Afro-Caribbean Healing: A Haitian Case Study

“Moun fèt pou mouri” (People are born to die), Haitians are fond of saying with a shrug of the shoulders. This proverb comments on the suffering and death that are commonplace occurrences in poverty-stricken Haiti and shows the stoic acceptance that, on one level at least, characterizes the Haitian attitude toward such a life. Haitians have no vision of heaven in their religion,2 no ideology of progress shaping their understanding of history, and virtually no experience of upward mobility in their lives or the lives of their children. Suffering is an expected, recurrent condition. It is not an exaggeration to say that problem-free periods in life are pervaded with an anxiety that anticipates crisis just around the corner. Life as a whole is thus characterized by cycles of luck and the absence of luck. The clever, faithful, and/or powerful person is one who manages by a juggling of scarce resources to give generously to the living, the dead, and the spirits. The resulting network of dependents who are obliged to serve and of elders or social superiors who are obliged to give sustenance and protection—even though subject to the inherent unpredictability of personal relationships—provides the only means any Haitian has of controlling his or her “luck.” At the very least, the obligations created by these gifts construct the safety net that is essential for survival, given the uncertainties of life in Haiti.