Reasons for suicide?
Expectedly, naturally, justifiably, scores of Guyanese writers, commentators, ordinary citizens of social conscience have been recording their thoughts on the Natural Disaster in Haiti.
That’s predictable and even normal as that blighted portion of Hispaniola that is Haiti is a Caricom sister state to Guyana, a nation whose earliest anti-slavery triumphs either learnt from our own slave heroes victories here or inspired our own seventeenth–and eighteenth-century proudest episodes and is still a territory with whom we shared many cultural exchanges and experiences.
I have no additional or special wisdom to share with respect to this Caribbean tragedy. However, the least I am allowing this man in the street column to do is to share the thoughts that strike me and which I’d like many Guyanese to contemplate. And I do so in my most un-journalistic style today.
History
I recognize a letter to our editor in Tuesday’s SN edition (Jan 19, 2010) titled “History explains why Haiti became poor and corrupt” by a Mwalimu Dublin because it reflects my views exactly though Mwalimu did not explain many reasons for the “corrupt” element.
But as a little fellow who learnt early on in primary school about Toussaint L’Ouverture, then Dessalines and Christophe, I later, as a young adult, marvelled that “our own” Kofi (Cuffy) and Accabre and Atta had led a ferocious, partially successful rebellion in Berbice (1763) before Toussaint (O.K. Mackandal from Haiti was active in the 1750’s but 1763 epitomises our own Africans fierce fighting spirit).
Religion, sin and Geography
Heard the would –be debate? As when the 2004 Tsunami killed hundreds of thousands, the existence and whereabouts of a God is questioned, so now some wonder why God allows children and other innocents to perish? Or that Haiti’s traditional, cultural and spiritual practice of Voodooism might incur the Christian God’s wrath, manifested in hurricanes and now this devastation?
You can guess I won’t comment much since I’m not that religious. Science however, indicates that Haiti’s portion of Hispaniola is most vulnerable to the underground movement of the earth’s plates and the overhead paths of hurricane winds. So did a God place Haiti, China, Indonesia, Turkey, India and Florida to be subject to nature’s worst destructive behaviours? I don’t think one nation sins more because of where it is on this planet, do you?
The USA and Haiti’s disaster
Even economically-challenged nations are rallying to poor Haiti’s assistance. Humanitarian instincts reside in the most poverty-stricken of us.
But let’s scrutinize Russian, African, Asian and Eastern/Arab long-term assistance in the coming years. For they and America must never allow the world’s first Black Republic to return to its needy status quo.
The Americans, because of their earlier generation of imperial animosity and greed towards African Haiti, must lead the once avaricious France in restoring Haiti to the proud pinnacle it once occupied. Yes, enjoy the contractual re-construction but build for Haitian generations to come. America, you occupied the place for nearly two decades and like France, you raided Haiti’s treasuries. Now Mr. Obama, Clinton and Powell must lead the moral pay-back.
Consequences – and coverage
Obvious, visible, instant consequences of the Haitian Destruction: American military presence as in a real war; the realisation that sophisticated cameras, listening devices, medical personnel and supplies are vital but can be all compromised unless you know the disaster area and its survivors; “miracle survivors” might yet die from their injuries after rescue. After a count of official thousands is finally done, thousands of other Haitians can die in the near and far future – from HIV/AIDS, diabetes, kidney failure and many other illnesses the disaster started and for which they were no medications.
Don’t fret over American coverage of the tragedy. Find coverage by Al Jazeera, the BBC, the Venezuelans or French if you can. What do you expect of the American media? (Even they had to salute however the ever-ready Israelis whose field hospital did not have to resort to hacksaws and vodka for surgeries!)
Reasons for suicide
I’ll pay more attention to suicide this year. (And yes, care of animals too.)
Even as the local Health Ministry, WHO/PAHO and the Canadians convened yet another “workshop” this week, I started this same week by exploring basic facts regarding suicide.
I found out, just for example, that suicide is the tenth leading cause of death worldwide and that there are many, many types of suicide the methods of which vary from country to country; “the leading methods in different regions of the world include hanging, pesticide poisoning and firearms”.
Funnily, our own Minister of Health has just declared that we shouldn’t view suicide as “a criminal act”. Has suicide been de-criminalised? I know his intent, in terms of understanding the causes, circumstances and state of mind of would-be suicidal persons, but no one is “authorized” to take any life, including their own. (Yes, I do know about war and self-defence.)
Research will reveal the role of suicide in war, religion, culture and tradition. Merely to provoke your thoughts and interest with respect to this public health issue, I list a few reasons for (local) suicide: All types of alcoholism and drug – abuse leading to despair, desperation and irrationality, the taking of one’s life; personal, prolonged physical pain and the desire to cause others pain; the discovery and the realization that one has a terminal disease and where there is no personal or supportive strength of mind; betrayed by those closest to you; just plain potential embarrassment about to be visited upon one’s self (today’s youth without counsel and support and strong religious/moralistic strength tend to cave in.)
Infidelity by one’s partner seems to influence our Indo-Guyanese youth to suicide, especially. Then, I understand, telephone videos disgracing some victims’ families make the rounds prompting the taking of the shame victim’s life by his/her own hands.
Of course, outright insanity can lead a victim to end his or her life too. I invite you all to pay more interest in this regrettable phenomenon and to play some role in preventing same.
Ponder…
*1) Amidst the death of hundreds of thousands of Haitians, some Americans are wondering whether more Americans will be found dead in the earthquake’s aftermath than died in the 911 terrorist attacks.
*2) But I warm up at the absolute non-racial embrace of Haitian children by all Americans.
*3)”Temporary protected status/work permits” for illegal aliens from Haiti in the US. Won’t others just love that!
*4) It took the Haitian tragedy for all our political parties to agree on something.
*5) If there are so many vacancies how come we actually have teachers in our schools? (Just regularizing?)
*6) Hail Hammie! Please develop for me Mr. Green, your thesis about “the development of a well-funded and supplied house-slave club”.
*7) I suspect the suffering Haitians wouldn’t be moralistic about it – but won’t some cocaine/drug trafficking funds be donated to them?
‘Til Next Week!
(Comments? allanafenty@yahoo.com)
