Posted by Bud on February 01, 2010 at 21:19:45:
Spirit of Haiti on air in Chicago
'LA DIFFE'RENCE' | Radio show is solace, community forum
BY DAVE HOEKSTRA
The uplifting spirit of the Haitian radio show "La Diffe'rence" rings out Thursday nights in a ground-level station on North Milwaukee.
Since the devastating earthquake in Haiti on Jan. 12, the show has quickly become a forum for Chicago's Haitian community to talk about the tragedy, a place where listeners looking for information about the plight of loved ones can link to other listeners and a place to hear inspirational Haitian music in a time of dire need.
"Music is part of the comfort that creates harmony in people," said show co-host Anel Calixte, 42, who came from Haiti to Chicago nearly two decades ago but still has family there. His immediate family survived the quake. "I know that one song can create hope for our listeners. They know somebody out there is looking out for us."
"La Diffe'rence" is broadcast on WSBC-AM (1240) and WCFJ-AM (1470).
In addition to Calixte, "La Diffe'rence" hosts include Jean-vil Joseph, Ralph Celestin and Enoch Sainca. All are ingrained in the Haitian community.
Celestin, 49, is from Petion-Ville, a hilly suburb of Port-au-Prince. He lost three cousins between the ages of 32 and 40 in the earthquake.
"Our house is completely flat," he said. "My brother broke his left arm. My mom is on the street like everybody else.''
The Petion-Ville golf course was morphed into a tent city by the U.S. Army and now houses more than 80,000 Haitians.
Celestin settled in Skokie in 1981 because his mother then lived in Chicago. He also has sisters here.
Like Celestin, Calixte, 42, drives a cab.
But Calixte is also studying business administration at Truman College.
While "La Diffe'rence" features music, lately it has included lots of conversation.
During one recent show, the men field a 25-minute call from listener Gary from Boston. Gary speaks in a fast Creole dialect with dramatic bends and curves.
"Boston and New York are more involved with earthquake information than Chicago," Celestin says.
The show also takes calls from listeners who have current information about their homeland. They connect them with other listeners.
Calixte says, "Some of my family members have called. I tell them to go look at this address for me to see if so-and-so is alive."
The hosts agree that Haitians have to take responsibility for rebuilding their country.
"We know the country," says Calixte, who came to Chicago in 1992 from Pestel, about 100 miles southwest of Port-au-Prince.
The Interfaith Refugee & Immigration Ministries in Uptown sponsored Calixte after the 1991 overthrow of radical Haitian leader Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Between 3,000 and 5,000 Haitians were killed during the period of military rule. The coup resulted in an exodus of refugees to the United States.
"Today, organizations should have Haitian-backed people who speak Creole and English," Calixte says, "We know where the people are and who needs aid the most."
Celestin adds, "You need to motivate yourself. Lots of my classmates lost their lives. Whatever is gone has died. We cannot think about them, we have to think about what is life. How can we help them out? We have to prepare ourselves. Ninety-eight percent of Haiti is gone. We are blessed to be in America. Yes, our lives in Haiti are destroyed, but we need to keep strong. We get calls from doctors and nurses who say they are going to volunteer. Other people cannot go because they don't have a visa, but they have money. So send the money to Red Cross. Send the money to [the] Haitian Congress to Fortify Haiti'' in Evanston.
The Haitian anthem that has found itself in regular rotation at "La Diffe'rence" is Tabou Combo's "Haiti," released in the early 2000s. The rhythm-heavy Tabou Combo is Haiti's main exponent of Compas, a dance derivative of the neighboring Dominican Republic's merengue with a dash of African hi-life.
"Tabou Combo's 'Haiti' says to stand up for your rights and your country," Celestin explains. "People may be hungry and suffering, but the music does something to the spirit."
Since the earthquake, the station has donated two extra hours to the show's broadcast. With a 1,000-watt signal, "La Diffe'rence" is heard between 9 p.m. and midnight Thursdays on WSBC in Chicago, Schaumburg and Downers Grove and on WCFJ in the south suburbs. Most of the Chicago Haitian community lives around Rogers Park and Evanston.
"La Diffe'rence," which began airing about a year ago, is not the only Haitian radio show in Chicago: "Radio L' Union" airs at 4 p.m. Saturdays on WLUW-FM (88.7) from Loyola University and "Vwa Lakay" (Voice From Home) has been heard since 1986 at 4:30 p.m. Saturdays on WHPK-FM (88.5) from the University of Chicago.