Wyclef Jean Headlines Haiti Gala
An Interview with Haiti's World Famous Performing Artist and Ambassador, Wyclef Jean
By: Mike Bruny, Sr. Contributing Writer
Ethnic Online caught up with recording artist and Haitian Ambassador Wyclef Jean before his performance at the Aksyon Contemporary Haiti Gala, held at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. Wyclef was as cool as a cucumber when he posed for photographers and graciously took questions from a small group of the media. He joked around and requested that we ask him questions in Haitian Creole. Despite all of his humor and coolness, you got the sense that he was no joke. When you talk about being a part of a moment or taking action, you can begin to understand the focus and the "Be about it, don't talk about it," attitude that has made Wyclef an Ambassador to Haiti "on the ground," as he puts it.
Below is a brief Q & A of the session:
Q: With all the different organizations that are working to move Haiti forward, do you see an opportunity for unification to move things forward, or are things continuing to move within silos?
A: To move things forward, we need a common fraction. I have learned that the best way to move forward is to work as a collective. One good thing that I've noticed taking place in Haiti is increased communication. The IDB (Inter-American Development Bank) is communicating more with the private sector, and Haiti is more open to foreign investments.
I am feeling something in Haiti that I haven't felt before; the commitment to working with foreign investors. The President of Haiti (Michel Martelly) has formed an investment board, which I am a part of, along with President Bill Clinton, and a number of others. The goal is to bring in a certain amount of dollars each year.
One thing we are looking at is developing different parts of Haiti, similar to how Jamaica and Brazil have done. For example, we could develop the airport in Cap-Haitien, so more people will come to the country, which will increase the value of the country, increase the number of jobs, and crime will decrease.
Q: As Haiti's official unofficial Ambassador, how has your role changed since the earthquake?
A: My role has gone beyond singer, and I've put my foot in the fire, in certain places where people think I have no business putting my foot in. Their response, [not in these exact words], "Keep playing the guitar, and singing those songs, and making Shakira dance." I feel, as an ambassador, my role has become much more. More, not in the sense of talking, but in how we can push legislation forward and get some of the laws that are with the Parliament passed. I have learned a lot. My best foreign policy or political science class was being thrown in the fire of Haitian politics.
Q: What do you think it takes to get the diaspora more involved in Haiti?
A: The diaspora and how they can get involved revolves around having dual citizenship. No one wants to just continue to give money to their country and not have a say in how it is run. Until they feel they have a stake in voting, I think it’s going to be very difficult to get the full support of the diaspora of Haitians that are living abroad.
Q: What can be expected in the near future?
A: I can't really see myself running for the President of Haiti in five years, but I can see the Wyclef Jean School of Arts, or a hospital being built. A new album is on the way and there is a 90% chance that there will be a concert at the Berklee College of Music in Boston in February called, "Wyclef Jean, the Haitian Experience." All proceeds will go towards buying musical instruments for kids in Haiti.
Wyclef has a vision of the school he will build in Haiti, which will have a "Berklee" wing where students from Berklee can visit and teach classes to the Haitian kids.
Wyclef Jean, from one Haitian Brooklynite to another, thank you for the work you continue to do in Haiti.
"You can't stop the shining; you looking at my watch, but my mind's really the diamond."
~Wyclef Jean
