By Gladys Alley, Organizer and Friend of Citizen Action
“You will not be forsaken.” U.S. President Barack Obama to Haiti after the Earthquake
NIGHTMARE?
I wish the earthquake was indeed a nightmare. I could forgive a bad sleep. I would even like it once awake and safe far away from dreamland. (Like it because it’s over.) No realism to fear. Just an abstract scare. Easily forgettable.
This horror, though, this Haitian experience—looks like a country going into extinction, its land surrendering, quaking, and forcing concrete walls and roofs on top of people—is real. It must not be called a nightmare because this metaphor is less than what happened. There can be no worse nightmare. Not for a Haitian anyway. Dejected survivors, dishonored corpses, deconstructed buildings, “dysfunctional” leadership and services are realities of the earthquake.
ASKING WHY, NOW
Even though it’s nature that has terrorized Haiti, the out-of-control devastation of life pleads for an explanation regardless. Of course! Why? Why this little island?–that already lay in economic desperation but still held onto hope and looked to the next day, every day for a good change!? I didn’t think conditions could get worse, only better. There didn’t appear to be any room for more suffering. It was either the end forever or a new beginning.
The earthquake in all its destruction and sorrow occurred at the threshold of resignation. For, again, it was either the end forever or a new beginning. So why? How TO demystify what happened with an explanation? After all, this is Haiti, a place abound in enthralling history.
HISTORY—FIRE AND THE MACHETE
The proud, shameful, and shocking history of Haiti should be recounted by a historian or a writer like Mark Danner (see his January 22, 2010, NYT Op-Ed, “To Heal Haiti, Look to History, Not Nature” at http://s.nyt.com/s/FleqHCW and his recent book, Stripping Bare the Body: Politics, Violence, War). He writes about it the way I wish I could. As a Haitian person, I am a little embarrassed about being unable to tell Haiti’s story at length. From living abroad since the age of 10, most of my knowledge of my country has been self-taught. Besides the Op-Ed above, I can only share in my own words a summary here. But I have a swollen heart with a decade of memories, pain, love, and hope to open up about.
I made up this caption:
From Kidnapped Africans Displaced into Western Slavery to Self-Liberating Africans with a New Name: Haitians.
Similar to how Europeans started African slavery in what is now the United States, they established the same in the Caribbean islands now named Haiti, Jamaica, Cuba, etc. Christopher Columbus set the stage for the French, British and Spaniards, who started by colonizing these islands that were inhabited by Native American Indians. These Natives American Indians turned into free laborers. Then the Europeans dragged chained Africans to replace the Indians that had died from European diseases such as small pox in the 16th century. Labor exploitation continued until the Africans-made-slaves revolted. After over a decade of struggling to regain their freedom, Caribbean Africans declared their independence in Haiti in 1804. This revolution won a grand stature for the new Africans-the Haitians.
With leaders and fighters like Toussaint Louverture and Jean-Jacques Dessalines, the better known leaders of the revolution, destruction of the slave institution was accomplished by setting fire to houses and cutting heads with machetes. Haitians became the first successful slave revolters, creating a precedent for other Africans enslaved in the world. This is a point that brings Haitians pride and joy, that keeps their heads up despite the persistence of poverty. I am full of burning justified emotions as I write this point. Mine was the first republic outside of Africa. The second to enjoy its independence after the United States in 1776. Haitians love to rattle off their history “dlololo” or like water. The glory was glamorous. Our little nation had been very prosperous, yes, another first compared to other colonies in the Caribbean. Coffee and sugar were prized commodities. The goods of the century! The foundation was ready for Haiti to thrive in the world. All we had to do is keep building.
But what went wrong?
Mr. Danner makes an awakening and informative case about corruption and exploitation, both internally and externally, from colonization to slavery to republic to failed state–resting all of it on history, not mudslides, hurricanes and earthquakes. I like Mr. Danner for his respectful and caring writing about Haiti.
I, however, am more interested in why the slave revolution against “white masters” has not evolved into the Haitian people revolting against corrupt leaders or “black masters” for more than 200 years. Why have we never turned the streets “upside down” to bring about change?
Why did it take an earthquake?
FEAR
I don’t understand the kind of fear that could stop us from demanding human rights. We deserved a better Haitian experience. The affluent presidential palace represented an insult to the surrounding proof of poverty. Yet never did the revolutionary people say, “No more suffering for basic needs. We didn’t win our independence to live in such deplorable conditions. We will die or be treated with dignity.” Since when were Haitians timid?
SELF-DETERMINATION, EDUCATION, JOBS
It seems as if the worst natural disaster had to take place for the problems of Haiti to be addressed, except the earthquake compounded the problems. A country lacking so much is then forced to lack even more by calamity. Dealt a huge challenge on our hands to solve our lingering problems! Haiti is not the only poor country. May its predicament call attention to other poor countries needing help. The compassion of humanity around the world came pouring into Haiti. President Obama movingly quoted from the Bible, “Haiti, you will not be forsaken.” We need to accept help to get on our feet. Ensuring monetary gifts are spent on taking care of Haiti’s problems and not misdirected to some personal bank account, we, the people, our government, and our allies around the world can work together to succeed at this. We have a lot of catching up to do. We need to continue from the foundation laid in 1804.
Idealistically: Liberty or death! Death or respect! Haitians can accept that as a people for us to move forward successfully in history, we must assess what we’ve accomplished–capability to form a nation. Out of self-love, despite the systematic machination of breaking our soul into slavery, we rose from physical and psychological oppression to defend ourselves and take back our freedom. But that is not enough. We need to develop ourselves. The same self-determination, resolve, and bravery of liberation have got to be at the service of rebuilding our Haiti Cherie. Our respect as a people capable of managing our own affairs has been on the line too long. Let’s face the conditionings thwarting it: the interest of developing ayiti getting replaced by the self-interest of greedy leaders; the continued problem of not having a literate majority; the lack of living wage job opportunities, etc. The conditioned practices stemming from slavery–feeling superior by the power to dehumanize others, e.g., having “restavek” or indentured children–must be chopped down and burnt too.
My fellow citizens need not be shoeless, hungry, writing crosses for their signature, experiencing life through a hellish prism. Union, fait la force. Unity equals power. We united for freedom; we need to unite for our quality of life. Review how and why we regained our liberation, the value in that, the power of that, and assess our needs to plan goals and implement to create a better life. Starting with housing, food, education, jobs, and going on to build what we envisioned for ourselves as people, as a people, when we fought for our freedom, are the works at hand now. Let’s start the drums rolling. I want to be part of the process of helping Haiti reach its full potential.
Haiti is ready to rebound….
