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Haiti continues to be on many people’s minds — two days after the devastating earthquake there. That’s especially true for the tens of thousands of Haitians living in the United States.

Among them is musician Manze Dayila. We’ve featured her before in our Global Hit segment. Here’s a track from her debut CD ‘Sole.’

Manze Dayila came to the US in 1985. She was one of dozens of Haitians who crowded into a small boat for the dangerous trip to Florida. Dayila was pregnant at the time. She gave birth to her daughter just days after arriving in the US.

Story from October 31, 2008

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This text below is a phonetic transcript of a radio story broadcast by PRI’s THE WORLD. It has been created on deadline by a contractor for PRI. The transcript is included here to facilitate internet searches for audio content. Please report any transcribing errors to theworld@pri.org. This transcript may not be in its final form, and it may be updated. Please be aware that the authoritative record of material distributed by PRI’s THE WORLD is the program audio.

JEB SHARP: I’m Jeb Sharp and this is The World. For today’s Geo Quiz we asked you to name a country where the government says it’s declaring war on tobacco. The government of Finland wants to stop everyone there from smoking. It’s tightening anti-tobacco laws and adding new restrictions like a ban on smoking in your car. But as the BBC’s Paul Henley reports from Helsinki not everyone there appreciates the government’s actions.

PAUL HENLEY: In the privacy of his own apartment in Helsinki committed smoker Pecka Mana doesn’t see that his government can have any role to play.

PECKA MANA: I’m a little bit [INDISCERNIBLE] that we are getting closer to George Orwell’s society.

HENLEY: The architect’s home is a Mecca for friends and family who refuse to kick the increasingly frowned on habit and choose as he puts it to kill themselves with pleasure and light up without guilt.

MANA: I think that the government should trust much more to people and trust that they can make up their mind themselves without and any special leading or herding.

HENLEY: But the sheppard role is one the Finish government relishes. According to the secretary of state who drew up the law that’s expected to go smoothly through parliament soon, there are liars as well as national health budgets to be saved and there will be no cozy meetings, no compromises, with an industry that pushes a deadly product. If that puts him out on an international limb, Ilka Oxella says, then fine.

ILKA OXELLA: The long term goal is to get rid of smoking in Finland.

HENLEY: You will make an enemy of the tobacco industry won’t you?

OXELLA: Mm hmm. And that’s why I’ve noticed that the international tobacco industry has tried to make pressure against our government and I’m quite sure that this battle is not going to be one by the tobacco industry.

HENLEY: When it’s well below freezing the huddled figures forced outside Helsinki Central Station to smoke in the snow already looked like banished souls. Soon they’ll have to ask for their cigarettes from under the counter with a ban on displaying tobacco in shops and if anyone under 18 is traveling with them smoking in their cars won’t be a legal option either.

MAN 1: I don’t think government should interrupt people like that.

MAN 2: They’re not you know giving us limits about alcohol.

MAN 3: They’re hysterical about the health of people. Everything is poison – cigarettes, fat, sugar. You cannot eat nothing. You die the next day if you believe that.

HANLEY: And the makers of cigarettes aren’t amused either. Phillip Morris have filed a formal complaint to the Finish department of justice to be answered this month claiming the scope of restrictions has been sprung on them and could contravene European law. Their head of public relations, Anna Edwards, doesn’t buy that you can eliminate smoking all together anyway.

ANNA EDWARDS: People will continue to smoke in the future and I think this really begs a bigger discussion. Okay who does the government want to supply products? Is it legitimate companies such as ours that follow the law? Or do they want to see the market to black marketers who will step in if regulation becomes too cumbersome.

HANLEY: The question now is whether other countries will follow the Finish route and do everything in their power to freeze smokers out of polite society. The key say the experts here is to get young people on board first and to play on the sense of guilt that almost all Finish smokers already admit to.

WOMAN 1: I should quit.

WOMAN 2: This is bad for you.

WOMAN 3: I’ve been smoking about 30 years now and if my child doesn’t smoke because of this anti-smoking laws I’m already happy.

SHARP: That was the BBC’s Paul Hanley reporting from Helsinki, Finland. By the way Finland is the answer to today’s Geo Quiz.

[MUSIC]

Finally today Haiti continues to be on many people’s minds. Two days after the devastating earthquake there. That’s especially true for the tens of thousands of Haitians living in the United States. Among them is musician Manze Dayila. We featured her before in our global hit segment. Here’s a track from her debut CD Sole.

[MUSIC]

Manze Dayila came to the US in 1985. She was one of the dozens of Haitians who crowded into a small boat for the dangerous trip to Florida. Dayila was pregnant at the time. She gave birth to her daughter just days after arriving in the US. Manze Dayila now lives in New York City. And Manze have you been in touch with your family and friends back in Haiti?

MANZE DAYILA: No. I’ve been trying and I can’t reach no one. I’ve been on the phone night and day trying to get through but no communications whatsoever.

SHARP: And who is there?

DAYILA: My mother who recently had a stroke and my first born and my brothers, and my aunt, my uncles, my cousins, my nephew. You know it’s very, very heart broken situation for me. I’m still in shock and very confused of what happened.

SHARP: So many people come and go from Haiti or are far away from Haiti at various times and I just wonder what it’s like to be in New York and not be in Haiti right now.

DAYILA: It’s confusing because I want to be with them. You know this is my place. This is my country that I love dearly. You know this is you know my heart is there. You know even though I’m in New York right now. But it’s tough. It is very tough.

SHARP: I wonder what this crisis makes you think about Haitian art and music and the Haitian experience. I mean just from your own life and music what comes to you?

DAYILA: Oh about Haitian art, Haitian art is beautiful. And then you know it was always my dream to share it. You know I always think that we can make a difference with our are arts and through our arts and then our music.

SHARP: Is there a song that you return to at a time like this?

DAYILA: Well I choose That Feeling. I choose that song for this moment that they will know to keep the feelings alive. To keep the positive feelings going. There’s still hope.

SHARP: That song you mention is called That Feeling and it’s from your album Sole. Let’s end today’s program with that song. Manze Dayila all the best to you and your family and your loved ones in Haiti.

DAYILA: I thank you so much for having me and I send my love to all Haitian people.

[MUSIC]

SHARP: Music from Haitian musician Manze Dayila closes our program today. From the Nan and Bill Harris Studios at WGBH I’m Jeb Sharp.

[MUSIC]

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