We, the diaspora, often claim to be Haiti’s savior, but our actions fall short, and the people in Haiti have noticed. They’ve stopped taking us seriously due to our consistent failure to deliver results.
Every Sunday, we organize dozens of parallel Zoom meetings filled with what are supposedly “strategies to get Haiti out of poverty” or « Discussions to change the government.”. However, these talks never progress beyond discussions. We quick to debate and complain, offering a plethora of excuses for inaction. When asked about implementing even one plan, we fall silent, listing numerous obstacles but offering no practical steps. We act as victims rather than proactive contributors who could genuinely effect change.
The blame is always directed elsewhere. We point fingers at the government, the United States, corruption, and gangs, but never acknowledge our own inability to move beyond virtual meetings to actual action. We criticize the leadership in Haiti while mirroring those very failures: a lack of discipline, follow-through, and execution.
This performance does not fool the people in Haiti. They hear grand speeches that lead to no action. They are promised much but see no concrete plans. They observe us claiming to have solutions but offering only vague slogans and recycled ideas.
What frustrates me the most is that many of us only offer help if it benefits us personally, such as gaining a title or a government position. We show no interest in genuinely building institutions or quietly solving problems. We seek power, and without it, we prefer to remain idle, complaining on Zoom until the next meeting.
Haiti is exhausted by these ineffective Sunday gatherings, by so-called heroes who fail to act, and by armchair revolutionaries who confuse talking with doing. To be taken seriously, we must organize virtual meetings that focus on developing strategies that lead to action. As long as we keep complaining, we are the problem.
Bobb Rousseau, PhD