NOTES

INTRODUCTION

¹ For more on urban planning and the earthquake’s impact on Port-au-Prince, see Appendix IV, page 327.

² Michel-Rolph Trouillot, Silencing the Past (Boston: Beacon Press, 1995).

³ Haiti wasn’t recognized as an independent country by the United States until fifty-eight years later, in 1862, the second year of the Civil War. For more on the timeline of Haiti’s history, see Appendix I, page 293.

⁴ In 1825, France essentially indebted Haiti for generations by “charging” it 150 million gold francs for Haiti’s own independence. The amount was eventually negotiated down to 90 million francs, but that still represents nearly US$21 billion in today’s dollars. In the first of many interventions, in 1915, the United States, under Woodrow Wilson, invaded Haiti ostensibly to “protect U.S. interests.” For more on the history of Haiti, see Appendix I, page 293.

⁵ New York Times, January 14, 2010.

⁶ Tuition is required for most schools in Haiti. Parents spend on average the equivalent of US$130 per child per year on tuition and other school costs.

⁷ In Haiti, children who are used as unpaid domestic servants are known as restaveks. For more information, see the Glossary, page 309.

⁸ Some of the narrators requested we not use their full names.

⁹ Lyonel Trouillot is author of Street of Lost Footsteps (among many other works of fiction and nonfiction), a harrowing and lyrical novel detailing one long night of violence and love in Port-au-Prince. He is also Michel-Rolph Trouillot’s brother and a member of what Edwidge Danticat calls one of Haiti’s most fertile literary families, one that also includes a sister, the novelist Evelyn Trouillot (Infamous Rosalie), and noted Kreyol scholar and children’s book author Jocelyne Trouillot. I like to imagine what dinner-table conversations were like in their house growing up.

¹⁰ The Centre Department is one of Haiti’s ten départements, the country’s largest administrative division. For more on Haiti’s administrative divisions, see the Glossary, page 309.

¹¹ The Makout were a feared paramilitary group under the Duvalier regimes during the second half of the twentieth century. For more on the Makout, see the Glossary, page 309. For more on the Duvaliers, see Appendix I, page 293.

¹² Jean-Bertrand Aristide was elected president of Haiti in 1990 and removed by coup in 1991. He returned to the presidency in 1994–95 and then was again elected in 2000. For more on Aristide, see Appendix I, page 293.

¹³ For more on urban planning and the earthquake’s impact on Port-au-Prince, see Appendix IV, page 327.

MARIELENE LENE

¹ In 1923, forests covered as much as 60 percent of Haiti. By 2010, forest cover had dwindled to less than 4 percent.

² Generally the Haitian dollar refers to approximately 4.5 gouds. Therefore, 20 Haitian dollars equals 90 gouds or approximately US$2.50.

³ Belle Fontaine is a village in the mountains southeast of Port-au-Prince. It is part of the commune of Croix-des-Bouquets, which is part of the larger arrondissement of Croix-des-Bouquets, part of which overlaps with the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area. For more on Haiti’s administrative divisions, see the Glossary, page 309.

⁴ Haitians refer to anywhere in the country outside of Port-au-Prince as andeyo, “outside.”

⁵ At the time of the interview, 500 gouds equals approximately US$12.50.

⁶ Henri Namphy was a general and interim president of Haiti following the ouster of Baby Doc Duvalier in 1986. For more on Haitian history, see Appendix I, page 293.

⁷ Here Marielene is referring to the town of Croix-des-Bouquets, which is a suburb of Port-au-Prince but is also within the larger commune of Croix-des-Bouquets.

⁸ At the time of the interview, 50 gouds equals approximately US$1.25.

EDNER BRICE

¹ Gonaïves is a city of more than 300,000 about 90 miles north of Port-au-Prince.

² Jean-Bertrand Aristide was elected president of Haiti in 1990 and removed by coup in 1991. He returned to the presidency in 1994–95 and then was again elected in 2000. For more on Aristide, see Appendix I, page 293.

³ In Haiti, many people believe in supernatural illness or “sent sickness.” Even many Haitians who aren’t adherents of Vodou share some of these beliefs. Supernatural illness can take the form of a physical object that can harm an individual, but a physical object is not required. Suspicion of a supernatural illness usually stems from jealousy or other interpersonal conflicts, which are then mediated by a Vodou practitioner who sends the sickness to its victim. For more on Haitian Vodou, see the Glossary, page 309.

⁴ Ganthier 4 is a neighborhood in the arrondissement of Croix-des-Bouquets, southeast of Port-au-Prince.

FRANTZ SANTIL

¹ Latin for “no contest.” In a criminal proceeding, a defendant may enter a plea of nolo contendere, in which he does not accept or deny responsibility for the charges but agrees to accept punishment.

² Oakdale, Louisiana, is the site of a major federal migrant detention center and court.

³ At the time of the interview, 35,000 gouds equals approximately US$875. A Haitian dollar generally equals 4.5 gouds, so 1,000 Haitian dollars equals US$112.

⁴ Delmas is a large residential and commercial suburb in the northeast of Port-au-Prince, adjacent to the city’s airport. Individual neighborhoods in Delmas are referred to by number, since the suburb is organized around numbered streets that radiate out from a central road (for instance, Delmas 45, Delmas 18, et cetera).

⁵ Cité Soleil is a large, densely populated unplanned neighborhood of more than 400,000 in northwest Port-au-Prince.

⁶ Jean-Bertrand Aristide was elected president of Haiti in 1990 and removed by coup in 1991. He returned to the presidency in 1994–95 and then was again elected in 2000. For more on Aristide, see Appendix I, page 293.

⁷ Frantz is describing a paramilitary formed in support of former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide’s political party, Fanmi Lavalas. For more information on Aristide, see Appendix I, page 293.

⁸ Aristide’s leftist political party. For more information, see the Glossary, page 309.

JUSLENE MARIE INNOCENT

¹ In Haiti, children who are used as unpaid domestic servants are known as restaveks. For more information, see the Glossary, page 309.

² Jérémie is the capital of the Grand’ Anse Department at the western tip of the Tiburon Peninsula.

³ Ti-Place Cazeau is a suburb on the eastern edge of Port-au-Prince.

JOHNNY DESTANVILLE AND DENIS CLERMONT

¹ Pax Villa Camp was located in Delmas 33.

² Cité Castro is a neighborhood in Port-au-Prince.

³ Okai is another name for Les Cayes, a city of 70,000 on the southwest edge of the Tiburon Peninsula. It is one of Haiti’s major seaports.

⁴ For more on the history of the island, see Appendix I, page 293.

⁵ A lakou is a piece of land that has small houses owned by people from the same family.

⁶ Delmas is a large residential and commercial suburb in the northeast of Port-au-Prince, adjacent to the city’s airport. Individual neighborhoods in Delmas are referred to by number, since the suburb is organized around numbered streets that radiate out from a central road (for instance, Delmas 45, Delmas 18, et cetera).

⁷ At the time of the interview, 800 Haitian dollars equals approximately US$90.

⁸ Mais Gaté is northeast of Delmas.

⁹ For more on urban planning and the 2010 earthquake, see Appendix IV, page 327.

¹⁰ La Paix Hospital is located in the suburb of Delmas.

¹¹ Seconde is the Haitian equivalent to sophomore year of high school.

¹² At the time of the interview, 100 gouds equals approximately US$5.

¹³ Aquatabs is a brand name for water purification tablets that help prevent cholera and other water-borne diseases.

¹⁴ The International Organization for Migration. I.O.M. is an international NGO based in Switzerland that assists refugees and internally displaced peoples.

¹⁵ Approximately US$800 total.

¹⁶ Approximately US$110.

LAMOTHE LORMIER

¹ Delmas is a large residential and commercial suburb in the northeast of Port-au-Prince, adjacent to the city’s airport. Individual neighborhoods in Delmas are referred to by number, since the suburb is organized around numbered streets that radiate out from a central road (for instance, Delmas 45, Delmas 18, et cetera).

² Lalue is a nickname for John Brown Avenue, a major road that runs through Port-au-Prince and Pétionville.

³ For more on the Duvalier regime, see Appendix I, page 293.

⁴ Artibonite is the name of Haiti’s largest department (administrative division) and makes up much of the country’s northwest.

⁵ For more on Haitian Vodou, see the Glossary, page 309.

⁶ For more on the Duvalier regime, see Appendix I, page 293.

⁷ In 1923, forests covered as much as 60 percent of Haiti. By 2010, forest cover had dwindled to less than 4 percent. Laws regulating the felling of trees in Haiti have existed since the mid-nineteenth century, and numerous laws requiring permits for felling trees were passed in the twentieth centuries. However, deforestation remains one of the major environmental threats in Haiti, responsible for erosion of arable soil and increased risk of floods and other damage caused by natural disasters. For more on deforestation in Haiti, see the Glossary, page 309.

⁸ Willits, California, is home to the Grange Farm School, an institution that trains students in sustainable agriculture.

⁹ For more on the cholera epidemic in Haiti, see Apendix III, page 329.

¹⁰ Lamothe further comments, “When people talk about the UN and cholera, this is the analogy that I use: You have a brand-new car. The manual says that every 60,000 miles, you should change your tires. Every 5,000 miles you should get an oil change. Every 90,000 miles, you change the belt. That’s what the manual says. So you go 100,000 miles and never did any of those things. Now, you lend your car to a friend and that friend took the car and ended up killing people. Okay, now, who should be blamed?

“The owner of the car is the Haitian government. It has been 200 years, and they have never provided clean water for those people. For so many years, they never did anything—they didn’t change the tires. The driver is the UN. They came in the country. They should test somebody. They should know that there’s a health concern. If someone is sick, this is a very fragile country and anything could happen, so they shouldn’t come.”

¹¹ The Bois Chene (“Oak River”) is in Haiti’s northwest.

¹² For more on the UN peacekeeping mission to Haiti, see Appendix I, page 293.

ALINA

¹ Editor’s note: This story and two others (Josil, page 235, and Christopher, page 255) focus on hospitals and medical care. We’ve chosen to leave some of the questions in because it reflects the intimate nature of the doctor/patient relationship here. For more on current health crises in Haiti, see Apendix III, page 317.

² Carrefour, on the northwest edge of Port-au-Prince, just south of Port-au-Prince Bay, is a dense residential suburb of more than 400,000 and was near the epicenter of the 2010 earthquake.

³ ARV or ART refers to antiretroviral therapy for H.I.V. It can also be referred to as HAART—highly active antiretroviral therapy. This kind of effective, combination treatment for H.I.V. was introduced in 1996 and changed the course of H.I.V. disease dramatically, from a near-certain death sentence to a medically controllable chronic disease. Living with or dying from H.I.V. is largely a matter of social forces—poverty, inequality, access to medical care, et cetera. The therapy became fairly widely available in Haiti beginning in the early 2000s. When used appropriately during pregnancy, HAART can lower the risk of passing the virus from mother to child to less than 2 percent.

⁴ Grimel is a Haitian term for a lighter-skinned woman, usually inferring lighter skin with African features. There is an entire lexicon of physical and racial descriptions in Kreyol—most dating back to the colonial era, some lost over time, but others very commonly evoked. What is interesting here is that Alina is referring to an American doctor with red hair, far from the Haitian meaning of grimel, but seems a term of endearment for Dr. Megan Coffee.

⁵ Cange is a Partners In Health hospital in the Central Plateau, hours from Port-au-Prince.

BAZILE BERMANTE

¹ Jérémie is the capital of the Grand’Anse Department at the western tip of the Tiburon Peninsula.

² Bazile is referring to the use of spirits capable of harm that is part of the Vodou belief system. For more on Vodou, see the Glossary, page 309.

EVANS DÉSIR

¹ Delmas is a large residential and commercial suburb in the northeast of Port-au-Prince, adjacent to the city’s airport. Individual neighborhoods in Delmas are referred to by number, since the suburb is organized around numbered streets that radiate out from a central road (for instance, Delmas 45, Delmas 18, et cetera).

² Roughly US$.50 to US$2.

MINA AND EVE

¹ Carrefour, on the northwest edge of Port-au-Prince, just south of Port-au-Prince Bay, is a dense residential suburb of more than 400,000 and was near the epicenter of the 2010 earthquake.

² Christ-Roi is a neighborhood on the east side of Port-au-Prince, as well as the informal name of a hospital in that neighborhood. KOFAVIV is an acronym for Komisyon Fanm Viktim Pou Viktim, or Commission of Women Victims for Victims.

ADRIENNE PHATAL

¹ In Haiti, children who are used as unpaid domestic servants are known as restaveks. For more information, see the Glossary, page 309.

² Common term for white foreigners.

³ Mario Joseph is a human rights attorney and director of the B.A.I. For more on B.A.I., see Mina’s narrative, page 115.

⁴ At the time of the incident, 2,500 gouds equals approximately US$60.

⁵ Here, zombie is used to refer to a curse that causes death.

⁶ Bann chanpwel is a musical band of evildoers who are said to dance in front of a victim’s house when they are about to collect his or her spirit. After or during the dance, the victim will die unless the dancers are met with a higher, greater force than theirs—usually in instances where the victim or victim’s family are praying Christians.

TANIA JEUDY

¹ At the time of the interview, 3,500 gouds equals approximately US$90. 400 gouds equals approximately US$10.

² Champs-de-Mars is a park near the former site of the National Palace.

³ Neighborhoods near central Port-au-Prince, here the names refer to police stations in those neighborhoods.

⁴ Carrefour, on the northwest edge of Port-au-Prince, just south of Port-au-Prince Bay, is a dense residential suburb of more than 400,000 and was near the epicenter of the 2010 earthquake.

⁵ The Cabinet d’Instruction is roughly equavalient to a U.S. district attorney.

⁶ At the time of the interview, 2,500 gouds equals approximately US$60.

⁷ Mario Joseph is a human rights attorney and director of the B.A.I. For more on B.A.I., see Mina’s narrative, page 115.

⁸ Doctors Without Borders, an international medical NGO.

⁹ Here, Tania is referring to zombie as a reincarnated being that is calling her to curse her.

¹⁰ Kafou Aewopo is a busy intersection near the airport on the northside of Port-au-Prince.

¹¹ Jérémie is the capital of the Grand’Anse Department at the western tip of the Tiburon Peninsula.

GEORGE VALENTIN VALERIS

¹ Pétionville is a wealthy, historic suburb of Port-au-Prince built into the hillside south of the city center.

² Delmas is a large residential and commercial suburb in the northeast of Port-au-Prince, adjacent to the city’s airport.

³ Loas in Haitian Vodou are intermediaries between people and a distant God. For more information, see the Glossary, page 309.

⁴ The ceremony during which the first major slave revolt was planned. For more information, see Appendix I, page 293.

⁵ Here, a zombie refers to a curse that causes death.

⁶ Rara can refer to festival music or dance in general, though it’s most closely associated with parades in the week before Easter.

FRAN

¹ In Haiti, radio remains the news media format that reaches the widest audience, and there are nearly 400 stations nationwide. Radio Galaxie is one of Port-au-Prince’s most popular news radio stations.

² Léogâne is a coastal city 18 miles west of Port-au-Prince.

³ The Clinton Foundation has raised more than $30 million since 2010 for post-earthquake relief in Haiti.

BENITA MANDA

¹ Pétionville is a wealthy, historic suburb of Port-au-Prince built into the hillside south of the city center.

² Delmas is a large residential and commercial suburb in the northeast of Port-au-Prince, adjacent to the city’s airport.

³ Mòl literally means soft, but here means something similar to a complete paralysis of the body.

⁴ Saint Vincent’s is an Episcopal Church school, clinic, and orphanage for children with physical disabilities, including support for the deaf and blind in downtown Port-au-Prince.

⁵ Seizure due to meningitis.

⁶ Literally “well proper,” a phrase that describes when things that are expected to be well, are well/normal.

⁷ Much like playing catch.

⁸ Carbamazepine is used primarily in the treatment of epilepsy and neuropathic pain.

⁹ Blan—literally “white person”—is best translated to mean foreigner.

¹⁰ OXFAM is a coalition of global charities that coordinate giving to alleviate poverty. OXFAM’s support in Haiti following the 2010 earthquake has included providing access to food, water, and shelter as well as providing employment opportunities and other economic relief.

¹¹ Malere is a word for poor, in need.

¹² A mambo is a female Vodou priestess.

¹³ Les Cayes is a city of 70,000 on the southwest edge of the Tiburon Peninsula. It is one of Haiti’s major seaports.

¹⁴ At the time, 75 gouds equals approximately US$15.

¹⁵ International Organization for Migration is an intergovernmental organization made up of more than 160 member states.

¹⁶ The United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) was initially authorized following the 2004 coup d’état as peacekeeping forces brought in to stabilize the political situation and protect human rights and the rule of law after Aristide’s ouster. They were given greater mandate following the 2010 earthquake to support reconstruction and stability efforts. For more on MINUSTAH, see the Glossary, page 309.

¹⁷ DINEPA (Direction Nationale de l’Eau Potable et de l’Assainissement or National Directorate for Water Supply and Sanitation) is the Haitian governmental agency responsible for providing access to safe drinking water.

¹⁸ World Vision International is an Evangelical aid organization.

¹⁹ Dyab Rasyal is a manifestation of the devil in Haitian Vodou. For more on Vodou, see the Glossary, page 309.

²⁰ For more on Haiti and cholera, see Apendix III, page 317.

MARITZA

¹ Dyab Rasyal is a manifestation of the devil in Haitian Vodou. For more on Vodou, see the Glossary, page 309.

LOUIS ELIAS EZAUS

¹ Miragoâne is a coastal city of more than 50,000 and the capital of the Nippes Department. It is located 60 miles west of Port-au-Prince.

JOCELYN

¹ Aquatabs is a brand name for water purification tablets that help prevent cholera and other water-borne diseases.

CHARLOT JEUDY

¹ Tabarre is a neighborhood within Delmas in the northeast of Port-au-Prince.

² On January 13, 2010, the day after the earthquake, Pat Robertson blamed the tragedy on something that “happened a long time ago in Haiti, and people might not want to talk about it.” The Haitians “were under the heel of the French. You know, Napoleon III and whatever. And they got together and swore a pact to the devil. They said, ‘We will serve you if you will get us free from the French.’ True story. And so, the devil said, ‘Okay, it’s a deal.’ You know, the Haitians revolted and got themselves free. But ever since, they have been cursed by one thing after the other.”

³ Loas in Haitian Vodou are intermediaries between people and a distant God. For more information, see the Glossary, page 309.

⁴ In Haitian Vodou, Ogou is a warrior spirit associated with a number of personae, with most manifestations closely bound to notions of masculinity. Ogou is frequently channeled in Haitian possession performances. For more on possession performances in Vodou, see the Glossary, page 309.

⁵ In Haitian Vodou, Erzuli Dantor is a scarred maternal spirit that protects women and children and punishes those who harm the innocent. She is the patron of independent women and is strongly associated with the origins of the Haitian independence movement.

JOHNNY

¹ A note on language: Masisi is the word for gay man. This might best be translated as “faggot.” The M community is working to reclaim this language, much like queer communities in other places and in other languages.

² Tabarre is a neighborhood within Delmas in the northeast of Port-au-Prince.

JANE WYNNE

¹ Carrefour, on the northwest edge of Port-au-Prince, just south of Port-au-Prince Bay, is a dense residential suburb of more than 400,000 and was near the epicenter of the 2010 earthquake.

² Gonaïves is a city of more than 300,000 about 90 miles north of Port-au-Prince.

³ Pétionville is a wealthy, historic suburb of Port-au-Prince built into the hillside south of the city center.

⁴ The Makout were a feared paramilitary group under the Duvalier regimes during the second half of the twentieth century. For more on the Makout, see the Glossary, page 309.

⁵ In 1963 President François Duvalier’s political enemies attempted to kidnap his children, including his young son Jean-Claude, in order to force him from office. The crackdown that followed the unsuccessful attempt left many dead throughout Haiti. For more on the Duvalier regime, see Appendix I, page 293.

⁶ For more on deforestation in Haiti, see the Glossary, page 309.

⁷ Jacmel is a city of 40,000 on Haiti’s southern coast, approximately 40 miles southwest of Port-au-Prince.

⁸ A judge de paix (“justice of the peace”) is a local legal authority in the Haitian justice system.

⁹ For more on U.S.A.I.D. in Haiti, see the Glossary, page 309.

GINA AND LIANS

¹ SOFALAM stands for Solidarite Fanm pou yon Lavi Miyo—Women in Solidarity for a Better Life.

² In Haiti, children who are used as unpaid domestic servants are known as restaveks. For more information, see the Glossary, page 309.

³ Night school in Haiti is typically school for adults.

⁴ CAFA stands for Centre d’Appui Familiale—Family Support Center.

⁵ Carrefour Feuilles is a neighborhood in south Port-au-Prince unconnected to the larger suburb of Carrefour, which is further west of the city.

⁶ Little public education exists in Haiti, especially in rural areas, and most families must pay for private schools.

⁷ Emaner Suisse, UNICEF, and Save the Children are all intergovernmental or nongovernmental aid organizations working in Haiti.

DENISE DORVIL

¹ A pwela is a plastic tarp used to make tents.

² Roughly equivalent to US$2.50–US$6.25.

³ Jérémie is the capital of the Grand’Anse Department at the western tip of the Tiburon Peninsula.

⁴ Champ de Mars is a park in Port-au-Prince near the former site of the National Palace.

⁵ SOS Children’s Villages International operates orphanages and provides family services in hundreds of countries across the globe.

⁶ Carrefour, on the northwest edge of Port-au-Prince, just south of Port-au-Prince Bay, is a dense residential suburb of more than 400,000 and was near the epicenter of the 2010 earthquake.

⁷ The Makout were a feared paramilitary group under the Duvalier regimes during the second half of the twentieth century. For more on the Makout, see the Glossary, page 309.

⁸ At the time of the interview, 25 gouds equals approximately US 65 cents.

⁹ An ailment believed to be caused by magic.

¹⁰ Here, zombies refers to people who have been cursed causing death and reanimation as undead servants.

¹¹ Cazeau is a suburb on the eastern edge of Port-au-Prince.

¹² For more on the international response to the earthquake and the cholera epidemic, see Apendix III, page 317.

¹³ For more on the history of Haiti and the Dominican Republic, see Appendix I, page 293.

¹⁴ Michel Martelly was the president of Haiti from 2011 to 2016. Before becoming president, he was a musician and businessman.

¹⁵ The United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) was initially authorized following the 2004 coup d’état as peacekeeping forces brought in to stabilize the political situation and protect human rights and the rule of law after Aristide’s ouster. They were given greater mandate following the 2010 earthquake to support reconstruction and stability efforts. For more on MINUSTAH, see the Glossary, page 309.

¹⁶ Pikliz is a Haitian hot sauce.

BONHOMME PETERSON

¹ Ti-Place Cazeau is a suburb on the eastern edge of Port-au-Prince.

² The division of the U.S. government responsible for foreign aid, U.S.A.I.D. has had a presence in Haiti for over 50 years.

³ Baradères is a city of 30,000 in the Nippes Department, west of Port-au-Prince. Delmas is a large residential and commercial suburb in the northeast of Port-au-Prince, adjacent to the city’s airport. Individual neighborhoods in Delmas are referred to by number, since the suburb is organized around numbered streets that radiate out from a central road (for instance, Delmas 45, Delmas 18, et cetera).

⁴ Andeyo means “outside” in Kreyol. Haitians use the term to refer to everywhere outside of Port-au-Prince.

⁵ In 1982, 4,000 gouds equals approximately US$130.

⁶ SOS Children’s Villages International operates orphanages and provides family services in hundreds of countries across the globe.

⁷ At the time of the interview, 3,000 gouds equals approximately US$75.

⁸ At the time of the interview, 4,500 gouds equals approximately US$112.

⁹ At the time of the interview, 50 gouds equals approximately US$1.25.

CHRISTOPHER DERAGON

¹ Editor’s note: This story and two others (Josil, page 235, and Alina, page 97) focus on hospitals and medical care. We’ve chosen to leave some of the questions in because it reflects the intimate nature of the doctor/patient relationship here. For more on current health crises in Haiti, including the prevalence of both H.I.V. and TB, see Apendix III, page 317.

² Cange is a Partners In Health hospital in the Central Plateau, hours from Port-au-Prince.

³ Pétionville is a wealthy, historic suburb of Port-au-Prince built into the hillside south of the city center.

⁴ GHESKIO (The Haitian Group for the Study of Kaposi’s Sarcoma and Opportunistic Infections) was “the first institution in the world dedicated to the fight against H.I.V./AIDS,” according to its Web site, and “has provided continuous medical care in Haiti since 1982—never once shutting its doors or charging fees.” The test that Christopher is talking about is a viral load—to check the activity of the virus in the body. With proper treatment it should be undetectable, or negative. He also had CD4 cell count testing, to measure immune status.

⁵ CD4 cells are also known as T-cells, one of the body’s major defenses against infection. Untreated H.I.V. destroys CD4 cells, leaving the body vulnerable to infection.

JOSIL JUNIOR

¹ Editor’s note: This story and two others (Alina, page 97, and Christopher, page 215) focus on hospitals and medical care. We’ve chosen to leave some of the questions in because it reflects the intimate nature of the doctor/patient relationship here. For more on current health crises in Haiti, including the prevalence of both H.I.V. and TB, see Apendix III, page 317.

² Jérémie is the capital of the Grand’Anse Department at the western tip of the Tiburon Peninsula.

DJENANE SAINT-JUSTE

¹ Gonâve is a large island in the Gulf of Gonâve, about 40 miles northwest of Port-au-Prince.

² Rara is a form of festival music that originated in Haiti; it accompanies street processions, typically during Easter Week.

³ Léogâne is a coastal commune directly across from La Gonâve in the Ouest Department. Léogâne is known for its Rara festival. It was also situated at the epicenter of the 2010 earthquake.

⁴ The National Dance Theater Company of Haiti.

⁵ The Makout were a feared paramilitary group under the Duvalier regimes during the second half of the twentieth century. For more on the Makout, see the Glossary, page 326.

⁶ Jacmel is a city of 40,000 on Haiti’s southern coast, approximately 40 miles southwest of Port-au-Prince.

⁷ For more on Christopher Columbus and Haiti, see Appendix I, page 293.

⁸ For more on “Baby Doc” Duvalier and his exile, see Appendix I, page 293.

⁹ Thomassin is a neighborhood of Pétionville in the mountains south of Port-au-Prince.

¹⁰ Jean-Bertrand Aristide was elected president of Haiti in 1990 and removed by coup in 1991. He returned to the presidency in 1994–95 and then was again elected in 2000. For more on Aristide, see Appendix I, page 293.

¹¹ Pétionville is a wealthy, historic suburb of Port-au-Prince built into the hillside south of the city center. La Boule is southwest of Pétionville.

¹² Temporary Protected Status (T.P.S.) is a form of residency in the U.S. granted to citizens of other countries who have fled certain natural disasters and other crises. For more information, see the Glossary, page 309.

PATRICE FLORVILUS

¹ Jean-Rabel is a town of more than 100,000 in the Nord-Ouest Department, about 150 miles north of Port-au-Prince.

² Outside of Jean-Rabel, paramilitary groups acting upon orders from a local land oligarch, Rémy Lucas, killed at least 139 peasants (300 according to various human rights groups and the OAS, and 1,042 according to Nicol Poitevien, one of the self-proclaimed killers).

³ Gonaïves is a city of more than 300,000 about 45 miles southeast of Jean-Rabel and 90 miles north of Port-au-Prince. It is the capital of Artibonite, the largest of Haiti’s ten departmental divisions.

⁴ The Day of the Dead in Haiti is observed through Vodou ceremonies as well as part of Christian holidays (All Souls’ Day) on November 1 and November 2. Rituals tend to focus on, and honor, the spirits of the dead and those spirits (or loas in Vodou) that function as gatekeepers to the afterlife.

⁵ Cité Soleil is a large, densely populated unplanned neighborhood of more than 400,000 in northwest Port-au-Prince.

⁶ At roughly the time Patrice was teaching, 12.5 gouds equals approximately US 75 cents.

⁷ Delmas is a large residential and commercial suburb in the northeast of Port-au-Prince, adjacent to the city’s airport. Individual neighborhoods in Delmas are referred to by number, since the suburb is organized around numbered streets that radiate out from a central road (for instance, Delmas 45, Delmas 18, et cetera).

⁸ Mario Joseph is a human rights attorney and director of the B.A.I. (Bureau des Avocats Internationaux), a public interest legal and human rights organization in downtown Port-au-Prince. For more on the B.A.I., see Mina’s narrative, page 115.

⁹ For more on tent cities after the 2010 earthquake, see Bidonvilles in the Glossary, page 309.

¹⁰ D.O.P.; in French: Defenseurs des Oprimées/Oprimés.

¹¹ Here Patrice is likely referring to the coup which overthrew leftist president Jean-Bertrand Aristide in 1991. For more on Aristide and the coup, see Appendix I, page 293.

¹² Expression of communist sympathy or possession of communist literature was a crime in Haiti punishable by death under the Duvalier regime, beginning with the passage of explicit legal restrictions in 1969. For more on the Duvalier regime, see Appendix I, page 293.

¹³ To make ends meet, Patrice’s wife, Guilaine, started a restaurant in the suburb of Santo, northeast of Port-au-Prince.

¹⁴ American Jewish World Service provides humanitarian relief in countries across the globe.

¹⁵ The United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) was initially authorized following the 2004 coup d’état as peacekeeping forces brought in to stabilize the political situation and protect human rights and the rule of law after Aristide’s ouster. They were given greater mandate following the 2010 earthquake to support reconstruction and stability efforts. For more on MINUSTAH, see the Glossary, page 309.

NADEGE PIERRE

¹ Cité Soleil is a large, densely populated unplanned neighborhood of more than 400,000 in northwest Port-au-Prince.

² Large tent cities, or bidonvilles, were constructed on the plaza outside the former site of the National Palace after the 2010 earthquake. For more on bidonvilles, see the Glossary, page 309.

³ Large-scale looting and burning of bidonville tent camps began around two years after the earthquake.

⁴ Bainet is a small coastal town in the south of Haiti, between Jacmel and Les Cayes. It is about 70 miles from Port-au-Prince.

⁵ Literally translated: “he is looking for his life,” or trying to make a living.

PIERRE YVES JOVIN

¹ At the time of the interview, 5,000 gouds equals approximately US$125.

² Mariani is a suburb west of Port-au-Prince.

SNAKE

¹ A tap tap is a kind of taxi.

² At the time of the interview, 1,000 gouds equals approximately US$25.

³ Andeyo means “outside” in Kreyol. Haitians use the term to refer to everywhere outside of Port-au-Prince.

JEAN PIERRE MARSEILLE

¹ Santo Domingo is the capital of the Dominican Republic.

² Cap-Haïtien is a city of 200,000 in the Nord Department on Haiti’s northern coast.

³ Etranjè means “stranger,” “foreigner,” or “alien.”

⁴ Limonade is a commune in the arrondissement of Cap-Haïtien, which is a part of the Nord Department, a large tract of land in Haiti’s north. For more on Haiti’s administrative divisions, see the Glossary, page 309.

⁵ Champ de Mars is a park near the former site of the National Palace.

⁶ Haiti’s national palace. Destroyed during the earthquake and later bulldozed. See Jean’s earlier comment about Sean Penn, page 110.

⁷ Or “possession with intent to distribute within a thousand feet of a school zone.”

⁸ Jean-Bertrand Aristide was elected president of Haiti in 1990 and removed by coup in 1991. He returned to the presidency in 1994–95 and then was again elected in 2000. For more on Aristide, see Appendix I, page 293.

⁹ The Makout were a feared paramilitary group under the Duvalier regimes during the second half of the twentieth century. For more on the Makout, see the Glossary, page 309.

¹⁰ Pèpè refers to used clothes collected from international donations.

¹¹ A person with dreadlocks.

¹² For more on the embargo following the Aristide coup, see Appendix I, page 293.

¹³ For more on the U.S. intervention in Haiti, see Appendix I, page 293.

¹⁴ Pèpè refers to used clothes from the U.S.

¹⁵ Brase means to stir or to brew.

¹⁶ Delmas is a large residential and commercial suburb in the northeast of Port-au-Prince, adjacent to the city’s airport.

APPENDIX III: HEALTH AND JUSTICE AFTER THE EARTHQUAKE

¹ A. Carvioto et al., Final Report of the Independent Panel of Experts on the Cholera Outbreak in Haiti, United Nations, un.org, May 4, 2011.

² Benedetta Faedi, “The Double Weakness of Girls: Discrimination and Sexual Violence in Haiti,” in Stanford Journal of International Law (Winter 2008).

³ Nina Lakhani, “Rape on the Rise in Haiti’s Camps,” Independent, February 6, 2010.

⁴ Amnesty International, Aftershocks: Women Speak Out Against Sexual Violence in Haiti’s Camps, amnesty.org, January 6, 2011.

⁵ Lisa Armstrong, “The Rapist and the Girl Next Door, the Paradox of Prosecuting Rape Cases in Haiti,” ijdh.org, May 7, 2014.

⁶ See J. A. Walldorf, et al., “Recovery of HIV Service Provision Post-Earthquake,” AIDS 26 (2012).