January 9, 2022

Ep 06: Rethinking Haiti, Colonialism, and Freedom with Samoa Blanchet

“Oppressed people are starting to realize just how much power they actually have. That’s really how it starts. Now people can mobilize and drastically change the system.”

If you live in the US and pay even a little attention to the news, you’ll know that Haiti and its people have been in the news a lot in recent months..

And unfortunately, none of it’s been good.

From the devastating 2010 earthquake, up to 2021’s presidential assassination and horrific violence faced by Haitian refugees at the US border following another earthquake in August, it may seem like Haiti is in constant strife and turmoil.

As a follow-up to the last episode about immigration, migration, and national identity, I invited one of my very favorite people, Samoa Blanchet, to talk about what her home country of Haiti is really like, and for a discussion of how we form perceptions, how they endure, and how we might change them.

Samoa Blanchet is an Acceleration Specialist at The Powerhouse’s Playground. She’s committed to building a world full of magic and play where the possibilities are endless. She plays her role by actively challenging our perspectives of how things are and most importantly, how WE are.

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In This Episode

How a white, Western default perspective influences how we view poverty in everything from infrastructure to housing styles
How colonialism informs national identity and reinforces power imbalances in Haiti
Why the Haitian concept of freedom differs from the perception of freedom in the US
What we can learn from the Haitian Revolution about tearing down oppressive systems

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