is a researcher at Fafo
with a regional specialization in Haiti and a focus on youth and marginalisation in conflict and post-conflict areas. She holds an MA in Peace and Conflict Studies from the University of Oslo.
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Ketty Luzincourt is Chief Executive Officer and founder of the Haitian Institute of Peace which focuses on strengthening learning and research on conflict resolution and peace studies. Her research areas include alternative dispute resolution, intrastate conflicts and the role of education in exa...
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“Politics is dirty” – the view of Haitian youth
Henriette Lunde
, Ketty Luzincourt
, 17 November 2010
Summary
On 28 November 2010, ten months after an earthquake devastated the capital and surrounding areas, presidential and legislative elections are due to be held. Apart from the logistical and technical challenges posed by the elections, the findings of a study carried out by the authors in July 2010 indicate that the real challenge is the legitimacy of politics per se
among the Haitian population, particularly the youth. A series of focus groups were held with young people from differing educational and socioeconomic backgrounds in three cities, as well as surrounding rural areas.
It became clear that most of the participants saw politics as practiced in Haiti as a dirty game and expected politicians to be corrupt and to have achieved power through influence rather than ability. Very few thought it possible to stay “clean” within the present elite-based system. Though many would like to influence Haiti’s future through political means, without financial independence it is hard to see how non-elite youth can hope to become an autonomous political opposition. In the absence of an arena in which they can put forward their views, there is a risk that they may turn to violence.
Despite the bleak picture painted by the participants, the fact that they recognise the dysfunctional patterns and structures that maintain the status quo means that they have the ability to become agents of social and political change. Although such change needs to come from within, the international community should recognise the potential of this new group of intellectuals as a positive social force and provide it with economic, social and technical support. The question of how best to provide them with the autonomous space they need to unleash their constructive potential should be one of the driving issues in the years to come.
French version available here.
