I am sitting outside at the Solidarite Guest House of the Association of Peasants of Fondwa in Port-au-Prince. We've just finished a meeting and lunch with the staff of APF and discussed our participatory action research that we are embarking on here. The guest house is serving as temporary office space for APF and their sister organization that I am working with SEKONAPA. Their permanent space was flattened in the earthquake so they are in these temporary conditions. These temporary spaces are really semi-permanent at this point, as I can't imagine where they would actually move to.
After two extremely grueling nights in some fairly difficult living conditions that I am in for this month - no running water, no electricity, about 90 degrees in my room at night with no fan, mosquitoes, and really the most challenging for me - an invasion of rats in my room - I believe I am in a position to at least consider this idea of solidarity. So, is that what it would mean, give it all up and live in conditions like I am now, which is very similar to many Haitians right now, some worse, of course, (with no food and living under tarps)? (The family I am staying with right now, like so many in the epicenter, is living outside the house under tarps because they are too afraid to come inside and sleep, so I am alone in the house with the rats who have taken over). Let's just say, I hope to hell not. But, I think solidarity does imply giving something up, not just acknowledging our privilege, not just giving back, but really giving something of our extreme comforts (where we are taking too much) up. I don't know where the lines are to be drawn, but it's a question that we have to be willing to ask ourselves if we are interesting in any kind of sustainable (and by extension, egalitarian) world.
I am happy to report that we are going to borrow a cat and see how it does in chasing away the rats. Second option, rat poison!
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