The world is still focused on Haiti which remains centre stage almost six weeks after being pulverized by a 7.0 earthquake. International response so far has been favourable, with humanitarian activities going on amidst the rubble, and Haiti relief concerts and fund-raising programmes being coordinated across the globe. But despite the moving images that we have been constantly bombarded with, I somehow get the impression that many people still cannot fathom the true depth of destruction, the agony and the life-threatening conditions under which these people now exist. The pictures do not and cannot convey the reality of their existence, even though they have served to popularize their poverty, as noted by one writer. It is not until you get there on the ground, that you can see and feel the suffering and hazards, and come to grips with what they are up against.
I have noted – as many others have – that this quake is a lesson and a wake-up call to all. This courageous nation which since declaring independence in 1804 was repudiated and virtually stood alone for 200 years, and now has gotten the attention of the international community. I want to think that there is some reason for this; there is something here that is mystifying to me – it couldn’t all just be coincidental. I have written a poem about this earthquake which I will recite at a fund-raising concert I have been invited to. But one of the most annoying, ridiculous and ignorant comments I’ve heard time and time again, is that the reason for the quake was the Haitian practice of the Voodoo religion. And this kind of nonsensical garbage has not been confined to the ordinary lay person, who truly does not know any better, except what he/she has been hearing all their life, but has come from supposedly intelligent individuals who you thought would know better. And they peddle this piffle with such conviction and authority to the gullible. And here is where I want to commend the many writers who through our dailies have been very enlightening, thus stripping away the myths, balderdash and historical distortions that have been propagated: the SN editorial, ‘Haiti,’ Sunday, January 17; ‘When the foreign aid workers have gone Haiti will be on its own again,’ letter from Mahadeo Panchu, SN, January 28; ‘History explains why Haiti became poor and corrupt,’ letter from Mwalima Dublin, SN, January 19; ‘We must stand with Haiti; Solidarity, not help’ by Alissa Trotz, SN, January 18.
These, Editor, were all profound and beautifully written pieces which have done quite a mighty job; no one reading any of these remains the same in their understanding of Haiti, but rather is transferred to a new level of consciousness. Each one was a lighted candle in a dark room; if only portions of this kind of information were published in this way from time to time, maybe we would have been spared many of the unfortunate comments and utter trash. But then again, it always takes a crisis to open closed doors.
The Stabroek News editorial set the platform from which we should start when it stated: “But above all else it is Haiti’s history which has ‘cursed’ it, and that has everything to do with men and not the particular physical space the nation occupies on the planet’s…[crust].” Mahadeo Panchu enlightened us on how the ‘Crown Jewel’ of the Caribbean was wickedly, systematically and avariciously plundered. We learned how Haiti offered solidarity to all freedom-loving people; how the great liberator Simon Bolívar was given a shoulder to lean on; and his debt to Haiti for furnishing him with weapons, boats and soldiers, when he showed up defeated. Mwalima Dublin bitterly explained the audaciousness of Napoleon in sending one of his generals to re-impose slavery. But what I found shocking was to see that even at this moment, the greed and arrogance that have continued without shame. Alissa Trotz brought to our attention the callous, vulture-like disposition of one heritage foundation which posted up this notice 24 hours after the earthquake: “Amidst the suffering crisis in Haiti offers opportunities to the US. In addition to providing immediate humanitarian assistance, the US response to the tragic earthquake in Haiti offers opportunities to reshape Haiti’s long dysfunctional government and economy as well as to improve the image of the United States in the region.”
Editor, these excellent articles have shown us clearly that voodoo played no part in the present impoverished condition of Haiti. But I wonder, could this once rejected, snubbed and exploited nation become the pivot, the springboard, for uniting the human family and from which we will march forward? Will this nation prove prophetic the biblical saying: “The stone that the builder refused shall become the chief cornerstone? I wonder!
Yours faithfully,
Frank Fyffe
