Today we are going to talk about one of the most famous Haitian proverbs.
Beyond mountains there are mountains “Deye mon gen mon” in order to understand this proverb, you must first understand the Haitian mentality and their background. The name Haiti means Terre Haute in French which translates into high ground. Proverbs tend to come from traditional belief of a society; mostly they were at some point in time facts. I am going to take you to Haiti. Haiti is not an industrialized country nor has it ever been one. Until recently the main form of transportation was done by animals and people. Even today you go to some remote areas in Haiti where some have never seen vehicles. Haitians are used to climbing up hills and going up hills was the hardest part of their travels. They refer to hills as a burden and hardship. For some Haitians, if they see themselves climbing up hills in their dreams they translate that as problems that are coming their way. Hills equal obstacles in life and hardships. As my grand-mother used to say “deye mons gen mons” she meant to say beyond obstacles in life there are many more obstacles. The impact of this proverb on Haitians today is that they can and will endure through anything. They will fall but not get crushed, life can throw anything at them but they will embrace themselves courageously and walk through life.
The Haitian people have the mentality, the courage and attitude but missing the opportunity. They have the desire and the will out the support, so help us bring opportunity to the young men and women of Haiti, I guarantee you they will thrive.
Our next topic will be “ravet pa janm ge razon devan pou;” Roaches are never right when facing chickens. This proverb is a great one come back next week.
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