If the Haitian nation would come out of the
quagmire, the pieces would have to come together. Having said that, I find my
mouth trembling, and my heart pumping hard, recognizing the almost impossible
task that I am asking. Yet, I recognize, unless the Haitian people come
together, and join forces to live and work as one nation, one people, to build
their nation, Haiti would never succeed. Thus, I want to borrow the propaganda
from President Obama’s first campaign, “Yes we can.”
I mean, the Haitians can come to unity. I recognize,
however, it is going to be a tough battle. A little overview of the country’s
past would produce a sense of the challenge. Christopher Columbus arrived on
the Island that was then called Ayiti Boyo Kiskeya to find the
native islanders there. The newcomers overcame the aboriginal people,
overworked and abused them, and exterminated them. They brought in Negros from
Africa. After about 300 years of abuse and struggle, the black slaves won their
freedom from France by much shedding of blood and lost of lives.
This victory was not obtained easily and cleanly. There
were much mistrust and betrayal among all groups. And, the strife that emanated
from colonialism ended up embedded into the new nation with two faction groups,
the Mulattos and the Blacks, defending different interests not advantageous for
the whole nation. From there, you have a nation always struggling,
deteriorating, moving back in time, to reach the point of the poorest nation in
the Western Hemisphere, and having been declared a “failed state.” Now, a
contingent of the United Nations is on the ground, claiming trying to hold the
pieces.
The blame is always on as well. (1) The Mulattos,
the bourgeoisie steal everything. (2) The poor black mass destroys everything.
(3) There are invisible hands maintaining the chaos. Those are the three common
antagonistic reasonings. Basically, everybody is blaming somebody.
But, who is really to blame? Some people may not
agree with him. Yet, if we would accept the rationale of Felix Morisseau Leroy,
everybody is to blame. I would understand it if you should choose to exempt
yourself from Tonton Morisseau’s generalization. But, Jesus Christ said the
same thing when he declared that anyone not considering himself a sinner should
throw the first stone. It is up to every Haitian to decide how he or she fits
into this square.
The followings are some of the common sentiments
that we are either perpetrators of, or victims thereof:
- The bourgeoisie, the mulatto, and the elites do not care for the country. They are pillaging, taking everything for their families and friends, and be ready to flee abroad when things get out of control. Therefore, they are not worried about building a nation, or maintaining an environment to help advance the cause of a prosperous Haitian society.
- The governments are thieves, filling up their pockets. Governments in Haiti have been generally considered kleptocratic. They usually are not concerned about their people and the nation. They are associated with the rich people and indulging in frauds, while stealing from their own people.
- The poor black mass is ignorant, violent, and ready to destroy. The poor people have an inclination for revenge. Having been victimized, poor, uneducated, and have nothing to preserve; governments don’t protect them and steal from them; the rich do not do anything to ameliorate their conditions; the poor people often become violent, when the bullets of the government are not able to stop them.
- The invisible hands are always working to disturb the environment. In the history of Haiti, white people have always been a conflicting force. The most important fact to consider, is that, they are always brought in to support a particular group of Haitians.
It does not end here. The fragmentation pierces
every joint of the Haitian society. (1) Mulatto versus Black – Some people
consider Haiti one or the most racist place on earth. (2) Rich versus poor – Some
people consider Haiti one of the most stratified. (3) Port-au-prince versus the
provinces. Port-au-prince is the thing. If you are not from there, it is like, you
are nothing. (4) Every region is like a little country. It is a common thing for
one Haitian to ask another, what country he is from. (5) People from a big city
versus a smaller city; people from a smaller city versus a smaller village;
people from a smaller village versus the countryside; and, it does not stop
here.
What we have here is the shattered nation. It is
like every Haitian is in his own little world. We are not in it together. We don’t
care for each other. We don’t come together to make that little place that we
share together a favorable environment for all. If Haiti should come out of the
chaos, Haitians must look deep into those issues, come up with strategies to
fight them, and start implementing nation building and national unity.
Please join the Mouvman Kolektivite Nasyonal Ayisyen (MKNA) - by Join this conversation on this blog or Facebook or Twitter @ecgranmoun. Or email, granmoun@hotmail.com
By E.C. GRANMOUN
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