Anthropology department’s exhibit spotlights Haitians

By Deanna Frances

DeKalb | The Anthropology Department’s exhibit exposes viewers to the truth about the victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake.

Fragments: Haiti Four Years After the Earthquake premiered Friday and will be displayed through May at the Cole Hall Anthropology Museum. The exhibit’s information is based off the research of faculty curator Mark Schuller.

The exhibit features artifacts from Haiti that help viewers learn about the country as it was before the earthquake.

The Haiti exhibit was put together by two anthropology department faculty members and graduate student Kweku Williams. Williams said being a part of the crew for this exhibit was a huge learning experience for him and for other students who assisted with details.

After experiencing the history, visitors can see the damage from the 2010 earthquake by watching informational videos, looking at photos of living situations and reading stories of survivors.

William said the stories being told by some media outlets do not do the disaster justice.

“They are not finding the real solutions for these problems. People think that all of the money donated helps everyone, but it does not,” Williams said.

The exhibit includes life-sized displays of the two most common living environments for victims: a one-room cinder block hut that five or six people live in and a “camp” made from a tarp. Visitors are allowed to go inside the small huts to experience the way families are living.

Other displays include information on the lack of food, sanitation and medical help the victims are able to receive. Millions of dollars have been donated to the earthquake victims, but a sign at the exhibit says hundreds of people have still not received funds.

“It was phenomenal to be able to bring these people’s messages here,” Williams said. “Here at the anthropology department, we like to foster education from all parts of the world.”