French language

A 5th grade class at the Matenwa Community School in Haiti

This village school in Haiti helped propel a national movement to teach kids in Creole

Education

French has long been the language of education in Haiti, despite the fact that few Haitians actually speak it. But while their native tongue, Creole, was once disdained as merely broken French, there’s now a movement to make it the centerpiece of teaching on the island.

A Belgium fan shouts before the 2014 World Cup Group H soccer match between Belgium and Algeria at the Mineirao stadium in Belo Horizonte

If you like your soccer relationships complicated, then support Belgium during this World Cup

Sports
Le Rencontre, a French-speaking meetup at the Franco-American Heritage Center, Lewiston, Maine.

In Maine, a little French goes a long way

Arts, Culture & Media

Some Haitians left waiting for family-based visas to come to U.S.

Development & Education
Carmine Pierre calls her 11-year-old son Marc Kelly in Haiti. She hasn't seen him since he was five. (Photo: Amy Bracken)

Why Some Haitians Are Still Waiting on Family-based Visas to Come to the US

Conflict & Justice

How Rokia Traoré Created a Beautiful Album Amid Constant News of Torture and Killings in Mali

Conflict & Justice

Last year, a coup d’etat in Mali fed an Islamist uprising in the country’s north. Thousands of Malians were displaced: hundreds more tortured and killed. But it didn’t stop singer Rokia Traore from creating a new album that pushes people to seek beauty.

Haiti on brink of becoming latest member of African Union

If all goes as planned, Haiti, yes North America’s Haiti, will become the latest member of the African Union sometime in January. Haiti and Africa share a sense of history, and African countries stepped up in the wake of Haiti’s earthquake, which has led some to conclude the time is right to formalize their ties.

Haiti’s new environmental turn delights, dismays

Haiti’s got a new leader who is determined to make the country more environmentally friendly. Along the way, he’s trying to save one of the country’s national parks. But at the same time, he’s also forcing some long-time park “residents” away from the only home they know.

The music has died in northern Mali as Islamic extremists exert control

Arts, Culture & Media

Northern Mali was taken over by militants and Islamic extremists and now they’re in the process of implementing a system of Sharia law in that part of the country. That’s meant an end to musical performances across the part of the country controlled by the extremists.

Haitian migrants wait in Peruvian border town for chance to enter Brazil

Thousands of Haitians left their country in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake. While many fled to the United States, others made the arduous journey south to Brazil. But after letting in more than 4,000 Haitian migrants, Brazil has toughened its immigration policy. Meanwhile, hundreds more wait at its border for the chance to get in.