| Haiti, pays-roseau
Open letter from Brother Francklin Armand
Le Monde January 22, 2010
| Haiti, a country strong and pliable like the reed Point de Vue
Le Monde January 22, 2010
by Brother Francklin Armand
The modern word has known four great revolutions: the American in 1776, the French in 1789, the Haitian in 1804, and the Russian in 1917. But it was the Haitian Revolution which culminates in the 1789 revolution by including the emancipation of women and slaves.
A host of uprooted slaves from Africa, transplanted to this corner of the earth has not lacked the genius of creating its own language (Haitian creole, spoken by every Haitian), its own traditional and original religion (Haitian voodoo), and its own particular family hierarchy.
On the eve of its liberation from slavery, the Haitian has had to forge two countries on a single territory: one in the manner of Europe, the other in the manner of Africa. Two societies ride parallel with two modes of thought, two cultures. Knowingly, voluntarily, we have created this country. But unfortunately, it was quickly taken hostage by the army and a local upper class. This corner of the world was transformed into an apartheid society where bayonets and guns made the law and the grand old days. “Konstitusyon se papye, bayonet se fe.”
I do not want to be mean spirited; it’s not how I should be – Above all, be gentle, Francklin. But I wonder if, from the start, our elders, whom I respect, were not confused about the notion of liberty. Does not liberty for the new freeman signify: to have his own slaves? Aime Césaire wrote: “A country is like a planted tree, it ripens in a process year after year.” But the historical circumstances which I want to raise here are that we have created an improvised country “high in the sky.” We have missed the industrial revolution, the green revolution and, in the face of globalization, what can we be expected to do? This natural catastrophe which has struck us on the outset of 2010 is perhaps a departure point and a profound opportunity for Haiti because every crisis is a opportunity for growth.
Having had the chance to visit Hiroshima, Japan, and the deserts of the Sahara and the Maghreb a little less than 4 years ago, I do not want to drop my hands in despair. I solemnly ask all Haitians, men and women, to immediately put themselves to work for the reconstruction of their country. We are capable of it and we must do it. We have not lost the war, but only the battle. This is a fact, and it is not a new one. Haiti has known earthquakes of this size in 1778 and in 1842. But apart from a few weak aftershocks, catastrophes with which we are familiar, these are the hurricanes which have touched this little country, the poor of a shanty town. But in the case of today’s earthquake, it is the intellectual, economic, religious, and political elite which is most seriously affected. And it is for this reason that the diaspora and the Haitian youth, who represents more than 60% of the population, have a fundamental, urgent, and indispensable role to play.
I know that my country has been shown love from the countries of the world and this display of generosity staggers and touches me profoundly. Let us reconstruct! “Let us reconstruct” is the name of charity in Haiti. In the next six months, we have to be able to provide a large measure of the country’s nutritional needs.
The Haitian state has just acquired 400 tractors, cultivators, irrigation pumps, seed supplies, busses, all-terrained vehicles, and a fleet of heavy equipment. We need to put ourselves to work. We have to quickly mobilize our youth and challenge them to take to the fields to dig fishing ponds, plant vegetables, and care for and temporarily shelter homeless victims. As well as to help them get past this trauma.
In the second stage, they must participate in a reconstruction like that of a Marshal Plan which we need to create for ourselves with the help of the international community in hopes of bringing us out of debt.
I express the wish that contributions from the international community providing assistance to Haiti, at the moment of a historic international conference on Haiti, must be assembled into a common fund, administered conjointly by the Haitian government and contributing countries.
Until now, development aid has been fragmented and a number of organizations and sponsors lead the initiative themselves. However, we must give the initiative to the Haitians themselves. The case of Haiti demands a fresh look at the distribution of aid and development as it is implemented on the ground.
We cannot accept living eternally on the dole of other countries in the world, which is to sign away our dignity and our sovereignty as a free, independent, and proud people. We must not, and cannot, conduct ourselves as an arrogant and irresponsible people in the powerless situation in which we find ourselves now.
We will say thank you to all of the friends of Haiti, to the world, and in particular to France and the United States. It shall never be forgotten.
Brother Francklin Armand (trans: Nick Jamilla)
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