The Audacity of Hope

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 large portion of all human being cerebral cortex. We lost our way. History always repeats itself to paraphrase Machiavelli. The Epic story of the Indigenous Army is due to be repeated. But, this time, the enemy to be beaten is our own demons, our own ineptitude to render social and economic justice to our own people. We can't simply get rid of those who stand in the path of progress; there will always be more obstacles. Instead, we need to muster our strength, double our effort to conquer those vermins among us. The sons and daughters of Capois Lamort do not give up. "Social and economic justice or death" shall be our cry; to paraphrase that of Dessalines.
Now, I'm also aware of the lack of leadership among our rank at this point in time. But, Toussaint went from being a simple "medicine man" of the rebel army, to leader of the army, Governor of the Island, Officer of the French Army. We will never find another Toussaint Louverture but, there undoubtedly will be other capable Haitians who can rescue this nation and put it in a path that dignifies its people. As I watch others rejoice in the face of adversity and hopelessness, I have found myself reassured of this fact. A small nation in the Caribbean can find the will to beat the giant of today; poverty and bad governance. Doubters beware; we will rise again.
As President Obama teaches us, one must have the audacity to hope and do what it takes to live out ones dream. As I watch my country descended in a state of decay and abandonment, I find great hope in the words of Bory de St-Vincent: "… the weight of the yoke did not crush the martyred Africans in Haiti. They rose up and carved themselves a country of their own. They proved that they were blacks but also men. They redeemed the African race invalidating the reputation of non-achievers it had been given."
This is not the first earthquake we've lived through and it sure won't be the last. When I was there in March, people were already rebuilding their lives. At my house, we picked up the pieces and kept moving. The African slaves overcame slavery. Poverty seems pale in comparison. Watch out world! We are down but, not out. "In overthrowing me, you have done no more than cut down the trunk of the tree of the black liberty in St-Domingue - it will spring back from the roots, for they are numerous and deep." Toussaint Louverture.