My friend wrote to tell me about this:
So, I got a text message last night on my Haitian cell phone from “Gouvernman”: aka Government.
Here’s what it said:
“Gouvènman Martelly/Lamothe ap vanse TET DWAT sou chimen eleksyon nan ane 2014 la.”
Translation: “The Martelly / Lamothe government is advancing with good sense down the path for election in 2014.”
A few things I found interesting about this:
The sender is identified not as the Martelly / Lamothe campaign, not as Martelly, but as the very official “Government.”
“Government” is spelled two different ways (note the difference in spelling between the sender and the content of the message.
“good sense” is the literal translation my friend Fefe gave me for “TET DWAT.” The literal translation is “right head” – “right” as in “not left. Martelly’s campaign message is “Tet Kale,” another phrase involving “head.” It can mean “bald head”, “thoroughness”, and has other meanings as well…
It’s hard to interpret the message. Does Martelly mean that his party is finally working with the rest of the government to ensure an election happens in 2014? Or does it mean Martelly thinks his party stands a good chance to win in 2014?
I guess I’m just interested in how the government is making use of new technologies like cell phones, and I was very intrigued to get a text message from the “government.”
Haiti Dreams! 