Introduction
Culture can be defined as both the material and immaterial aspects of a group of people. It describes the way of living of a particular group and accords them identity. It suffices to say that all cultures that exist in the world today are all unique in their own way and despite some shared characteristics; few cultures are comparable (Dash, 2001, p.89). Regardless of the location all cultures are defined along religion, gender relations, roles of their members based on gender and age and healthcare practices (Burtoff, 1994, p.50).
The above mentioned aspects are clearly notable in Haitian culture. It is important to note that demographically, the population of Haiti is dominated by people of African descent hence a strong connection of their culture to the various Africa cultures especially West Africa (Thomas, 2004, p. 74). It is also important to acknowledge that ancestors of the Haiti populace had interacted with Westerners, effectively passing on aspects of culture that are evident in Haiti today especially language (Largey, 2006, p. 62). In this paper, focus will be on high risk behaviors, spirituality, approached with gender and intimate care and traditional and complementary health-care practices.
High-risk behaviors
Generally, the term “high risk behavior” is relative depending on the context within which it is applied (Goldstein, 2012, p. 40). High-risk behaviors in Haiti are mainly associated with substance and drug use. Alcohol and tobacco use is widespread in Haiti especially among men and so is drug abuse. In Haiti, traditional beliefs especially regarding illnesses have made it difficult for people to access proper healthcare. Large masses of the population are still chained by the voodoo beliefs that make it difficult in the provision of modern and better healthcare (Munro & Hackshaw, 2006, p.37). Additionally there are risk behaviors related to the social setting of the Haitian society. Marriage and for instance is still governed by fuzzy procedures mainly expose women to the dangers of HIV and mother to child transmission (Stebich, 1992, p.29). There is also the issue of Haitian picuristes and the sharing of used injection needles which has been cited as a major factor in the transmission of HIV/Aids (Larsen, 2009, p.75).
Traditional and complementary health-care practices
Healthcare practices in Haiti comprise of both traditional and modern services. Haitians believe that illnesses are caused by environmental factors and breakdown of rapport with the spirits. Despite some penetration of modern healthcare services, there still is a large part of the population that still approach illnesses through beliefs and voodoo (Clammer, 2008, p.99). Many people still prefer visiting voodoo priests for treatment for mental illnesses and conditions such as epilepsy. However, this slowly changing as some of the traditional healers are increasingly referring some of their patients to hospitals for effective medical treatment (Holloway, 2005, p. 27).
Spirituality
Spirituality among human beings is a complex issue that nobody has been able to perfectly explain. Different cultures have varied approaches to spirituality which in most cases involves religion and phenomena beyond human control such as death (Salhi, 2003, p.81). In Haiti, there are varies traditions especially concerning the individual, the self, the divine, the dead and the living. It is safe to say that strong beliefs favoring voodoo activities do to certain extend affect the spirituality of the Haitian people’s culture (General, 2010, p. 18). On the other hand, almost half the population in Haiti professes to the Christian faith with Roman Catholics making up 80%, Protestant 16% of the population. It is important to note that roughly half of the population practices voodoo in Haiti (Bell, 200, p.53). Both these groups pray to their supreme beings and believe that they will receive favors such as wealth and health and protection.
Approaches with gender and intimate care
Gender is always a thorny issue in many cultures especially on the face of increased activism for equality for both genders (Felix, 2009, p.38). In Haiti, men are considered the heads of the family but in the real sense, women run the families and make most of the decisions. Men are mostly the providers of the families and claim some superiority over women. Despite the important role they play in the Haitian society, it is evident that women in Haitian culture occupy low status in society. There is apparent disadvantage on the side of women primarily due to the fact that they bear children (Lauture, 2007, p.48).
Conclusion
The issues tackled above hardly cover the full spectrum of Haitian culture. Deeper research is necessary for better understanding the Haitian culture especially on the face of complexities brought by traditions, religion, politics and social strife. However, the above issues provide a glimpse of the general look of the culture in Haiti. An important point to remember is that Haiti, like the United States is a mini-melting port of cultures from many parts of the world. Characteristics from those cultures whether authentic or modified are still evident in the Current Haitian Society.
References
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