The mid-1990’s found me involved with a group of Haitian
grassroots activists, largely a part of the Liberation Theology Lavalas (or the “great flood”) movement,
and their supporting Haitian-American counterparts. With the return from exile of the first
democratically elected Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, the air was
electric with expectation, “Espwa”- or hope, that finally a change for the
better was possible. Words like “Democracy,”
“Dignity,” and most commonly, “Solidarity”
were bandied about in the air like new-found treasures. Supporters of Aristide ported t-shirts and banners
quoting the then-President, “Randevou bo tab la,” or “Let’s meet together at
the table.” Aristide’s invitation was clear: everyone needs to come to the
table to meet, plan, and contribute, and everyone, simply everyone has something valuable to give to the movement for
positive social change. Not only was
this recognition of everyone’s value and capacities, rich poor and in-between,
it was also a call to action: this movement couldn’t be carried by just one
person. In order to have a chance at
manifesting a new vision of a democratic Haiti, moving out of misery (if only
into the next level of poverty), everyone needed to step up and give what she
or he had to give, and to do it for the long haul.
Working alongside farmers and villagers across Haiti, I came
to learn a bit about Vodun, what is commonly (and incorrectly) termed “Voodoo”
in English-speaking cultures. I learned
how many Vodun spiritual practices were masked behind Catholic practices, the
Haitian Lwa syncretized against Catholic saints, in order to protect and
continue the spiritual practices carried over from the Yoruba, ancient Dahomey,
Ibo Landing. Haitian social structure in
village life was built around the structure of the crossroads in Vodun, the
crossroads where the worlds of the ancestors and their living descendants met,
and where everyone brought their own particular skills and resources to
contribute to village well-being, all unique but equally valued. Aristide’s call for solidarity in action,
“Randevou bo tab la,” gains deeper resonance, power and meaning.
Today a local-to-local climate change Community-Based
Adaptation (CBA) and Climate Justice movement is emerging across regions,
across the globe, with potential to lead the way for the world’s coping
(adaptation) with the impacts and threats of climatic change. This last April 24-30, the 8th CBAconference facilitated by iied took place in Nepal(with many global and local
partners). At the beginning of the
conference, I had an opportunity to sit and speak with Dr. Saleemul Huq, senior
fellow in iied’s Climate Group and Director of ICCCAD, and chief organizer for
the CBA8. From Saleemul, I heard words
that stirred memories of my early days in Haiti, “Dignity,” “Respect,” and most
powerfully, the need for global “Solidarity.”
Saleem’s words struck a powerful chord with me, as I see the
current emerging local-to-local climate justice movement, and the efforts of
CBA networks, as another stage along the continuum of global movements for
social change and justice. This recent
CBA8 saw local practitioners, community partners, UN representatives, large
donors, NGO workers, heads-of-state and governmental representatives from 62
different countries, 6 different continents, all together at the CBA table.
Here we were all equal, each person’s role and experience a necessary piece of
the climate justice puzzle. The challenges that climate change poses for us are
truly existential, and require all of us, no matter what role or label,
community or culture, alliance or affiliation, to step up and contribute the
skills and the resources we have in order to tackle and cope with the vast, and
at times overwhelming, complex difficulties which climate change brings to our
doorsteps.
“Randevou bo tab la!”
Come together to the table, everyone has a seat at the table, and everyone’s contributions are needed and
important. This is not a pat on the back, recognition simply of human
capabilities in corners great and small. This is a call to action! A call to
come together in solidarity, to care for, protect, and work together for the
sake of dignity and respect of all life, all beings.
Will you come to
table? And what will you bring?
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