The famous picture, which appears in many books and documentaries, subtly blame Haitians for not being good stewards of their natural resources. The reality is much more complex, and has historical and international roots.
They say that a picture is more powerful than many words. And this one just fits perfectly with the age-old rhetoric of barbarous (dark) Haitians being the shameful people of the Americas. How can we counter the proliferation of pictures like this one, which are read in a context of unconscious prejudice, when the ones who can better reply to these charges do not have the resources to show more telling pictures of community collaboration, resilience, and cultural strength?
Of course, there is always the risk (as Spivak once warned) of misrepresenting the underdog.
