Haiti's African Heritage
There is the misfortune of Africa, once called the Dark Continent. Not for the pigmentation of its people, but because it once represented a mysterious, exotic, beautiful and unexplored mystery to Europeans, a vast continent of unblemished natural beauty whose complement of varied jungle and grassland animals were a wonder of the 19th Century.Africa, with its 52 countries from Algeria to Zimbabwe, with an immense population representing numerous tribes, speaking numberless languages.
Once colonialized by European countries like England, Italy, France, Portugal, Spain, Germany and Belgium for hundreds of years, and now independent. But not before millions of its people were transported in slave ships back to Europe and to North America and to places like the island of Hispaniola, where black slaves were set to work for their imperialist owners at farming, in a place now called Haiti.
Like their African forbears, Haitians share many traits and cultural remnants of what is undeniably their heritage. A heritage of bitter tribalism, of belief in black magic and the arcane, fearful powers of witch doctors, and an unfortunate propensity to violence.
Like many African nations today Haiti prides itself on the conceit that it is a democracy. One where tribal antipathies are translated into competitions like elections.
In the traditions exemplified by electoral protests in Zimbabwe, Kenya, Sudan, Somalia, and Ivory Coast where death squads of competing tribal affiliates embark on violent rampages, killing and wounding those of other tribes who appear in the ascendancy, Haiti too contests the results of elections that the competing factions have no intention of accepting as legitimate.
This seems all too typical of African-style democracies.
And so, the current election prior to the January presidency vote is being hotly, violently contested by factions who passionately insist that their chosen candidate must 'win', not the others whom they have no use for.
UN peacekeepers stationed in Haiti desperately attempt to keep violence at a low ebb, and are forced themselves to be violent in self defence. Youths, eager to rampage, to let off steam and to threaten whomever they wish, are shot to death. But these tragedies do not stop the furiously rampaging mobs.
In some areas, earthquake-ravaged Haiti sees roaming vicious thugs setting fire to entire towns that are also ransacked by the marauding 'protesters'. "We will destroy the country until Martelly is made president", vows one of the thugs, a masked youth, speaking for his brethren-in-violence.
Why not destroy everything? It will, after all, be re-built, at great cost, effort and humanitarian consternation - not to Haiti, but on the part of the international community.
The current president whose ineffectual response to the civilizing requirements of the country ensured it remains a feeble backwater implores: "Demonstrate, that is your right. But don't attack public buildings, businesses or private property. You are giving Haiti a bad image. Conflicts are not resolved by setting things on fire and breaking things. Pull yourselves together Haitians."
A necessarily sad but futile plea. Haitians are acting out, young men with nothing better to do to amuse themselves than to revolt and to ransack, to threaten and to rejoice in the general atmosphere of lawlessness, even in the presence of UN peacekeepers.
The peacekeepers were unable to intervene to save the lives of those whom villagers accused of black magic, insisting that 'white powder' was killing villagers, not cholera.
A country whose lawmakers have traditionally been corrupt, taking as much of international aid funding as they could manage, to advantage themselves personally, ignoring the plight of the poor.
The country has been plunged into chaos, because chaos seems so aptly to suit Haitians. And the women and the children cower in fear, and suffer degrading acts of violence, and worry that they may not survive yet another upheaval.
Labels: Africa, Political Realities, Poverty, Traditions, Troublespots
posted by Pieface @ Thursday, December 09, 2010
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