Bonjou! Welcome to the latest edition of Woy Magazine’s weekly newsletter, providing you with must-know news and commentary on Haiti and our Diaspora.
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The Heroes We Make
For the first quarter of the year, Woy Magazine is delving into the world of the myths and folklore that contribute so much to Haitian culture and society. This week, our friend Ian Rolf analyzes the ways in which we deify some of the heroes of the past. He writes:
With the likes of Dessalines, Toussaint, Christophe, Sanite Belair, and more we boast our own pantheon of national heroes whose exploits could fill many books. And with good reason, for these accomplishments were world shifting. The deeds of these men and women led to the creation of the first nation of free Black men and women in the New World. This went against the established order of the world in a very literal sense. The results of their actions went beyond the limits of collective imagination, it gave birth to something once considered outside the realm of possibilities. For this, we as a nation put them on the highest pedestal.
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I Believe the Children Are Our Future…
There’s something that must be said when school children feel the need to take matters of life and death into their own hands. We’ve seen it with America’s children and mass shootings, and everyone knows about Greta Thunberg’s fight to save the planet. But this week, it was Haitian children once again protesting en masse to call out the government’s inaction on the country’s growing kidnapping crisis. On Monday morning, a young 10-year-old student in Kafou was torn from his mother when kidnappers descended upon the two-some seizing the child.
Although the child was released just hours later, students poured into the streets to denounce the act. At one point, a photo of schoolchildren pooling together their money to free one of their fellow classmates was shared on social media. The mini-activists who protested this week also called for all schools to be shutdown in the face of increased violence, as well. Le Nouvelliste explains:
Dans la cour de l’Ensemble Scolaire Père Bazile Moreau, plusieurs écoliers, la peur au ventre, attendent leurs parents. Ils sont tétanisés. Traumatisés. « Personne n’est épargné. Cela pouvait être moi ou un autre parmi nous qui sommes ici », a réagi Junior, la voix tremblotante. Les responsables de l’école n’ont pas fait attendre pour faire connaitre leur position. Les portes des écoles restent fermées jusqu’à la libération de la victime, a fait savoir Bazile Jean Thony, directeur pédagogique de l’institution. « Cette situation on l’a trop vécue. C’est inacceptable », a-t-il martelé.
Maybe He’s Born With It…Maybe It’s Faux Humility
As school children were forced to miss class to decry violence, the president, Jovenel Moïse, used a rare online event to ask for the public’s help in tackling the growing number of kidnappings. During the stream, Moïse implored:
“I don’t have a problem carrying this weight on my back; I am not afraid to carry it. But I need your help, I need the support of the population. I need a marriage with the police and the population to allow us today to grab the thugs by the neck.”
This rare ask from the president comes just one week after he threatened political opponents with use of his new secret police force. Ruling by decree since early 2020, Moïse announced late last year the creation of a new intelligence agency, “whose primary focus is on information gathering and the repression of hostile acts that could be perceived as a threat to national security.” All members of this group would be armed and their identities would remain anonymous to the public. I guess this is one area of security where the president doesn’t need the public’s help.
A Shackled Press
Yesterday, several hundred journalists and activists took to the streets of the capital to call attention to the number of reporters and media personnel who’ve been killed or injured while covering their beats. The Associated Press writes:
Freelance photojournalist Vladjimir Legagneur disappeared in March 2018 while on assignment, while Rospide Pétion was fatally shot in June 2019 as he drove home after finishing a radio program in which talked about corruption allegations against the administration of President Jovenel Moïse. In October 2019, Néhémie Joseph, a reporter for Panic FM and Radio Mega, was found in his car in Mirebalais, shot several times in the head.
Last year, another journalist survived a shooting attack, while there was an arson attack on the offices of Radio Television Caraibes during a protest organized by police officers demanding higher wages and better working conditions.
The state of the Haitian press has a long history of being in a precarious state, but reporters have witnessed an uptick in the vulnerability that comes with their positions under the current government. Ayibopost reports:
Une douzaine de journalistes victimes de violences policières durant ces quatre dernières années ont été interrogés dans le cadre de cet article. La majeure partie d’entre eux rapportent une augmentation des abus de la Police nationale d’Haïti envers la corporation, sous l’administration de Jovenel Moïse.
Plusieurs rapports d’organisations internationales confirment une détérioration de la situation. Haïti a perdu 21 places dans l’Index sur la liberté de la presse sortie par Reporters sans frontières en 2020. C’est la plus forte baisse enregistrée pour l’année dans le monde.
Justice Disappeared
With insecurity reaching new heights day by day, one has to wonder just what kind of effect this is having on Haiti’s justice system, which has long struggled to withstand decades of upheaval. The answer from one judge?:
“Don’t let them arrest you, because you don’t know when you will be released from prison.”
According to Marie-Yolène Gilles, the executive director of Fondasyon Je Klere, “The system is on its knees. It has been crippled for a year now.” Matters are now only expected to get worse given President Moïse’s decree launching his new intelligence agency, which also inflates the definition of terrorism, casting a greater net as to which actions can be deemed as such an offense by the state.
What’s more, the lack of judges has also posed a serious threat to the country’s justice matters:
Brian Concannon, an adviser for the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti, said not appointing judges results in fewer voices ruling against the government and sends a message to current judges that their terms won't be renewed unless they fall in line with Moïse's administration.
It also has the effect of politicizing the judiciary, with well-known cases involving crimes against humanity and high-ranking officials being stalled while those of few resources and power await trial in detention, said Alexandra Filippova, a senior attorney at the institute.
An Update On Last Week’s Deportation Story
As you may remember, last week we highlighted the terrifying case of two brothers who were refused entry by Customs and Border Patrol at a San Francisco airport despite holding visas. While the older teenaged boy was deported to the Dominican Republic, his younger, 9-year-old brother was held in ICE detention. Today, we’re relieved to report that the latter was reunited with his family after being put on a flight to Haiti on Wednesday.
Ishena Robinson of the Root notes:
…a child psychiatrist who worked on the case told immigration officials that the 9-year-old was traumatized by his experience in detention, as he had never spent any time away from his family.
“He was looking forward to being with his mom again.”
In a recent press release published by the UndocuBlack Network, “the United States jailed and consequently deported more than one thousand Black immigrants in the fiscal year 2020, in the middle of a global pandemic.”
Get to Know a Real One…Again
Every time we think we’ve learned everything there is to know about Toussaint L’Ouverture, our fave Professor Marlene Daut gives us some new information to ponder. If you haven’t already, check out this new BBC program featuring Dr. Daut, Sudhir Hazareesingh and Weibert Arthus where they profile one of the greatest revolutionaries of all time.
Where Haiti and NOLA Collide
Here’s something for you to look forward to next week: WXPN - Philadelphia will be launching Kanaval: Haitian Rhythms and the Music of New Orleans, a year-long project that will explore the continuing impact Haiti has had on the Crescent City. Kanaval includes a nationally-distributed three-hour documentary that will be released on February 1, hosted by Haitian-American and New Orleans-based musician Leyla McCalla, a founding member of Our Native Daughters and Carolina Chocolate Drops. It also features live performances, virtual events, and more.
Head to their website for more information (click here), which includes special curated playlists and blog posts. Have a fantastic and restful weekend, friends!
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