Volume II No. 32
 03-05-04
 From First To Last
 { The Paradise Lost That Is Haiti }
 author: Vance Cureton
 © Copyright 2004

 Change has come to Haiti. A band of unruly thugs carrying rifles, 
 machine guns, hammers, sticks, machetes, and broken bottles, 
 have chased Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide into exile. 
 -- For the second time in a decade.

 And so it seems in Haiti, the future merges with the past.

 The story of this pitiful nation began so nobly. In the years 1790 
 and 1791, free men-of-color and slaves revolted against the French. 
 { who were the rulers of the island then known as Saint Domingue } 
 And so was set in motion what could have been an august experiment 
 in self-government for a people who were once in chains. But were 
 now forever relieved of the oppressive rule of their former European 
 masters.

 Alas, fast forward 50 years, 100 years, 150 years, { pick a number }
 and Haiti has yet to emerge from the darkness that cloaked the 
 island nation after the freedom bell so loudly rang. The nation that 
 first brought Black rule to the hemisphere has lived under the yoke 
 of various shameless and incompetent heads-of-state who were in 
 some respects worse than the former slave owners who once ruled 
 Haiti without opposition. Because of their mismanagement Haiti 
 is now the poorest nation in the entire Western Hemisphere. And,
 despite the political changeover in Haiti this week, the long-term 
 prospects for this nation remain very poor, indeed.

 Why?

 The democracy in Haiti exists in name only. The island is racked
 by class-warfare between a lighter-skinned elite { although not 
 all of the wealthy in Haiti are of a mixed-race or European background } 
 and the darker-skinned masses who remarkably view democracy 
 as a threat, and a mere continuation of the status-quo. Thus, this 
 sad conflict between the haves and the have-nots, leads to the 
 impermanance of any government. And those leaders who managed
 to stay in power were vicious dictators such as the late Francois
 "Papa Doc" Duvalier, who amazingly enough had the popular 
 support of the poorest in Haiti. Despite the fact that throughout
 his reign he stole untold millions from this desperate, impoverished, 
 nation.

 Haiti is a sad lesson in the self-hatred of a people. The pain of 
 the Haitians is self-inflicted. Societal unrest begins-and-ends 
 upon the false notions of superiority and inferiority based upon 
 the complexion of the skin or the pedigree of a family genealogy. 
 It is as if the Haitians themselves have absorded the silly class 
 notions of their long-dead slave masters. 

 The island seems haunted by its' own history.

 The Caribbean is full of islands like Haiti that have a wonderful 
 climate, pristine sandy beaches, blue water lagoons, lush tropical 
 forests, and a friendly populace. Not to mention lyrical music 
 and a cuisine that is as distinctive { and tasty } as any in the 
 world. Places such as St. Kitts, Jamaica, Trinidad, and Barbados
 { to name only a few } are stable societies, and are ruled by leaders 
 as chocolate-skinned as their African ancestors. 

 There are problems all across the Caribbean despite the native
 beauty. Perfection doesn't exist there anymore than it does in
 the wealthier regions of the globe. Yet these other ethnically 
 diverse societies manage to survive. { many of the islands of 
 the Caribbean have LESS available natural resources than does 
 Haiti } And in some instances manage to prosper and improve 
 upon their standard of living, generation-to-generation.

 Not Haiti.

 Endless conflict and money-grubbing leaders have meant poor 
 education facilities for the youth. Corrupt and dishonest law 
 enforcement leads to unsafe streets. Poorly motivated public 
 officials want pay but do little work in return. Health care that 
 is as lacking as any offered in the poorest areas of Africa, the 
 Middle East, and Southeast Asia, have led to a rate of HIV
 infection on the island such that the word, "haitian" has become 
 an epithet. Synonymous with a person of bad moral character 
 and reckless sexual appetite.

 There are no foreign armies waiting to conquer Haiti. { and 
 unfortunately there aren't any huge reserves of thick black 
 petroleum under the ground, less the United States would 
 arrive with thousands of  troops ready to assist the beleagured 
 islanders at the first sign of political turmoil } The evil, as it 
 were, comes from within.

 The people are what's wrong with Haiti. The society is sick.
 The nation is accursed with self-inflicted wounds.

 The Haitian people have been so marginalized by sociopathic 
 leaders, it is as if they believe that they don't deserve better. 
 Similar to the downtrodden schoolyard wimp who attracts 
 bullies like flies. Or the minimum-wage dishwasher in a five-star 
 restaurant who accepts his daily indignities in silence. 

 "Such is life on the bottom rung of the ladder."

 Wrong.

 Haiti is as beautiful as any place in the Caribbean. If only the 
 people would believe it. No longer can they accept leaders 
 robbing the island of billions of dollars. Neither can they accept
 the stifling of meaningful and necessary political discourse. 
 Future leaders of the island { shared with the Dominican
 Republic } must be held to the highest standards of decency
 and social propriety.

 The rich and the poor people of Haiti. The light-skinned and the
 dark-skinned. The well-educated and the poorly educated. They 
 must all come to see themselves as brothers and sisters. With 
 their fates all tied together. --- One people united.

 No longer can there be burning corpses blocking downtown 
 intersections in the middle of Port-au-Prince. The result of yet
 another military coup. Summary execution of political opponents
 is not revolution. It does not represent legitimate change. Such
 actions are merely barbarism of the worst kind.

 Until the day when all Haitians stand united. That Caribbean 
 island under the sun will remain a hell, instead of a paradise. 
 The tourists won't arrive in the necessary numbers. Foreign 
 investment will remain elusive. And the natural beauty that 
 exists on the oceanfronts or upon the lush green hilltops will 
 never be fully appreciated by the world, forever overshadowed 
 by the most unsavory of international reputations. 

 And perhaps even, a sad myth will be proven as fact. It is not 
 always advantageous to be the first.
 

 ReadingPost.Com
 © Copyright 2004

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