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Poto Mitan: Haitian Women Pillars of the Global Economy

Screening of Poto Mitan: Haitian Women Pillars of the Global Economy, directed by Mark Shuller and Renee Bergan.

Thursday, January 22, 2009
4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
Rolfe 1200
Los Angeles, CA United States

Poto Mitan is a story of struggle, courage, resistance, and democracy. The film tells the stories of five women; Solange, Frisline, Therese, Marquise and Helene are members of the Committee to Defend Working Women's Rights, (KODDFF, in Kreyo) a grassroots organization. The committee focuses on solutions to common problems: women's rights, workers' rights, sexual harassment, violence, transport conditions, and living and health conditions in their communities. Each woman's life history will shed light on a particular aspect of the country's current crisis, weaving Haiti's story within her own, something that is often missed by the mainstream and even alternative media.

Poto Mitan is a tool to inspire, educate, and empower solidarity activists. By seeing the daily struggles of local women workers, seeing that they are not merely victims but organized activists, this film seeks to inspire people in the North to get involved.

The film will be introduced by co-director and co-producer Mark Schuller, who will also be available to answer questions after the screening. An activist and scholar, Schuller spent five years in Haiti researching his dissertation on women¹s participation in non-governmental organizations in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Mark Schuller is Assistant Professor of African American Studies and Anthropology at York College, the City University of New York. In addition to contributing to an understanding of contemporary Haiti, Schuller¹s research contributes to globalization, NGOs, civil society, and development.
 

Cost: free and Open to the public

Special Instructions

Any questions should be directed to derby@history.ucla.edu or marturano@ucla.edu.

For more information please contact

Robin Derby derby@history.ucla.edu

Sponsor(s): The Mellon Seminar on Caribbean Cultural History, USC Caribbean Studies Initiative.