On Being "Blan" in Gros Morne, Haiti

“Blan”, of course, means “white” in Creole.  But, it is also used to describe any “white” person as well as any foreigner, including ones of African descent. It’s just that the latter are not quite so easily identified as the former.

Both the sisters and all the volunteers here are white and, except for visitors, we are the only white people in Gros Morne.

Still, the children never seem to tire of calling out “Blan” over and over, whenever one of us walks or drives by.  They really have a lot of fun with it and we try to wave back which they seem to enjoy.  Sometimes, if I’m walking, I’ll stop and say that my name is not “Blan” and then tell them my name and I ask theirs.  They are usually happy to engage in conversation and some of the older ones will try out a few English phrases. So, it’s kind of fun.

Well, except for the part where they ask for money which a well-trained child will do.  The other day I heard a dad chastise his little son for not asking me for money.

Occasionally, an apparently well-nourished  adult will also ask for money.(The older or disabled and not so well nourished ones are a whole different story.) I was in the market with Sr. Pat once when she declined to buy some potatoes for (not from) a woman.  A man nearby said, under his breath but loud enough to be heard, “All white people have money” to which Sr. Pat replied, “Oh, really!” That got the bystanders laughing but, of course, they all believe it to be true too.

Being “Blan” is also recognized in other ways.  For example, the other two volunteers went to the town square when the President of Haiti, Martelly, came to town. Needless to say, this was a huge deal and there was a very large crowd. But, because they are “Blan,” they were ushered up to the very front, right in front of the stage.  This was a big advantage, of course, until, that is, he started kicking soccer balls into crowd and they rushed the stage.  Fortunately, Barak, who is on our staff, was there and pulled them to safety.

Places, such as the local hospital, often have guards at the door to screen visitors. However, just being “Blan” and acting like you belong there is often enough to get you through the door.  Last month a medical group was here from the US and several of the volunteers were Haitian American.  I was talking to one woman who was born in the US of Haitian immigrants.  In other words, she had never lived in Haiti. We were discussing the group’s upcoming trip to the hospital.  She assumed that I could get in the hospital easily because, by now, the guards would know who I was.  I had to respond, no, the guards don’t really know me yet because I rarely go to the hospital, but, you know, I’m Blan.  Unfortunately, she understood.

You’d think that being such a tiny minority and given the history of this country that being “Blan” would be a big disadvantage but it is not-at least on the surface of things. Underneath, it can be a whole different story but that’s a different blog.

I was also surprised to learn that the treatment of “Blans” is not the only racial hangover from the colonial period of slavery.  In my Creole class we were taught, by a Haitian, the names of the racial categories of people of African descent. It was a chapter in our Creole book. The categories are basically a function of skin color and hair texture. I was stunned. Of course, there are no longer laws separating these categories of people but the terminology of those laws still exists.

I had a little fun with the "Blan" topic this week.  I got a new Haitian Creole teacher and, in trying to determine my level of Creole proficiency, he asked if I could understand the town’s people when they spoke to me.  I responded, “Yes, I understand 'Blan, Blan.' ” He started laughing hysterically.  

His name is Mr. Blan …..but, he is not.