[News] Haiti update

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2004 is already Haiti's miracle year

Haiti unites the African Union and CARICOM

by Ezili Danto

Dessaline's army is rising. Coup D'etat or no Coup D'etat, Haitians have 
the richest culture in the Western Hemisphere and defeated Napoleon, 
Britain, Spain and a U.S. embargo. That is our rallying point. It remains 
our rallying point. That is part of what it means to be Haitian. We are the 
first to put Liberty into application in the Western Hemisphere. No other. 
That is the Haitian identity that has survived embargoes, 32 U.S./Euro 
sponsored Coup D'etats and Slavery before that and we shall overcome this 
U.S./France orchestrated Coup D'etat also. History cannot be rewritten no 
matter how many nuclear weapons or dollars France, Canada and the U.S. 
mobilize against Haiti's identity and our pioneering efforts in the fight 
for liberty and enfranchisement of the wretched of the earth the worldwide.

Even with ten years of a steady U.S./Euro destabilization campaign from 
1994 to 2004, Haitians still built more schools than ever in Haiti's 
history. Even with 10 years of destabilization, Haitians built hospital, 
public parks, put in more electricity in more towns than ever before, built 
public parks in the poorest neighborhoods; recognized the Vodun culture; 
brought the literacy rate down from 90/85% to 48%; recognized Kreyol as one 
of our official language; Haitians wrote more books in Kreyol than ever 
before; Haitians from the Diaspora sent to Haiti more than 850 million a 
year. These are our accomplishments. We may celebrate them. They are the 
facts hidden behind the headlines. Only Haitians have an interests in 
publicizing them. They must not be forgotten. Too many Haitians lives have 
been lost and will be lost to regain even the small footing in democracy we 
had before Feb. 5 and 29th, 2004. Let's not forget our miracles even with 
over ten years of U.S/Euro destabilization.

In 2004, despite Coup D'etat and Imperialism in Haiti, Haitians are 
committed to:

1. Celebrate our Ancestors great victory and our rich Vodun-based culture. 
Nothing can change the facts. We shall sponsor teach-in strikes and 
celebration events and marches. History cannot be rewritten. Despite the 
lies, Black civilization, beauty, law and justice in Haiti shall rise.

2. Empower the poor and now disenfranchised in Haiti. We shall continue to 
mobilize human rights monitors to help save the lives of the Haitian poor 
now in the greatest jeopardy since the last U.S.-backed dictatorship years 
in Haiti.

3. Mobilize the vote against Bush, Jr. We shall continue to mobilize the 
Haitian-American vote, connect it with the grassroots U.S. movement to 
reclaim U.S. democracy and lift the boot Bush has put on our Haitian dream 
for democracy back off our people's neck in Haiti and those "indefinitely 
detained." This time the Black vote shall COUNT!!!!!

4. We shall support the people of Jamaica for their stand for Haitian 
democracy and CARICOM and the African Union and push for justice because 
the will of the Haitian majority was not respected by the powerful and most 
resourceful in the world.

We shall continue to push for:

l. The 21.8 billion debt owed by France not to be forgotten but in fact 
expedited to Court;

2. The murderers and ex-army and FRAPH mercenaries to be deported to the 
U.S. or France where they may join their bosses;

3. Request that parliamentary and presidential elections be scheduled, 
according to the Haitian Constitution, 60 days from today and that the Coup 
D'etat countries have no role in the process but that CARICOM and the 
AFRICAN UNION send in election monitors.

4. Use this opportunity to show the world that democracy in Haiti was not 
just about President Aristide or not. The Haitian people, Haitian women in 
particular, their lives, dreams for domestic development, for social 
inclusion must become more visible.

Ezili Danto March 29, 2004

Anyone who wishes to volunteer to take on or help organize any of the 
above. Contact: <mailto:Erzilidanto at aol.com>Erzilidanto at aol.com, see 
<http://www.margueritelaurent.com/pressclips/haitianlawyers.html>http://www.margueritelaurent.com/pressclips/haitianlawyers.html 
or Haitiaction.net






Haiti unites the African Union and CARICOM

******* DURBAN

Haiti inspires Africans - Mbeki

Posted Fri, 26 Mar 2004

<http://iafrica.com/news/sa/312208.htm>http://iafrica.com/news/sa/312208.htm

The victory of African slaves over French rule in Haiti in the 1800s should 
be used by Africans to inspire them to successfully address the challenges 
facing them across the world, South African president Thabo Mbeki said on 
Friday.

He told delegates attending the sixth African Renaissance Conference in 
Durban: "Today I am absolutely sure that the people of the Bahamas are 
inspired as we should be here to make sure that (this) great African 
victory be used as an inspiration... to address the challenges of the 
African Renaissance."

Many Africans ignorant of Haiti's history

Mbeki, a proponent of the African Renaissance concept, gave his audience a 
history lesson on Haiti, saying that many Africans were not taught about 
the struggle of the impoverished Caribbean country. Due to this many 
Africans did not know an important part of their history.

He said when a person read about the history of that country, he became 
angry because it was kept away from Africans because the powers that be 
knew it would inspire pride amongst all Africans and make them realise what 
they could accomplish.

Mbeki said he did not want to offend the people who had fought for South 
Africa's liberation, but it would be very difficult to find a struggle as 
inspiring as the one by the slaves in Haiti.

Haiti became an independent country and abolished slavery on January 1, 
1804. This was after the slaves defeated French emperor Napoleon 
Bonaparte's army.

Mbeki said the French government of that time told Haiti it would not 
recognise its independence if it did not pay reparations for the loss 
French slave owners would suffer. This would have led to the French 
government blocking the exports of Haiti.

"They had no choice but to pay," he said.

The French set up a central bank through which the payments would be made, 
and because the Haitians could not make the first instalment, money was 
borrowed from a French bank, and that debt was serviced with interest.

The world's first black republic

In later years the United States took over the debt and only in 1945 did 
Haiti pay its last reparation.

This was a main reason why Haiti, the world's first back republic, was so 
impoverished.

Mbeki said there were no centenary celebrations for Haiti's independence 
because the French government was opposed to this because they would 
celebrate the defeat of Napoleon. The French government decided that this 
matter would be reviewed in a 100 years. The same decision was taken for 
this year's bicentenary celebrations.

Mbeki, who attended this year's celebrations in January, said he had been 
questioned by Haitian opposition parties and civil society groups about his 
attendance because it could have been interpreted as showing support for 
then president Jean-Bertrand Aristide, who was ousted after a military coup 
earlier this year.

Mbeki said he explained to them that the independence of Haiti was an 
important part of the history of Africans, and he was there to participate 
in the celebrations.

He said it was agreed by all parties that Haiti's problems should be 
discussed under the auspices of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). During 
discussions the armed uprising, by gangsters and spread by former Haitian 
soldiers, started.

Haiti's police service did not have any equipment

Mbeki said CARICOM and the Haitian government requested South Africa's help 
in the matter because its police service did not have any equipment, such 
as teargas, ammunition and weapons.

Mbeki agreed to help, and after a list was sent to South Africa, the 
equipment was sent to Jamaica.

However, before the material arrived in Haiti, Aristide was ousted and sent 
to the Central African Republic.

"He did not ask to leave... but others said he should leave," Mbeki said.

He told the audience that in the midst of all this turmoil, a marvellous 
thing had happened because the injustice concerning Haiti and Aristide's 
forced departure, had brought greater unity amongst Africans across the globe.

"I think we have never seen as much unity amongst Africans on a matter," 
Mbeki said. "All of us are saying a great injustice has happened and all of 
us are saying we must... help the Haitians."

Africans should address common problems together

Mbeki said Africans would have a bright future if they addressed common 
problems together.

"Our African people in the United States are still African and are less 
equal than other Americans," he said to applause.

The small Caribbean countries could only succeed if they were part of the 
greater African home.

Mbeki said whether Africans were living in Johannesburg or New York, they 
faced the same difficulties.

He called on those attending the conference to find ways of taking the 
African Renaissance forward, saying its success would have a positive 
affect on all Africans.

"What do we need to do to build a global, united movement of Africans?" 
Mbeki asked.

"Don't lose this opportunity to reinforce the cohesion... so that together 
we can fight the common problems of Africans."

DA wants answers

Democratic Alliance leader Tony Leon said this week he had written another 
letter to Mbeki regarding a consignment of arms sent to Haiti in the dying 
hours of Aristide's rule.

Leon said he had to date received no answer to his previous query regarding 
the dispatch in late February of an SA Air Force Boeing 707 to the 
Caribbean island state loaded with 150 R1 assault rifles, ammunition and 
assorted equipment.

"This is a most extraordinary thing in a constitutional democracy. If it 
wasn't for a journalist and a newspaper in Jamaica, we would never have 
known about this deployment," Leon told a press conference in Johannesburg.

The DA leader said he had taken legal advice on the matter from an advocate 
in Cape Town who advised him that the flight to Haiti amounted to the 
employment of the Defence Force as contemplated in the constitution as well 
as in the new Defence Act and that government, by not reporting this 
deployment to parliament within the stipulated 14 days, was in breach of 
the law.

Sapa *******

Dessaline's army is rising.

March 29, 2004

Ezili Danto

Li led li la

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