déchets. stigmatisations, commerces, politiques ... - Viva Rio en Haiti

‘polluted’ both environmentally and socially. This
transforms the ‘garbage issue’ into a unique vantage
point for observing the dynamic of differentiations
and construction of social inequalities
in Haiti. The region’s stigmatization also derives
from its association with images of violence and
politicization and with the presence of ‘gangs.’ Bel
Air has been a hot spot in Haiti’s recent history.
The political instability experienced by the country
in the 1990s and 2000s made the area one of
the fi rst settings for the military intervention undertaken
by the United Nations Stabilization Mission
in Haiti (MINUSTAH), initiated in 2004. However
despite the visible reduction in armed confl
icts, Bel Air remains classifi ed a ‘red’ zone (highly
dangerous) by MINUSTAH, a fact that has direct
negative consequences for the region’s economic
and social development.
VR is the only NGO working in the region.
The projects began in 2006 and involve a series
of coordinated actions intended to help achieve
‘stabilization.’ 5 These initiatives were directly aimed
either at reducing violence, such as the Tambou
Lapé project, or improving the urban infrastructure
and the population’s self-esteem, such as the
Dlo Fanm Sante project. Other actions at the time
of the research included those being launched in
the area of solid waste management, or others being
planned such as the initiatives relating to recycling
and the construction of public latrines and
bio-digesters. At the start of 2009 VR opened a center
in the heart of the region: Kay Nou, a 25,000m 2
site where a series of initiatives began to be implemented,
including fi sh farming, plant nurseries,
4 Samper, O., Chapal, E., Braïlowsky, A. “Analyse de la
problématique des déchets solides dans la Zone Métropolitaine
de Port-au-Prince.” IADB, Washington DC,
10/12/2006. According to the IADB authors, this fi gure
is in line with other studies, such as those conducted
by GRET in 1996 and 2002. The latter studies also indicate
that 73% of the waste produced in the ‘unfavoured’
areas of the metropolitan zone corresponds to organic
matter.
5 At fi rst VR’s presence in Haiti was linked to the Disarmament,
Demobilization and Reintegration initiative
(DDR, later transformed into CNDDR) which still today
coordinates the joint work of the Haitian government
and MINUSTAH. For a comprehensive description of
Viva Rio’s actions in the area and its unique role in the
fi eld of initiatives designed to help stabilize Haiti, see
construction of bio-digesters, capoeira lessons,
community and cultural meetings, and training
courses. The site is also the base for the brigades
that began cleaning the zone’s streets and canals
around the time of the research. 6
Within the framework established for VR’s
waste-related initiatives, the area covered by our
fi eld research was denominated zone ‘Zero.’ During
this period the teams were active cleaning up
the Pont Rouge canal, the streets and the rainwater
and sewage channels, as well as installing waste
bins. These actions put VR in contact with government
institutions, international agencies and NGOs
working in waste management. Consequently the
research project’s investigation into the social life
of garbage also enabled us to foreground another
key area in the structuring of contemporary Haiti,
namely the interconnections between state, international
cooperation agencies and NGOs, the design
and implementation of public policies, and the
local population’s perceptions and expectations
concerning ‘international aid.’
The preliminary research conducted in September
2008 enabled an initial formulation of the
study plan and the questions to be investigated,
outlining specifi c objectives and elaborating the
script to be used for observations and semi-structured
interviews, coordinated with the fi eldwork
developed in the area by one of the team members
between February and June 2009. 7
The ethnography was completed in June and
July 2009. Prolonged observations were conducted
from fi xed points such as residences, passageways
and the various sites where garbage is thrown away
Helen Moestue & Robert Muggah “Integração Social,
portanto, Estabilização: avaliando o programa de segurança
e desenvolvimento do Viva Rio em Porto Príncipe,”
Viva Rio, September 2009.
6 At the time of fi eld research, VR launched the Bèlè
vèt (Green Bel Air) project, intended simultaneously to
ameliorate the environmental degradation of the area
(planting saplings and cleaning the streets and canals)
and mobilize the population to challenge MINUSTAH’s
classifi cation of the zone as ‘red.’
7 The team comprised two main researchers, Federi co
Neiburg and Natacha Nicaise, as well as a research
assistant, Sergo Jean Louis (student at the Faculté
d’Ethnologie de l’Université de l’État de Haiti), and a researcher
assistant/agent de liaison, Herold Saint Joie.
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