Devon Dick IN 1817 about 15 slaves from Jamaica stole a boat and sailed it, not to the United States where slavery was still in existence, but to Haiti to seek refuge and freedom. The third Haitian President after the declaration of independence in 1804, president Petion, despite all entreaties from the Jamaican authorities, sent back the boat but refused to send back the Jamaicans. Haiti was a beacon of hope for Blacks in the Americas, seen as a place of refuge where one could escape slavery and become a free citizen.
HAITI....
.... Invaded, conquered and annexed the Dominican Republic so that the entire island of Hispaniola was officially one country Haiti between 1822 and 1844. George W. Bush, President of the USA, would be happy to learn that this pre-emptive war by the Haitian generals was done to defend the independence of Haiti. Bush, however, might not want to know that the Dominican Republic has not forgiven the Haitians and many Haitians now work in the Dominican Republic's cane pieces under slavery conditions.
... Was invaded and occupied by the United States of America. The USA robbed Haiti of its independence between 1915 and 1934. The Haitians had to fight with sticks, machetes and pens to regain their independence. And according to Arthur Newland, who is doing postgraduate work on the Jamaican/Haitian connection through Boukman Dutty, Bertrand Aristide's second time as president of Haiti was instigated by the USA. Could this be part of the present unrest?
...Was repenetrated by hundred of Whites at the turn of the 19th into the 20th century, who posed a tremendous challenge to the economic and political sovereignty of Haitians. This repenetration came not through political rulers but from merchants, traders, bankers, diplomats, Roman Catholic priests and nuns.
.... Endured nearly 30 years of blood-letting and tears-shedding under 'Papa Doc' Duvalier and 'Baby Doc' Duvalier, two predatory presidential dictators who left the nation hungry and the treasury empty.
... In liberating itself from slavery, meant that this occurrence could be seen as the most outstanding event in the history of Caribbean people. This is the first and only successful slave revolt that led to the first black republic in this hemisphere.
Out of the despised culture of persons who are poor, marginalised and downtrodden amazingly arose in the 20th century a great cultural diffusion which brought the black authentic culture of the peasants into acceptable, respectable mainstream of elite culture of the 1920s and 1930s. This was the birth of a new black consciousness in Haiti. That was when black became beautiful in Haiti. It means that black became beautiful in Haiti almost two generations earlier than in Jamaica. Now we are young, gifted and black and that is a fact!
Thanks to Professor Carl Campbell of the University of the West Indies (UWI), who speaking on the occasion of the bicentenary of the Haitian Independence which was won on January 1, 1804, enlightened me and many in the audience at the undercroft of the UWI in an interesting presentation which reverberated with 'Did you know or have you forgotten?' Campbell did well at this event, organised by Professor Carolyn Cooper. He had to follow acts of song, speech, dance, drumming and an effective chairing by Mutabaruka and he still did very well. Historians can be dull but not so with professor Campbell's interesting presentation. Intellec-tuals can speak above the heads of others but not this professor of history who could be understood by my teenage daughters who were in the audience.
COGENT SUMMARY
His cogent summary and biting analysis is worth quoting in full, "Did you know or have you forgotten that this Haiti so magnificent in the defence of its independence so successful in the education of the black intellectuals and professionals so brave in accepting the burden of defending intellectually the black man's claims to international recognition as the equal of the white man. Did you know that alas, this same Haiti fatally and enduringly allowed military society to become more important than civil society and army generals to become more important than civilian citizens? By this fatal flaw in its internal politics, the rulers and elite of the Republic of Haiti failed to put sufficient value on the practice of democracy or on the protection of human rights."
And as the CARICOM initiative tries to grapple with the present Haitian problems, it must take a look in the rear view mirror and heed the words of Professor Carl Campbell who stated, "The main problems which currently afflict Haiti in the past 20 years the problem of economic development of the masses, the problem of militarism, the problem of the under valuation of human rights ... all these current problems are deeply rooted in the heroic past of Haiti."
Now I know.
The Rev Devon Dick is pastor of the Boulevard Baptist Church
