Haiti: The Silence after the Quake

Editor’s note: This film is no longer available online.

Director: Tessa Boerman

“We all lost someone … children, family members, friends, lovers. Haiti is the first black country that fought for liberty and justice. This is a big achievement. We didn’t die because we survived 300 years of slavery. We are resilient.“ -Kettly Mars, an author and poet

On January 12, 2010 Haiti was hit by a severe earthquake. The earthquake caused many victims, leaving thousands of people wounded, displaced and deprived.

Since the epicentre of the earthquake was located close to the country’s capital Port-au-Prince, the reconstruction of Haiti will probably take decades.

Ten-year-old Darline is one of Haiti’s earthquake victims. She lives together with her father, a widower, in a small house on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince.

On a Tuesday afternoon, as she returned from shopping, the earth began to shake. In a panic, Darline ran into the house. As she made her way through the falling stones, she saw her father being buried alive under a heavy wall.

Darline’s neighbour, Louis Roody, recalls the scene: ” He was sitting against the wall … and when he heard the noise, he started screaming. He even tried to escape but the house was shaking and cracking … He went the other way, but the wall was too high. It fell on his waist and he collapsed. I can hardly talk about it. It was horrible to see Mr Stephen like that. He died almost instantly. He gasped for few seconds … then he died.”

Darline’s home is not inhabitable anymore, she has become an orphan and her country is completely in ruins. After the chaos and destruction, all that is left is silence.