Haiti Ahead

The World Cup 2010 in South Africa is well on its way and there is no Caribbean country represented. What a missed opportunity for a trip to the motherland! The region as a whole has invested a lot of its times and resources to the game of football in the past 40 years. Not even Haiti; the 1 st Caribbean country to have made it to the World Cup in 1974 can't grace Africa with his presence. We came alive once more when Mano Sanon scored his 1 st world cup goal against Italy. What a proud moment of our history! Africa today, is hot breeding ground for soccer players as proven by this World Cup and the presence of all these African stars playing all over Europe. With country as young as 50 year old Gana winning their first match; South Africa drew against Mexico, I could not have been prouder to be a descendant of the continent. My heart goes out to you Africa. Ivory Coast finds itself in the hardest group of all; among the likes of Brazil and Portugal. I truly hope they advance

Life has taken Haiti to endless twists and turns for the last 220 years. Has anyone told the French in 1798 that the slaves of Saint Domingue would revolt, kick them out of the Island, and proclaim it an independent Country; they would have laughed at you for sure. The whole world would have thought you were mad, for that matter. But, that's exactly what happened. In a period of 6 years, ex-slaves, illiterate at best, from Toussaint Louverture to Jean Jacques Dessalines, lead the French army, European's best, to a series of tactical and fierce battles, sometimes with them, sometimes against them. Given the condition at the time, they did what no one else could, and no one else has done since. Armed with the best weapon of all; the will to be free; the Indigenous Army defeated the Army of Napoleon, Leclerc, and Rochambeau; and along the way they also beat the Spanish and the British. They simply dare to dream. But somewhere along the way, we lost that spark that occupies a lar

As we are about to celebrate the birth of the Haitian Flag, I wanted to say something positive and fitting for the occasion. I wanted just for this occasion, to forget about all of our misdeeds and transgressions, misfortunes and malaise, set forth on a new journey, envision a new Haiti, find myself a new role in it. Thus, a new pledge of allegiance, a new man within oneself is what is required for the success of this immense undertaking. Brothers and sisters it is our duty to enlighten our politicians, to exhort them and guide them as they take on the biggest project since our Independence, not only to rebuild Haiti but, to build a country that can stand on its own two feet. They are not geniuses or miracle workers. They will make mistake for it is of our domain but, we shall not fail to make Haiti the jewel that it once were. For too long we have been bystanders in own country. We are very good at letting others take the lead and decide for us what our future ought to be. But, the b

EDUCATION IS HAITI’S SALVATION “ Action Plan for the Recovery and Development of Haiti ” is title of the document put together by the government. You will find it in whole at: http://www.haiticonference.org/Haiti_Action_Plan_ENG.pdf The Vision as conceived by President Preval consists of the following 4 parts: 1. Territorial rebuilding , including identifying, planning and managing new development centers, stimulating local development, rebuilding affected areas, implementing economic infrastructure required for growth (roads, energy and communication), and managing land tenure, in order to protect property and facilitate the advancement of large projects. 2. Economic rebuilding , which, along with developing key sectors, will aim to modernize the various components of the agricultural sector, providing an export potential in terms of fruits and tubers, livestock farming and fishing, in the interests of food security; develop the professional construction sector with laws and regul

Dear President Rene Preval, All my efforts to renew my allegiance to Haiti would be futile if I did not take a moment to speak to you directly. Call it luck of misfortune, destiny or simply life; but, this devastating earthquake has given you and your government the unique opportunity to elevate your country out of the abyss that it has been descending for so long. Knowing that your time is very precious these days, I will try to be brief and to the point. The world responded with outpouring sympathy and help to Haiti's crisis after January 12 th , 2010. In unison they cried: Haiti has been down for so long and now it's the time to fix it once and for all. They all have their eyes on you, we have our eyes on you, for we don't have faith; or this letter would not have had any purpose. For every dollar pledged, there was a mention of corruption. Some misinformed racist even blamed the catastrophe on a pack that our for-fathers might have made with the devil before our indep

So fitting was last week's finding of the only printed copy of Hayti's Declaration of Independence. In a week where the UN declared the 10 Billions dollars pledged for the country's rebuilding, "Haiti's 2 nd Independence"; it could not have been sweeter. This famous document accompanied by the speech given by General Dessalines on that famous day of January 1 st , 1804; the second of its kind, give us a glance at the difficulties that was laid ahead for this newly created Republic. Right in the backyard of the United States of America, a "rag tag army" made of ex-slaves and mulatoes stood tall, head raised to the skies, eyes fixed on the future, gave birth to a nation they baptized Hayti. I read through both documents 3 times on Friday April 2 nd , 2010 and I must admit: never I encountered or heard a more passionate speech than that of Dessalines. On the 3rd time, I challenged myself to read it aloud; my voice quivered many times. Give it a try, p

Despite all, life goes on as abnormally as it can be in Port-au-Prince today; see the pictures I just posted. The people there seems to be assimilating more and more with their new found realities; living in tents, sleeping outside, living through after-shocks, standing in line for their food, etc. Let me state first of all that I purposely did not attempt to visit any of the nearby camps for having seen enough of the horrors on TV, I was looking for something positive, something that would not rob me a the few hours of sleep that would manage to get through all the noise, the dog barking all through the night, and the roosters and ducks singing in the early hours of the morning. My family lives in a little known area across from the main airport, right on the main boulevard, 20 minutes from the city center, named Sarthe. We landed at 2:00 pm sharp on Friday afternoon (March 19, 2010) on small plane by way Porto Rico. I snapped a couple pictures from the air as we were getting closer

Here we are 2 months since the devastating earthquake hit Haiti and not much to talk of in lieu of rebuilding. The humanitarian aids have been concentrated exclusively in food and medical care. The government is silent and secretive on its plan for the country. Although, some tents have now been distributed; it is for the most part inadequate. I have heard prices ranging from $75.00 US to $4000 for a tent; no wonder some are going without. Already we heard of countless horror stories when it rains. In my post dated January 22, 2010; “Call for a Nouvelle Port-au-Prince”, I called for tents to be distributed right away and the government’s buildings to be rebuilt in a different location; effectively moving the city. It unfortunately failed onto deft ears. I wish I knew how much money has been collected on our behalf so far? Not only that the Haitian Prime Minister claimed he cannot forcefully move people from the rubbled city, trying to appear democratic; he now claims that it is going

“If you don’t know my name, you don’t know your own”; James Baldwin . Now, I can’t say for certain that the Department of Agriculture has a picture of George Washington Carver on its wall; I used to roam the hall of that building at lunch recess for many years and I don’t remember seeing one there. As for the School of Agriculture, I attended a couple of parties there; but I failed the entrance exam but, I’m not so sure they know who he is there hero either. The previous sentence might put me in the company of those who have the least to say about agriculture in Haiti. But, that is not all. I was once a farm boy in the area known as “La Plaine”. The vast and lush sugar cane and banana plantations in that area contributed handsomely in getting me where I am today. I can honestly say that there is not one of the cash crops raised in that area that I did not plant myself or at the least watch others plant. Now that we have established the fact that I am at the least bit familiar with the

Yesterday, I was in the car driving when the news came of yet another earthquake. This one, of 8.8 magnitudes has struck Chile, South America. Quickly my fear of the news crews, health and aids organizations leaving Haiti resurfaced to remind me of how little time we have to change the course in Haiti. I’d admit; although unfounded, some may find this sentiment selfish. The sluggishly started recovery effort in Haiti, the images of all these ragged tents lining the streets and the few parks of Port-au-Prince, occupied my thinking for hours and on. The painful realization of thousands dead and those still under the rubbles, the slow pace of progress which has hunted me and others for weeks, is re-activated with more vigor and a voodoo like attacks. Here are people dying in Chile and the potential for tsunami to strike coastal cities from Hawaii all the way to Japan and all I can think about is Haiti. What about you? What were your 1st thoughts? Although I feel for the Chilean people, I

It has been over a month since the devastating EARTHQUAKE; in fact, his one month birthday was commemorated on February the 12th. Masses were held, dignitaries were on hand for the unfortunate event. It should have been baptized “a day for the survivors”. I personally did not watch any of it on TV. I’m still trying to grasp the invisibleness of some semblance of normalcy in the country. I’m still taken by the ineptitude of the Haitian Government to help his people in its darkest hour. Where are they now? What are they doing? Yeah, yeah, yeah, I’ve seen the pictures taken with passing foreign representatives. I’d like to be a fly on the wall in one of those board meetings they claim to be having. Are they in there blaming each other, or setting up a plan of action? Oh wait, that was a month ago! What phase are they in now? Did I hear clean up and demolishment? For how long? Is there anything else? Tents Cities? Or are they just seating there crying broke, waiting for the International

Let me state 1st and foremost, I have nothing against Wyclef Jean. Personally, I think he cares very much about Haiti and its people, and he means well. Unlike most of us living abroad, he made his duty to help the less fortunate in the country in their darkest hour. I’m, in no way, questioning his sincerity. I must also state categorically that he is not running for president; as far as I know. But, his story is all too familiar with those the Haitian people usually fall in love with, elect into office, and get burnt by. Among the more recent, one can cite Papa Doc; the doctor who at first spent his career in the countryside combatting malaria and other diseases which were ravaging the farmers in Haiti. Even closer we remember Jean Bertrand Aristide; the radical priest turned politician who was the Great Haitian Hope. To say it kindly, none of them lived up to our expectations. They did not only betray the trust of their people, they also turn on them like the plague. Haiti, although

Once upon a time there was an Island the Indians called Haiti, Quiskeya, or Boyo. Christopher Columbus came, killed them all and took over their little paradise. He named it Hispaniola. The European powers would fought over it for years; dividing it in two, some times tree parts. The Indians out of the way, they set out to exploit the fertile land and all the natural resources that it possesses. In the 17 hundreds, they invaded Africa. There they kidnapped its inhabitants, put them on ships, in the most horrible conditions known to man. They brought them to Hispaniola to work the land as slaves. The Island prospered even more and became the envy of all Europe; La perle des Antilles. The Aristocracy in France and Spain lived opulently, lavishly, wastefully, on the backs of those African slaves. The slaves would revolt several times, with one revolt more successful than the other; but none resulted in the reversal of the system that has enslaved them. The Masters successfully divided t

Wyclef and The Haiti's Earthquake January 2010 will no doubt go down as the worst month in the Haitian People History. On the 12th of that month, Mother Nature dealt the Republic one of severest blow that the developed world has ever witnessed. Everyone, regardless of races or origins, was glued to there TV set day after day to watch the terrible devastation that we have been subjected to. The world responded with outpouring sympathy, aids, prayer, moneys, and supports. While some of us can’t but watch them descended in the country to help our brother and sisters, others are doing what they can. Among them, a little known organization named “Yele Haiti” or “Wyclef Jean Foundation”. Quickly they challenged everyone to start donating monies for the relief effort that was going to be needed. They have been on the ground years earlier helping the least fortunate in all kind of ways; or so they claimed. Like a little fish in a big pond of giant Aid Organizations, they joined in the re

By now you may have heard the reporting on so-called “Tent Cities” to be created as soon as they have enough tents on hands. In my opinion that is the wrong way to go right now. Very cheap tents should be distributed in those temporary places where people are sleeping now. Better yet, load of people should have been moved out of the rubles to temporary shelters (churches, schools, warehouses, etc.) outside the affected areas. Evacuate! Once they are out of the devastated sites, they could be fed much easier as they would be broken into smaller groups. They would also be less difficult to deal with once they are re-assured that they’ll only be there until more appropriate tents are erected in common areas in Port-au-Prince. This way, we would buy our selves some times to put together a better coordinated plan for the “New City”. Instead of this hasty plan to rebuild one that was never accommodating and fitting in the first place. This old city is way too small. Northwest of the city, a

The idea came to me a minute ago. Without much thought, here we go. We need this bad. There, don't sweat it and join in. Don't shy away, speak your mind, share your thoughts and desire right here from now one. This forum has been long overdue. I resisted joining Facebook , My Space , and others for lack of times and things to say. Well, it seems to me that we now have plenty to talk about. Haiti is ours whether we want it or not. For most of us it's a stigma; being Haitian, the connotations are many and not all flattering . I understand that words are merely words and mean nothing without actions to back it up. But, word is what I have today; and the word of the day is "do-it". Join Da King and thus the world as we express our most sincere and intimate thoughts. To quote our ex- compatriot Richard Brisseaux : " Entrez , sans frapper . Chez -nous il n-y-a pas d'honeur , ni de respect."