The news in the United States as of late has revolved around Kim and Kayne, the Opportunity Rover dying and other pop culture events. Nobody is talking about the political unrest going on in Haiti and the state that it is leaving their country and this, in my opinion, is way more important than what the Kardashians' are doing this week.
One week after the crime and civil unrest started the U.S. Embassy released an advisory against going into the country and also urged Americans in the country to leave as soon as possible for their own safety. The travel advisory at this time is at a level 4 - do not travel. There are a number of protests going on throughout the country, some of which have been violent leading to the seven deaths that have been reported. The people of Haiti are creating large demonstrations by creating barricades and roadblocks in protest of the alleged billions of dollars from Venezuela's Petrocaribe funds were diverted and misused.
The president of Haiti, Jovenel Moïse, is refusing to step down from his post during the protests and went on the air to let the Haitian people know that he hears their grievances. According to an article from the National Public Radio (NPR), Moïse is the "symbol of the mismanagement and profiteering that take place at the highest levels." This is going on while Haiti slips into more and more debt and the countries poverty levels worsen.
On top of the different demonstrations going on, the crime rate is spiking as well. Violent crimes, such as armed robberies are very present at this time. Due to the state of their country and lack of funds, the local police and ambulance services are limited or non-existent.
All of this chaos going on in their country is due to the high inflation that took the Haitian people by storm as of late. Since the earthquake in 2010, the government in Haiti has managed to keep the prices of fuel and other essentials low to ease the tension after the natural disaster. When the prices were raised, that is when the people began to act out. This change has since been reverted but the political crisis has continued.
Many American people are stuck in the country due to political unrest. With the different roadblocks throughout the country, it is making it hard for people to travel to the capital, Port-au-Prince, in order to go to the airport and flee the country. At this time, the U.S. Embassy has urged people that come across roadblocks to not try to pass and turn around.
The unfortunate fact of the matter is that nobody is talking about this issue. While it is not directly in the United States, there are many Americans affected. The political unrest and corruption in the country of Haiti are at a high and nobody knows. People are more concerned about pop culture than the world we live in. It is important that people become aware of our surroundings and what is going on in the world to not make the same mistakes and to be educated.
