| British development agency delegation's visit
Last week a delegation of nine British personalities, organised by Oxfam GB, visited Haiti to witness at first hand the effects of unequal terms of trade on the poorest sectors of society. The delegation, composed of pop star, Chris Martin, a music promoter, and numerous journalists, was led by Oxfam GB press officer, Lysbeth Holdoway. On 17 February, before boarding her plane, Lysbeth Holdoway told AlterPresse that the delegation had visited coffee producers in the North and Artibonite departments. "We were able to see how the international trade rules effect Haiti", declared Holdoway. The facts accumulated in the course of the visit will be used in the international campaign around "the unfair market and its impact on poor countries" that the organisation will launch next April. This campaign, that will last three years, is necessary to permit workers to benefit from the fruits of their labour, added Holdoway. One of the spokespeople for the campaign will be Chris Martin, the singer from the group, Coldplay, whose first album released two years ago has sold 5 million copies. Martin says he is "impressed" by the courage of the Haitian people. "Haiti is suffering from the repercussions of a corrupt government and the unfair terms imposed by the IMF and the World Bank", the English singer told AlterPresse. At his side was Emile Evis, one of the organisers of the Glastonbury Festival which is attended by more than 150,000 people each year, who said that she realises the effects of Oxfam's interventions in spite of the catastrophic conditions.
During a farewell soirée in Pétionville on 17 February, Yolette Etienne, Oxfam GB field officer in Haiti, praised this "solidarity visit". She said, "Solidarity is different from aid." A number of well-known artists, among them guitarists Claude Carré and Pierre Rigaud Chéry, the singer Théodore (Lolo) Beaubrun Jr., and the painter Yolette Hazel, took part in the soirée.
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