Gotson Pierre
July, 2003
In Haiti, the concept of the information
society is already part of the public speech. That is a direct consequence of
having in perspective the World Summit on the Information Society to be held in
Geneva, in December 2003, and in Tunis, in 2005.
Somehow, the media echoes the happenings that
encompass the process of preparation of the summit conferences and refer
themselves sometimes to reflections, as a result of meetings in Haiti or
overseas. Sometimes, they also question themselves about the attitude of the
country authorities that seem utterly inactive as far as the preparation of
these summit conferences is concerned.
This timid approach from some media to the
subject of the information society is, to a great extent, an outcome of a
sensitization work performed by some groups or institutions of the
communication sector or NICT (newer information and communication
technologies).
During specific events such the Fair of
Internet, in April, 2002 and in 2003, organized by the group M�dialternatif
with the participation of the R�seau T�l�matique Ha�tien pour la Recherche et
le D�veloppement (REHRED, Haitian Telematic Network for Research and Development),
technological fairs, organized since quite some years by the Croissance group,
brainstorming conferences, such as the ones organized by R�seau de
D�veloppement Durable d'Ha�ti (RDDH, sustainable development network of Haiti),
the United Nations Developing Program (UNDP), the Francophony University Agency
and the Haitian Office of Copyrights and the � e-journ�es �, organized during
Spring 2003 by Arobase organization, among others, there were references to the
challenges that implies the information society.
Unfortunately, those efforts have been far from
succeeding that a true public debate be established about the advantages and
obligations of the information society. Even less one could say that it has
been developed a Haitian shared vision about this matter that takes into
consideration the socioeconomic, sociopolitical and cultural specificities of
the country. The concept is far from being empowered.
This discussion has not taken place either
within the heart of the social movements and fighting spaces. Actors from
theses movements as well as organizations that participate in them, use, with
more o less efficacy, the NICT to be informed or to get in touch with the world
processes of making aware or mobilizing about themes of public or sectorial
interest. The Plateforme Ha�tienne de Plaidoyer pour un D�veloppement
Alternatif (PAPDA, Haitian platform in favor of an alternative development),
for instance, recognizes the strategic value of the NICT.
But in general, the use of the NICT does not goes
further than the practical, without considering theses technologies the entry
point to the information society, as a battle field for the fostering of some
values and claiming in strategic terms, as has been shown in �Movimientos
Sociales en la Red ",[1]
it means, aiming at developing individual and organizational capabilities for
the flow of ideas, links and liaisons establishment, negotiation, resistance,
etc.
Nevertheless, if one looks at what has happened
over the last thirty years, it can be seen that the problem of communication
and information has been a crucial issue for the Haitian society, poorly
literately and one in which dominates the oral culture. In this context, the
radio acquired a capital importance during the last decades. More than 150
radio stations are operating today in the country, among which some are
communitarian radio networks.
The Haitians have developed a culture of
listening to the radio.[2]
Radio remains as the media that reaches the greatest amount of public, not only
for literacy related reasons, but also due to the weak development of electric
and telecom infrastructure,[3]
the uneven geography and the degree of isolation of local villages.
Despite energy difficulties, television gets
greater importance in the cities and competes against radio, mainly at night.
Twenty-five stations operate or have authorization to do so in the country.
The written press has a rather poor
development, due to the high percentage of illiteracy and economic
precariousness. The official daily, L�Union
and a private one, Le Nouvelliste,
are regularly edited in the capital city; but over the last decades many daily
or weekly publications disappeared.
Three press agencies (Agence Ha�tienne de
Presse, Ha�ti Press Network y AlterPresse) operate uninterrupted in the country
since several years, feed the radio, television and the daily journals and
benefit from the on line diffusion.
In general, perhaps for a fashion effect, there
is an increasing trend in the Haitians media to developing on line contents,
that in the case of the radio, television and for the daily journals. Some
radios, like Radio Vision 2000 and Radio Solidarit�, publish directly in
Internet. Some others like Radio M�tropole and Signal FM have information web
sites, and even some have web pages as window sites.[4]
The television web sites are much less
frequent. Attempts to regularly feed an Internet space by the National
Television have failed. Out of our two dairy newspapers, the official
diversifies its presence through Internet and two Haitian weekly magazines
edited from the Diaspora (Ha�ti-Progr�s and Ha�ti en Marche) outreach their
editions by means of web sites.[5]����
However, it does not seem that in the majority
of cases the communication policy takes into consideration all dimensions of
the information society phenomenon. "Informatics hardware within the
majority of radio stations is poor. It is unusual that staff have computers
available. In general Internet access depends on personal initiatives of
journalists and entertainers." [6]
Anyhow, it is becoming a continual reference to
Internet as source of news, both domestic and international. Many chronics are
specifically based on Internet contents or are referred to multimedia.
Sometimes, whole programs are dedicated to this problem.
In addition to the media, despite the low
availability level of resources in Haiti, Internet is playing an increasingly
significant role in the life of many people. Many a person asks himself how
would it perform without Internet.
It was during early 90s that Haitians
discovered computer-mediated communication, and electronic mail prevailed
during the three years of the bloody military coup d��tat of September 1991. In
1993, REHRED was born. And in 1996, the first chances of access to navigation.[7]
A dozen of private Internet Service Providers
(ISP) currently offers Internet access, either by dial-up connection or by
radio waves. A survey published by RDDH in 2002, there were 7000 Internet users
in the country. Theses could be institutions, families or physical individuals,
with some 23% of the share being academic, 23% industrial, 23% home users, 19%
commercial telecenters and 13% small commercial ISP. [8]
The majority of internauts (mainly
professionals, public administration executive staff, private sector, non
governmental organizations, international organizations, students, faculty and
journalists) live in Port Prince, but country cities are beginning to get
access.
The most important phenomenon within the last
years is the continuous creation of telecenters with Internet access to those
who are not able to pay for a computer or connection fees. Almost 85% of
telecenters are based in the metropolitan area.[9]
Being the case of domestic access,
institutional o through access centers, it�s being observed that research,
emailing and files interchange needs are fulfilled. But the application with
the grater impact is telephony. "Telephony is the first service among the
more used in telecenters, with 62,6%, even with a cost 6 times greater",[10]
shows the RDDH Report.
A journalist was asking himself recently if
theses users could be considered interenauts. In a more general way, the
question should be to find out what is the Haitian user�s attitude towards the
ICT, to what extend he/she feels consciously integrated to information society
and what critical path could take with respect to the currently processes gong
on. At this time it is not possible to answer theses questions, due to the fact
that there has not been a survey or study aimed at them.
What is true is that there exists a great need
to educate on the critical approach of communication processes, both in the
professional media and the great public in general.
As it can be seen, the central element that
lacks in Haiti, related to information society, is an active attitude towards
ICT. The risk is the Haitians using the newer media, as they were used to with
their antecessors: as mere receptors.
A sector that, in the Haitian experience, has
proved that people can shift from a passive to an active role is communitarian
radio.
Nine years ago a relatively important movement
of communitarian radio was born in Haiti, at a time when the constitutional
legitimacy was being returned, after the military coup d��tat of September
1991. Was a time of openness and empowerment of the public voice, what favored
the emergence of many communitarian radio stations.
Currently more than forty, collectives of
democratic and popular organizations often own theses radio stations. The
operate in cities, small towns and villages favoring, in many cases, the
participation of the local population in the public debate, sometimes, in the
material and financial management of the radio stations, that transform thus
into true own achievements for the communities.
But it cannot be denied that, unfortunately,
several of theses experiences, faced with the challenges of the political
situation as to economic and organizational problems, were unsuccessful with
effects opposite to what was expected.
However, originating from the potentiality that
showed some of theses projects was possible to put forward the idea of
fostering a combination of media and informatics and radio phonic devices in
order to enable underserved sectors have ICT access. [11]
The radios, equipped with telematic resources,
would play thus, somehow, roles as the ones assumed by telecenters. But even
better that those, its diffusion media would allow them to reach vast
populations, offering practical services, such as messaging, and acting as
channels for educational efforts with respect to the challenges of
communication.
All players of the ICT sector in Haiti do not
share this idea. Some think that in a numeric literacy perspective, it is
absolutely necessary to empower the population to directly use the technology
and in some way or another people should realize that in future Internet will
become part of their daily lives.[12]
�
On the other hand, professor Harry Regis, head
of the Communication Department of the Humana Sciences School, considers, on
the contrary, that much is to be gained is e process of radio and Internet
integration were promoted, which would favor a better lever of information to
local populations, given the accessibility of the radio.[13]
It would remain to organize the process of feeding Internet and of the global
network, by local populations.
The professor Regis sees two obstacles that
interpose to the development of ICT in Haiti: the way of introduction of these
technologies and the structure of Haitian society. The fact that Internet
development in Haiti corresponds to initiatives almost exclusively commercial,
keeps away, firstly, the underserved sectors, since it is assumed beforehand
that they might not have access. Secondly, the elitist orientation
of education and of society in general strengthen the idea that technology is
something reserved to whom have certain degree of education.
Just
theses arguments make necessary a demystification of technology. Professor Regis thinks that, in this
context, the socioeducative Haitian system is one of the mayor obstacles that
prevent that the majority of population will become technologically empowered.
On the other hand, certain academic sectors of
the country think that it is essential that the discourse of the communication
problematic most not be limited to the journalistic worries. It is true that
the current situation of the media, subject to and endless pressure from the
political sector, is too precarious, with systematic attacks against
journalists and newspapers.[14]
But when raising the question of communication it should not be avoided the
question of the propagation of ideas and experiences, and the access to
knowledge for a democratic, socioeconomic and cultural development.
In the current context, the political framework
implies problems, to the extent that it has not been defined a proper policy,
leaving things to some laisser-faire.
In such circumstances, what responsibility has a State that is unconcerned to
the common wellbeing and only worries about keeping itself in power?
All in all, as Professor Raymond No�l, of the
Sciences School,[15] points out,
in the perspective of an information society based on the ability of Haitian
people to communicate, it cannot be overlooked the transformation of structures
that promote ignorance and exclusion.
[1] Osvaldo Le�n, Sally Burch, Eduardo
Tamayo, Movimientos Sociales en la Red
(Social Movements in the Net), ALAI (Agencia Latinoamericana de
Informaci�n), Ecuador, September 2001.
[2] Cf. Gotson Pierre, NTIC, M�dias et D�fense des Droits Humains
en Ha�ti, http://www.pancaribbean.com/wacaribe/ntic.htm,
October 2001.
�
[3] The official figures stated that in
2000 some 32% of homes had electricity, particularly in the capital city of
Port o Prince.� The total electricity
production tends to diminish and was in 2001 of 440 MWh.� In 2002, the number of fixed and cellular
telephone lines were some 300.000, it means, some 34 phone lines per 1000
habitants.
[4] Cf. Gotson Pierre, Internet, Radio, Communication Globale et
Populations Marginalis�es en Ha�ti, www.comunica.org/tampa/docs/gotson1.doc,
September 2000.
�
[5] In addition to the news content,
the Haitian Internet offers a high percentage of cultural sites and discussion
forums. Often Haitian communities outside the country create the forums and its
participants come, mostly, from the Diaspora. Observers have pointed out that
each time more Non Governmental Organizations, commercial institutions and
public institutions integrate Internet within their communication activities.
[6] Cf. Gotson Pierre, Internet, Radio, Communication Globale�
[7] Cf. Ives Marie Chanel & Ronald
Colbert, Ha�ti � technologie : l'Internet
face � l'archa�sme des Structures, http://www.panosinst.org/Haiti/h10-99f.shtml,
October 1999 (Report prepared by Panos).
[8] RDDH/GSIS, "Enqu�te sur
l�interconnexion des fournisseurs d�acc�s Internet, September-October
2002", quoted in RDDH/PNUD, Plan
d�Action pour le D�veloppement des Technologies de l�Information en Ha�t, December
2002.
[9] Ib�dem.
[10] It most be stressed that
approximately 1/8 of Haitian population lives abroad. Out of some 8 millions of
Haitians, more tan a million lives outside the country. To keep communicated
the expatriated relatives and the country residents would be the main
preference for telephony through Internet that allows a considerable reduction
in costs.
�
[11] Cf. Gotson Pierre, Internet, Radio, Communication Globale�
[14] Between December 17, 2001 and mid February 2003, some thirty journalists
had to escape out of the country due to threats, from data published by the
Association des Journalistes Ha�tiens (AJH).
[15] Jean-Marie Raymond No�l [National
Director of the Project of Accompaniment of Haiti in the Information Society
(AHSI)-PNUD], Aider tous les peuples du
monde � communiquer: Sommes-nous pr�ts en Ha�ti?, http://www.medialternatif.org/alterpresse/article.php3?id_article=503,
May 2003.
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