Two hundred years ago, Haiti, under the leadership of Desalines, L'Ouverture and other slaves and former slaves, defeated the mighty army of France and won independence for Haiti. Some , like Desaline had served in the French army and had witnessed the French Revolution of Liberte, egalite and ftraternite and they brought these ideas home to Haiti, where they were used as a clarion call, to rally the people to revolution. It was a stunning victory and threw into confusion and dread, the Colonial powers and especially United States with its huge slave population. Spartacus had led the slaves of Rome and nearly won their freedom, but in the end he was defeated. Not so for Haiti and its leaders. They dared to dream and with great resolution and tremendous fighting skills drove the French out. They had been dismissed derisively, as a mere rabble, incapable of anything else but slaving away in the fields for the glory, grandeur and wealth of European powers. Quelle surprise!!!
Haiti could not and would not be allowed to enjoy its freedom and success. This was sending a dangerous message to the slaves of Brazil, the Caribbean and especially the United States. Haiti must fail and France, Portugal, Britain and the United States worked and plotted to bring this about. They found "leaders" in Haiti to work with...the last being Papa Doc Duvalier and his "tonton macoutes", and those that succeeded him until a priest was elected to power (Aristide), but he and his message were deemed to be too dangerous and he was ousted (1993) and replaced by another " servile tool"of the United States. The dream of freedom and human dignity were sacrificed on the altar of greed and colonialism.
The years have been cruel to Haiti. The people were placed under another yoke. The Americans were the new"massa". They had their local lackeys to do their dirty work and when that proved to be insufficient, they invaded , (1917-1934), and imposed their rule directly. Deprived and exploited, they toiled for their "new masters", stripped of dignity and kept in poverty and illiteracy, in order to uphold the lie "that the black man has no soul( Catholic church)", "and are incapable of reason and without any history (Colonial powers)". These lies have been perpetrated to justify the "white man's burden", and the continued denial of human rights. This was the price that Haiti had to pay for daring to successfully challenge and defeating the "white man", and it was compounded by disastrous acts of nature......hurricanes and earthquakes.
The last time it was hurricane and now a massive earthquake. There seems to be no respite, no relief. The Haitians are strong and resilient. They have withstood slavery, dictators and previous acts of nature. They have suffered tremendously, more than most and one can only hope that they will once again rise up and show that indomitable spirit that has characterised them, throughout their history.
I have over the years, seen that fierce pride and spirit in the many Haitian students whom I have had the good fortune to have had in my classes at Concordia U. and Vanier College ( I learnt a lot about Haiti from them ,(and about them), and from the research papers they wrote for me), and I know that they will persevere. Stride on!!!
Haiti could not and would not be allowed to enjoy its freedom and success. This was sending a dangerous message to the slaves of Brazil, the Caribbean and especially the United States. Haiti must fail and France, Portugal, Britain and the United States worked and plotted to bring this about. They found "leaders" in Haiti to work with...the last being Papa Doc Duvalier and his "tonton macoutes", and those that succeeded him until a priest was elected to power (Aristide), but he and his message were deemed to be too dangerous and he was ousted (1993) and replaced by another " servile tool"of the United States. The dream of freedom and human dignity were sacrificed on the altar of greed and colonialism.
The years have been cruel to Haiti. The people were placed under another yoke. The Americans were the new"massa". They had their local lackeys to do their dirty work and when that proved to be insufficient, they invaded , (1917-1934), and imposed their rule directly. Deprived and exploited, they toiled for their "new masters", stripped of dignity and kept in poverty and illiteracy, in order to uphold the lie "that the black man has no soul( Catholic church)", "and are incapable of reason and without any history (Colonial powers)". These lies have been perpetrated to justify the "white man's burden", and the continued denial of human rights. This was the price that Haiti had to pay for daring to successfully challenge and defeating the "white man", and it was compounded by disastrous acts of nature......hurricanes and earthquakes.
The last time it was hurricane and now a massive earthquake. There seems to be no respite, no relief. The Haitians are strong and resilient. They have withstood slavery, dictators and previous acts of nature. They have suffered tremendously, more than most and one can only hope that they will once again rise up and show that indomitable spirit that has characterised them, throughout their history.
I have over the years, seen that fierce pride and spirit in the many Haitian students whom I have had the good fortune to have had in my classes at Concordia U. and Vanier College ( I learnt a lot about Haiti from them ,(and about them), and from the research papers they wrote for me), and I know that they will persevere. Stride on!!!
