Moving Images: A Reflection on the Use of Force by UN Peacekeepers in Haiti

Abstract

This essay reviews and critically reflects upon the themes raised by the documentary film It Stays with You: Use of Force by UN Peacekeepers in Haiti (2017), produced and directed by Cahal McLaughlin and Siobhán Wills. The documentary deals with the use of force by the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) in 2005 in the Bois Neuf neighborhood of Cité Soleil, an area of slum housing in Port-au-Prince. The style and content of the documentary engage broader themes of the limitations and challenges of transitional justice (TJ), especially with respect to structural inequality and marginalization. This essay examines four interrelated key themes raised by the documentary, namely, the conception of peacekeeping and its application in Haiti; process; accountability and marginalization, and explores the way that documentary film can contribute to broadening the perspectives and inputs of TJ to include voices from the ‘margins’.

Keywords: Haiti, MINUSTAH, Peacekeeping, Use of Force, Human Rights