Why Haiti again?

Haiti, the chaotic destiny of the first `independent` Negro nation!

(*Lansana Dabo)

During centuries and centuries, the Black people, mainly the Haitians have been tortured and are still in this situation in different parts of the world. It is often tough to detect the real intention of some leaders around this planet. Whenever the question is about justice and even equal rights, hypocritically they are always hidden behind the tentacles of their bastard philosophies of so-called leaders who are always denying the welfare of their nations.

While some nations are still worried about the maintain of their domination or supremacy upon the would be poor countries, denominated by the so-called civilized nations. Whereas denying the real meaning of the civilization. Is this world really civilized in all sense? How come some nations continue denying the equal rights to those who are really in need? Here, we’re talking about those who suffered the holocaust: such as the African slavery, colonialism and today the neocolonialism upon the black people by the westerners those who brought with themselves several kind of diseases still reflecting on different generations from that epoch until this 21^st century.

I ask myself, how can the leaders from different countries around this planet meeting in one modern and sophisticated place (Davos, Switzerland) with almost everything there, wasting billions and billions of dollars during a short time, drinking the most expensive beverages and varieties of foods full of different kinds of vitamins, calories, mainly all the needed components that an orphan in Haiti can’t even dream to have.

They really don’t have the same feeling as human beings. Because, they don’t care about the miserable conditions in which many Black children are today. These are the consequences of the damned slavery and colonialism caused by the westerners. They are still enjoying the benefits of this crime against humanity. Whereas the African and the African Diaspora still lack almost everything: fertile lands, good schools, comfortable houses, healthcare, and even entertainment for these peoples who were stolen and are being stolen. So, we demand reparations.

As this racist statement of the Haitian consul in São Paulo, speaking to a Brazilian TV (SBT) about the quake in Haiti. “The tragedy (in Haiti) has been good for us here, for (the consulate) to become known. I think it has to do with messing so much Voodoo, I don’t know what it is…The African himself is cursed. Wherever there are Africans it’s fucked up,” said the consul. This so-called Haitian diplomat is only reproducing the damned philosophy of the cursed colonizer towards the Black people in general. We all know that France and Spain had populated Haiti of slaves from Africa. The Haitian consul in São Paulo has no Black characteristic. This man even looks like a French descendant. What a shame!

The tragedy in Haiti is more than an earthquake. It is the mass destruction of the center of a country, which has always been neglected by the western countries, mainly France Spain, countries which have sent their slaves to this island without any descent conditions. Since its independence in 1804, Haiti has been boycotted by the westerners. They have been exploiting the first ‘freed’ Negro nation without giving any chance of self-development. It was the result of several kinds of bullshit interventions; massacres and nonsense occupations through which the western countries have tried to eliminate the first independent Negro nation in the world.

In 2004, the everlasting political collapse and the escalation of violence in this country, created once more a multilateral action of the United Nation named MINUSTAH - United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti, commended by Brazil. It represented the fifth UN mission in this country. Its principal purposes are to reestablish the institutional order of the country, promoting political dialogue so that they can achieve a national reconciliation.

Is it the right moment for political confrontations among countries? Absolutely no. As we can perceive between the USA and Brazil. Critics see the American intervention as an invasion: controlling everything around, including the airport and the port of the capital Port-au-Prince. The first Brazilian plane of militaries going to Haiti, right after the tragedy, was not allowed to land at the airport of Port-au-Prince. Because the American troops have taken over control of the airport. The Brazilian plane had to come back to Brazil and landed at the border between Brazil and Venezuela. The controversial situation still remains, as the similar incident occurred with the plane of the Médecin Sans Frontière - MSF, carrying 12 tons of medical supplies was also prevented from landing at the same airport of Port-au-Prince for three times. Consequently, five patients were dead, because of lack of medicine.

Therefore, some specialists see a diplomatic maturity of the Brazilian government with urgent responses without any political confrontation. Brazil is having an important and a crucial participation, as the main objective is to resolve the problem and not to look for the interest of Brazil. This humanitarian operation could create a possible bilateral cooperation between Brazil and the USA, changing the way both countries deal with each other. “They are very strong, the American, we know that. But Brazil has been in Haiti before the tragedy. So, the UN should be controlling the airport. The United States must respect the UN mission in Haiti. There is no co-ordination at the present moment. The situation of this country cannot be used politically, because people are dying,” said a journalist during the local TV GloboNews debate.

President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela criticized the United States for sending too many soldiers but not enough medical supplies.

Some Brazilians don’t see the American intervention as an invasion. But yes, as a humanitarian operation which everybody seems to be a bit lost, due to the actual state of the situation. A popular belief is that Americans are trying to avoid the mass immigration of the Haitians into the United States.

By the way, the remaining question is the following: “who is going to lead this operation?” “The United Nations or the United States?” The USA is logistically and materially more powerful than Brazil. There is lack of materials, Human Resource, and lack of everything except hunger and devastation. It is in this conditions that the UN Secretary-General has visited Haiti and witnessed the real state the country: “I saw destruction in mass, necessity in mass,” declared Ban Ki-moon.

The Brazilian Foreign Minister, Celso Amorim has called the Secretary of the State Hillary Clinton to find a consensual agreement about this humanitarian operation. According to Mr. Amorim, many other programs are being implemented around the country for the reconstruction of Haiti, and Ban Ki-moon on the phone with Lula thanked Brazil for the effort of this humanitarian help; has reiterated his condolences for the loss of the Brazilian diplomat Luiz Carlos da Costa, Principal Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Minustah. Brazil has lost 21 people, among them, 18 militaries and two civilians.

“Brazil is not in Haiti to compete with any other country. Our troops are there, achieving an important mission: helping the Haitians to overcome their necessities, to minimize their pain; such as healthcare, security, establishing order in the slums,” stressed professor Yedo Ferreira, a Brazilian activist for reparations. Mr. Ferreira also remembers this famous statement of Alvey A Adee, US Assistant Secretary of State in 1886-1924, “Haiti is a public nuisance at our door,” consequence of the Haitian revolution led by a freed slave, Toussaint Louverture,” explained professor Yedo Ferreira.

Co-ordination

What is deplorable is the great number of peoples from the western countries trying to adopt the Haitian children. How come? They want to finish with the future of this country. Instead of adopting these children, it is better supplying donations in mass so that the UNICEF can take care of them. But with adoption, the future of these children can become an illusion. Who is going to follow them in their host countries? Won’t they become victims of human traffic?

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva reported the phone conversation he had with President Obama emphasizing that all the actions in Haiti must be maintained under the control of the UN.

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The Useless Boycott

When the racist countries boycott the United Nations global anti-racism conference

The so-called rich nations have already planned everything for the failure of the Durban Review, otherwise the United Nations global anti-racism conference. Before the conference started in Geneva, many racist countries such as Australia, Canada, Germany, Israel, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland and the United States announced openly they couldn’t take part, over misunderstandings with the draft final or ironically because of the participation of the Iranian president.

Let me begin with two disclaimers. First, everybody knows that racism was the same cause of the holocaust, the colonialism, and the slavery. Why do the rich nations always listen to Israel and refuse to do the same with the different parts, which suffered the consequences of the damned transatlantic slavery? The same hatred is still around the world: the ill treatment of the Afro-immigrants, the modern slavery, different kinds of human exploration by man, and some tribal wars around this planet.

But hypocrisy is still flying over our heads, as it was impossible for many Black journalists including myself to get sponsorship so that they can attend this conference, because these racist countries have already blocked all kind of means facilitating the access to Geneva. Second, the useless boycott is to avoid demonstrations against Israel as some country authorities tried to justify their position, which doesn’t have any fundament. Among them, others have childish behavior, or are even irresponsible walking out during the conference; “We wanted to make a point already today. We agreed during a teleconference last night that our ambassadors would leave if Iran’s president went off the rails. He did and they left,” says Per Stig Møller the Foreign Minister

They do know that the Africans and the Afro-descendants are going to demonstrate with the slogan of Reparations for the transatlantic slavery and colonialism. The Iranian President’s speech could be considered as a kind of scapegoat used by these racist authorities of the western countries. It’s really unbearable and ridiculous at the same time, because the question of Israelo-Palastienian is not mentioned in the draft. So, why do they boycott? Are they worried about other relevant issues, such as the demanding for the historical and humanitarian reparation for the Africans, the African Diaspora, and the Indigenous? Transatlantic Slavery has its consequences until today: the poverty of the African countries and its Diaspora must be resolved throughout the Reparations debate and harsh battle in the field of the international arena like the United nations, the only organism able and credible to implement valuable declarations for all the member nations. That’s why this boycott planned by some western nations could be considered as a waste of time and irresponsibility, because all of them were in Durban in 2001 where the first document was elaborated.

Nowadays, racism is a big concern around the world. How can the world solve this problem whereas some nations, thinking they are better than the others and don’t want to listen to them? But for the Afro-Brazilians and the Indigenous of Brazil, the discussion about the Reparations is crucial. That’s why the New Pan-Africanist Movement joined by the Brazilian Indigenous Convention created a new movement for Reparation on March 20 of this year at the Brazilian Press Association to create the Movement for Reparations. The aim of this new movement is to promote more dialogues between the authorities and the social movements (Afro-Brazilian and Indigenous) pro-Reparations.

The Negro Brazilian Congress for Reparations

As history always tells us: everyone knows that the hazardous discovery of the new world by the Europeans, the extermination of the indigenous, the maladjustment of the white man to the tropical weather, and the intervention of the catholic church were the origin of the African slavery: the Portuguese had been the first to supply the Spanish colonies in the America with African slaves, but within a few decades, many other Europeans, such as: Swedish, Danish, French, and Dutch had all entered the trade. Of course, the British were the principal slave traders.

With the achievement of the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and correlated forms of Intolerance, organized by the United Nations, in Durban, South Africa, in 2001, a new subject matter has gained space between the Black population militancy, REPARATIONS.

In this conference plenary a resolution has been attained to consider as crimes against humanity the colonialism to which the African have been submitted by the Europeans, the Trans-oceanic human beings traffic from Africa to be reduced to slavery work in the European and American continents, and the human slavery for the African agricultural production, and in the Americas and the Caribbean area. In considering those three historical facts, as crimes. The resolution was that the African descendants and in the African Diaspora of those that have suffered those crimes should be repaired. Thus, Reparations have been transformed into another Black People fight instrument in its deliverance process.

The remote towns of the country, for example, some Quilombola communities in the state of Rio de Janeiro are fully concerned about the process of the Negro National Congress for Reparations. The delegates from these communities have quickly come to symbolize the strong support to the Commission. “We fully believe it can be done sooner or later,” Yedo Ferreira, professor of history.

Black People Congress subject matter has been overlooked for twelve years, having reappeared in 2002, on the occasion of the World Social Forum − WSF, more specifically at the Black People Entity National Plenary Assembly aiming to evaluate the same at the World Social Forum, held in the same year, in Porto Alegre – Rio Grande do Sul.

“Looking at our different communities, it seems we are still living in the time of high apartheid period: at school; at work, and so on. We have to put an end to this horrible situation. I mean, enough is enough. I am completely against certain kinds of gatherings where people instead of forming one strong block, spend or waste their time fight among one another, and everyone wants to become the leader. And more, some people forget that our problems have to be solved right now, that’s why we need the Action Affirmative, because they are the immediate solutions of our problems. In my opinion, Reparations are a kind of Utopia. Yes, let´s keep on shaking the authorities locally or internationally,” comments Solange da Conceição, professor of history.

Pressure also could come from the different Non Governmental organizations which are always consulting the lawsuit line. “This is the line we should take. I mean, the lawsuit, in our country and also around the world so that the black populations can get their own identities and becoming stronger for demanding immediate satisfaction through the Affirmative Actions, instead of wasting time gathering or struggling for Reparations. We, black people around the world must create projects which promote the identification of common, cultural roots through the exchange with the African people. Reparations; at the same time organizing seminars, workshops, as we’re doing in Brazil now, for the sake of the congress,” declares Adilson Luziária, the chairman of Criaex – Center of Reintegration for the Outcast Children, and Adolescents.

In fact, the congress is a political project in potential, it is not therefore, an academic symposium but a meeting of an open activity likewise the Negro Brazilians Activity) with objective of implementing theoretical questions and separate political questions, in addition outlining strategies and tactics so that the Negro Brazilian can overcome existing contradictions in the Black people environment and resolve deadlocks as an option to a political open discussion for Historical Reparations and Affirmative Actions. The congress is due to be held in May 2009.

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