a challenge by Manigat. Martelly, who's never held office, took 67 percent of the vote [Miami Herald]

Wyclef Jean 'Grazed' by Bullet in Haiti, Released from Hospital

Jeff Neumann · 03/20/11 07:29AM

Gawker's favorite New Jersey humanitarian, Wyclef Jean, was shot in the hand at a political rally for Haitian presidential candidate, musician Michel Martelly last night. But he's okay! According to Wyclef's spokesperson, "He was shot in the hand last night. He was released from the hospital. He's fine now. It happened late yesterday night and he was released after a couple hours." She added that the bullet "just grazed his hand."

Recovery Is a Faint Glow on a Faraway Horizon

Hamilton Nolan · 01/11/11 05:38PM

The Way We Live Now: reflecting on the long-term implications of our situation. And they ain't good. They just ain't. There's no getting around it. The currency's not bouncing back. The wages are down for good. And Haiti's fucked forever.