The Way We See Haiti 1/25

On today's show we fill in the gaps and address the misconceptions we have about vodou and the history of Haiti. We talk to native Hatian anthropolgist, Gina Athena Ulysse and historian Kate Ramsey.

Check it out here or leave your own thoughts and questions below by leaving a comment.

You can also listen to last week's show pertaining to Haiti here, when we talked about witnessing and how hard it is to watch the devastation going on in Haiti. You can also continue that conversation on the post about the show below.

Witnessing Haiti 1/21

Carly Yuenger

On yesterday's show we took the time to talk about our emotional reaction to the devastation in Haiti and about how witnessing the suffering of others, as difficult as it is, can be productive.

Witnessing pain and destruction can make us feel numb and disconnected. It can even bolster negative stereotypes. But, as our guests and callers pointed out, it can also bring about empathy, solidarity, political resolve, and understanding.

Take a listen as our guests, Kaethe (kay-tah) Weingarten, a Harvard professor of psychology and the director of the Witnessing Project, and Carrie Rentschler, a communications professor at McGill, talk us through the pitfalls and potentials of witnessing.

Or, leave a comment below with your thoughts:

• How has the media coverage of Haiti made you feel?
  
• How do you keep from feeling "compassion fatigue"?
  
• How can we transform our concern for the people of Haiti into something that lasts after the media coverage subsides?