Haiti’s current difficulties are fundamentally related both to the steep price Haiti has paid for its pioneering actions in the history of human rights and to the impacts of the Duvalier dictatorship.
Speakers at this Open Society event addressed approaches to bringing change to Haiti.
Speakers
- Chris Stone, President of the Open Society Foundations
- Lorraine Mangonès, Executive Director, Fondation Connaissance et Liberté (FOKAL)
- Michèle Pierre-Louis, FOKAL President and former Prime Minister of Haiti
- Professor Laurent Dubois, Professor of History and co-director of the Haiti Laboratory, Franklin Humanities Institute at Duke University
- Michèle Montas, member of the Collective Against Impunity, former member of FOKAL Board of Directors, and former Spokesperson under UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon
- Jean-Joseph Exumé, former Minister of Justice of the Republic of Haiti
- Danièle Magloire, Board Chair of FOKAL, Coordinator of the Collective Against Impunity
Agenda
Part 1
- Opening from Chris Stone
- Introduction from Lorraine Mangonès
- Michèle Pierre-Louis presents Professor Laurent Dubois
- Keynote speech: “Democracy at the Roots: The History of Haiti’s Political Culture” by Professor Laurent Dubois. He will discuss Haitian political structures, the culture of protest, the recurring popular demand for democracy, and the rule of law as rooted in the Haitian revolution.
- Question and Answer Session
Part 2
- Panel discussion on justice and impunity in Haiti in relation to the Duvalier case with Michèle Montas, Jean-Joseph Exumé, and Danièle Magloire
- Closing Remarks on FOKAL’s perspective on open society in Haiti by Michèle Pierre-Louis and Lorraine Mangonès
- Question and Answer Session