Why Haiti?
     Next to the United States, Haiti represents the second free republic in the Western Hemisphere. The modest island is only about 10,000 square miles but despite its size, Haiti has had a great influence on world culture, largely due to the momentous events surrounding the Haitian Revolution. When ex-colonists from Haiti’s sugar plantations and their mulatto allies fled the country at the turn of the nineteenth century, many relocated in New Orleans, drawn there by the affinity they felt for the North American francophone colony. The summer program in Haiti provides a unique opportunity to explore the interstices of culture, history and language that distinguish this country from all others in the Americas.

Haiti is a land of contradictions, once a place of kings with dreams of empire that now finds itself the poorest country of the Western hemisphere. But though it lacks material and financial resources, Haiti abounds in the rich diversity of its expressive and artistic spheres. Life in Haiti unfolds in a daily drama of markets and street vendors, Compa bands and performance – rich, poignant colors juxtaposed against soaring mountain vistas. Along with its vibrant quotidian world, Haiti is also a nation in transition. With the assistance of the United States, in 1994 Haiti became a democracy after nearly 30 years of dictatorship. These initial years of egalitarian government mark a watershed moment in the history of the Caribbean and US foreign policy. Haiti offers copious opportunities for cultural enrichment and social education from its colonial heritage in Vodou and the Creole language to the processes of social development and political evolution into a modern democracy.