Haiti - Local Customs

Photographing Haitians

It is bad form in Haiti to photograph someone without their permission. This is a cultural issue and should be respected. Please do not photograph people without permission.

Intensity

There is a particular intensity to interactions and some interpersonal communication in Haiti that – to an outsider – may appear like aggression or hostility. This will be particularly pronounced in marketplaces and elsewhere where there are crowds: you may think a fight is about to break out when in reality it is simply a negotiation of prices.

People in Haiti are generally incredibly friendly and hospitable but passionate and the language is emotive.

Poverty Issues

It is best to give charity only too well known and well-established agencies such as Sister Flora who runs the orphanage at Ile-a-Vache. Direct handouts are a bad idea.

The children visiting your boat in canoes will tell you they are hungry. That is their merchandise in trade. They are most likely not hungry, but they want to get on the boat to get something. Most kids in most small communities go to school, are clean and well manicured and have uniforms – even though their families have a hard time making ends meet. (We Noonsite are not telling you to never give them anything, but please realise what free handouts do to the local economy, the visitor-to-local dynamic, and the experience of future visitors.)