Haiti: Crisis, Western Imaginings, and Visual Rhetoric
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HAITI: CRISIS, WESTERN IMAGININGS, AND VISUAL RHETORIC By CHRISTOPHER GARLAND A DISSERTATION PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 2014 © 2014 Christopher Garland To Carol, Duncan, Louise, and Alistair McRae Glass ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Finishing this dissertation was not nearly as difficult as getting to the place where I could begin it. I have to thank Sid Dobrin for letting me embark on what was not the most typical rhetoric project. His guidance and intellect made sure that this dissertation came to fruition, and his practical advice about academic life has proved equally invaluable. My parents, Carol and Duncan, made everything possible through their incredible emotional support (not to mention loaning me money to take my first trip to Haiti). My sister, Louise: thank you for the Skype conversations and advice about healthy living. Benjamin Hebblethwaite provided the kind of mentorship (and, just as importantly, friendship) that graduate school should be all about, and I learnt so much about Haiti’s culture and religion through our conversations; I hope some of that is reflected in the following pages. Leah Rosenberg was tireless when it came to feedback on my work (and job search) demands, and her deep knowledge of other parts of the Caribbean provided crucial context for this project. Laurie Gries asked exactly the right questions at the most pertinent times, and I was lucky to have access to her expertise in both visual rhetoric and cultural studies. And, of course, Sara, I couldn’t have done it without you. 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ...............................................................................................................4 LIST OF FIGURES .........................................................................................................................6 ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................................................10 CHAPTER 1 HAITI: CRISIS, WESTERN IMAGININGS, AND VISUAL RHETORIC ..........................11 Zombies ..................................................................................................................................21 Chimé ......................................................................................................................................22 Shaky Ground/Flooded Streets ...............................................................................................24 Junk .........................................................................................................................................26 2 HOLLYWOOD’S HAITI: CRISIS, ALLEGORY, AND HORROR ....................................31 3 THE RHETORIC OF CRISIS AND FORECLOSING THE FUTURE OF HAITI IN GHOSTS OF CITÉ SOLEIL ...................................................................................................63 4 PORT-AU-PRINCE IS NEW ORLEANS: RACE, SPACE, AND SPECTACULAR ABJECTION ...........................................................................................................................92 5 ATIS REZISTANS: HAITIAN ART AND THE VISUAL CULTURE OF RESISTANCE ......................................................................................................................125 6 CONCLUSION .....................................................................................................................154 LIST OF REFERENCES .............................................................................................................156 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH .......................................................................................................168 5 LIST OF FIGURES Figure page 1-1 National Palace, Port-au-Prince, July 2012 (photo courtesy of the author)......................11 1-2 Herz, Ansel. “Haitian street demonstrators want the UN's MINUSTUH troops to leave.” Photograph. The Rag Blog. 19 Nov. 2010. Web. 24 May 2014. ...........................13 1-3 “I don’t know elections, but I know what I like.” Cartoon. ZMagazine. 1 Feb. 2011. Web. 13 May 2014. ............................................................................................................14 1-4 Jean Pierre, Romel. “Racine Polycarpe with his creation.” Photograph. Facebook. 27 Aug. 2013. Web. 21 Apr. 2014. ....................................................................................15 1-5 “Arms Up: Haitians push forward despite security forces firing warning shots.” Photograph. dailymail.co.uk. 26 Jan. 2010. Web. 13 Apr. 2014. ......................................18 1-7 “Phantasmagoria.” Illustration. English CU Boulder. n.d. Web. 24 May 2014. ..............20 1-9 “Haitian 2Pac’s young soldiers in training.” Film still. showbizfm.com. 19 Jul. 2007. Web. 24 May 2014. ............................................................................................................24 1-10 Post-earthquake cathedral, downtown Port-au-Prince (photograph courtesy of the author). ...............................................................................................................................25 2-1 Pellegrin, Paolo. “Cause Célèbre.” Photograph. The New York Times. 25 Mar. 2011. Web. 16 May 2014. ............................................................................................................32 2-2 “American drowning in blood.” Photograph. mygeekplasphemy.files.wordpress.com. n.d. Web. 05 May 2014. .....................................................................................................34 2-3 “VHS cover for The Serpent and the Rainbow.” Photograph. bannedinqueensland.blogspot.com. 19 Nov. 2011. Web. 16 Apr. 2014. ..........................35 2-4 “First still released from AMC’s The Walking Dead.” Film still. Forbes.com. 10 Feb. 2010. Web. 16 Mar. 2014. .........................................................................................38 2-5 “Miami Cannibal Told Victim: “I am going to kill you!” Photograph. abcnews.go.com. n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2014. ........................................................................40 2-6 “The climax of Peytraud’s grisly death.” Film still. blog.analogmedium.com. n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2014. ...........................................................................................................41 2-7 Castro, Marcus. “Taking Over Haiti.” Photograph. time.com. n.d. Web. 04 Mar. 2014....................................................................................................................................43 2-9 “Opening scene of The Serpent and the Rainbow.” Film still. watchingthedead.co.uk. 30 Sept. 2013. Web. 17 Mar. 2014. ...................................................................................46 6 2-10 The alleged location for drug smuggling, the port of Cite Soleil (photo courtesy of the author). .........................................................................................................................50 2-11 “The Haitian Revolution in Visual Culture.” Photograph. augustine.com. n.d. Web. 05 Feb. 2014.......................................................................................................................52 2-12 “Vamp or Not? Deathdream!” DVD cover image. taliesinttlg.blogspot.com. 28 Jun. 2007. Web. 11 Mar. 2014. .................................................................................................54 2-13 “Tonton Macoute brandishing a machete.” latinamericanstudies.org. n.d. Web. Nov. 7 2013.................................................................................................................................57 2-14 “The Tortured American in Haiti.” Film still. realqueenofhorror.com. 1 May 2014. Web. 16 May 2014. ............................................................................................................58 2-15 “Sex scene in The Serpent and the Rainbow.” Film still. realqueenofhorror.com. 1 May 2014. Web. 1 Jul. 2014. .............................................................................................59 3-2 “Haitian 2Pac in a piece-de-camera.” Film still. boston.com. 3 Aug. 2007. Web. 11 Sep. 2012............................................................................................................................66 3-3 “Shot from the title sequence of Ghosts of Cité Soleil.” Film still. chud.com. 28 Jun. 2007. Web. 11 Mar. 2014. .................................................................................................69 3-4 “R.I.P., Tupac Shakur.” Photograph. reubenrebel.tumblr.com. 13. Sept. 2011. Web. 05 Mar. 2014. .....................................................................................................................70 3-5 “Gabriel’s Wake.” Film still. dvdtalk.com. 20 Nov. 2007. Web. 13 May 2013. ..............72 3-6 “Tupac’s Confessional.” Film still. veevr.com. n.d. Web. 13 May 2014. ........................74 3-7 “Kids run through the slums of Mumbai.” Film still. Deep-focus.com. 12 Dec. 2010. Web. 07 Apr. 2014. ............................................................................................................75 3-8 DVD cover image. r1db.com. n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2014. ...................................................76 3-9 “City of God movie poster.” blog.utc.edu. n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2014.................................78 3-10 “Embattled” President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. blackpressusa.com. n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2014. ..........................................................................................................................79