FARMINGTON – The University of Maine at Farmington is hosting a “Pig Party” to raise public awareness of the plight of the Haitian people due to the eradication of the Haitian Creole pig, a mainstay of their rural economy.

The event will feature a screening and discussion of the documentary, “Haiti’s Piggy Bank,” accompanied by traditional Haitian snacks, at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 26, in room 113 in the UMF Education Center.

Presented as part of Mantor Library’s “On Our Minds” program, the event was created in association with Grassroots International, a Boston-based human rights and development agency that has partnered with a peasant group in Haiti to bring back the Creole pig.

A resilient, indigenous Haitian animal that served as a savings account for the Haitian peasant, the domestic animal was wiped out in the early 1980s due to fear of the spread of swine fever and to protect the interests of the pork industry. The audience will learn about the U.S. role in the eradication of the animal and the repopulation effort under way.

The event is free and open to the public, with donations accepted. For more information on Grassroots International, visit www.grassrootsonline.org.

For more information on the event, contact Janet Brackett, head of UMF Mantor Library access services, at 778-7211, or [email protected].