Bèl dan pa di zanmi
Welcome to the latest edition of Woy Magazine’s biweekly newsletter, providing you with must-know news and commentary on Haiti and our Diaspora.
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Haitian Migrants under Del Rio Bridge
The plight of the Haitian migrants that took shelter under the Del Rio Bridge continues. Human rights advocates are now voicing concerns over the wellbeing of dozens held at the Torrance County Detention Facility in Estancia, New Mexico. Reports of abuse, medical neglect and limited access to legal services bring great pause as we are forced to consider the need for such cruelty. Requests to be released to family members or sponsors as cases are being processed have also been denied.
The jail is managed by the for-profit private prison corporation CoreCivic. Earlier this year, Torrance actually failed its annual government inspection over severe understaffing, unsanitary and other unsafe conditions. Torrance also saw a massive COVID-19 outbreak and was sued in May by several asylum seekers after guards pepper-sprayed them for launching a peaceful hunger strike last year protesting inhumane conditions. For more, we’re joined in Santa Fe, New Mexico, by immigration attorney Allegra Love of the El Paso Immigration Collaborative. Welcome to Democracy Now!, Allegra. If you can describe who the Haitian asylum-seekers are in the Torrance facility in Estancia and what is happening to them now. (Source: Democracy Now!)
NYT Lage Zen
On Sunday December 12th, the New York Times released a detailed report suggesting that the late de facto president Jovenel Moise may have been assassinated because he was gathering a list of drug and arm traffickers in the country to turn over to U.S. authorities. The article was released after months of investigation and interviews with people close to Moise; revealing a number of compelling facts about the events leading up to Moise's ascent into power and his eventual assassination. To Haitians, however, many of these revelations were open rumors. Many of these allegations frequently made the rounds by word of mouth or through the infamous teledjòl — but only intermittently documented in the Haitian press.
In 2014, Le Nouvelliste reported on ‘Kiko’ Charles St-Remy’s drug dealings — the brother-in-law of Jovenel’s predecessor, Michel Martelly. Sighted among anti-government protestors at the time, he was denounced as a threat to the opposition’s efforts being a symbol of the mafioso networks in Haiti.
Le secrétaire exécutif du Réseau national de défense des droits de l'homme n'a pas manqué d'attirer l'attention sur les connexions existant entre le beau-frère du chef de l'Etat et «Baz Galil» dont l'un des commandants, Woodly Ethéart, alias Sonson Lafamila, se trouve en prison à Croix-des-Bouquets. «Dans les efforts de la police en vue de démanteler le groupe "Baz Galil", on s'est rendu compte qu'il en est l'un des alliés», a confié Pierre Espérance. Sonson Lafamilia et Kiko St-Rémy dirigeaient collectivement un restaurant, a poursuivi M. Espérance. (Source: Le Nouvelliste)
Rumors of tension between Martelly and Moise had also been circulating in Haiti for years now — along with a new alliance between Moise and Laurent Lamothe — Martelly's longest lasting Prime Minister. Lamothe's tenure as prime minister ultimately ended with his being sidelined by Martelly, following public attacks and protests from St-Remy. La Loi de Ma Bouche (a popular Haitian blog) detailed the conflict between Lamothe, Martelly, and St-Remy in a recent blog post following the NYT piece.
What does a rift between Lamothe and Martelly prove about Martelly's relationship to Moise? Well, for many who follow Haitian politics closely, Moise's final decree before being assassinated was seen as a confirmation of the long rumored allyship between Jovenel and Lamothe. It was also seen as a roundabout and not-so-discreet way of Moise paving the way for a Lamothe presidential run. We covered this in our newsletter on the week of Moise's assassination:
We should note that prior to his death, Jovenel Moïse issued a last presidential decree which overrides a constitutional and Parliamentary rule that allows for the parliamentary body to provide a “décharge” to all former prime ministers, they have been found to have committed no acts of financial fraud or thievery. Moïse, in a nutshell, provides a blank slate to any person who handled or oversaw public funds since 1991.
To many, this decree is the last, serious blow dealt by the former president to the movement demanding lawmakers and officials account for the missing funds of the PetroCaribe program and it opens the way for many to run for office."
Among the open rumors were the allegations of Martelly’s drug trafficking activities. In 2018, Haitian media outlet, Ayibopost, released a piece where former police chief Mario Andresol alleged that President Martelly was involved in transporting drugs for Colombians.
While we welcome this renewed lens and skepticism on the Martelly presidency, it is also important to consider who might benefit from painting Moise as a hero. A de facto president whose term was widely contested, and who in the last few months of his life was seeing consistent mass protests calling for his resignation.
The New York Times article also conveniently leaves out USA’s involvement and continued support of the PHTK regime despite these open rumors and allegations.
The plight of Haitian women
From Nov. 25 to Dec. 10, feminist organizations in Haiti came forward to do their part in the context of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence. This annual international campaign brings to the public square the issue of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and opens up a discussion around what to do about it through a series of activities.
Haitian women face a particular set of challenges in Haiti. Rape has been on the rise due to the worsening insecurity issues. But as they flee the country in droves, their plight as migrants also leaves them exposed and subject to abuse.
In a previous newsletter, we covered the Dominican Republics’s recent efforts to curb to the influx of migrants coming in from Haiti — consisting, in part, of the targeting pregnant Haitian women at health centers and hospitals. According to Christla Dorcely, a pregnant migrant who was detained by immigration patrols in these efforts, the consequences are far greater than deportation.
Comme d’autres sans-papiers capturés par les autorités, Christla Dorcely est transportée au bureau migratoire Centro de acogida vacacional haina. Là, elle risquait de passer une ou deux jours en détention, avant d’être mise dans un bus à destination de la ville frontalière la plus proche que ce soit à Belladère, Ouanaminthe, Malpasse ou Anse-à-Pitre.
« Dans ce centre de détention, deux agents dominicains ont procédé à ma fouille corporelle, relate Christla Dorcely. Ils ont aussi tâté mes seins et glissé leur droit dans ma partie intime », dénonce la dame qui dit avoir lutté pour empêcher les attouchements dégradants, avant sa déportation vers Haïti.
Selon Joseph Mike Lysias, responsable de communication du Groupe d’Appui aux Rapatriés et Réfugiés (GARR), des violations graves de droits humains sont constatées lors des rapatriements de migrants haïtiens à la frontière : attouchements sexuels, tentatives de viol, vols d’objets de valeur, violences psychologiques et physiques. (Source: AyiboPost)
In Haitian prisons, women's rights and specific needs are non existent. The feminist organization MARIJÀN detailed the situation in a recent text. Life in Haiti’s prisons is described as hell on earth; where over-population, abuse at the hands of officers, a lack of access to health services, and spoiled meals make for notoriously atrocious conditions. But for women, this reality is particularly strenuous:
La prison en Haïti ne prend pas en compte les règles sensibles au genre ni le fait que les femmes ont des besoins spécifiques. Or, en tant que groupe social vulnérable, cela devrait être une préoccupation. Dans le cas d’une femme qui accouche d’un enfant en prison, Fabiola explique : « Les femmes enceintes accouchent à la prison, car il y a des infirmières qui s’en chargent. Mais elles ne reçoivent pas les soins post-accouchement correctement : elles ne prennent pas de vapeur, ni ne boivent de la tisane, ni ne peuvent se protéger du froid comme ça se fait en situation normale. On te donne seulement des comprimés pour t’aider à rétablir. » (Source: Marijan)
Fire in Okap
At the heels of a fuel crisis and a recent increase in fuel prices — an overturned fuel tanker exploded on Tuesday December 14th — taking the lives of 75 people and leaving many more injured. This tragic incident took place in Samari, at the entrance of Okap. Many of the victims were people who were people clammoring for the chance to obtain free fuel from the overturned truck, as fuel has become a scarce commodity.
What ensued is now a terrible cautionary tale for those who were lucky enough to survive the blast. Even residents who remained in their homes fell victim to the explosion. Foufoune Salomon who now suffers from severe burns is one such victim:
« J’ai dormi plus tôt que prévu dans la soirée du lundi parce que j’étais fatiguée. Les bruits que j’avais entendus autour de la maison m’avaient réveillée. Je croyais que les gens se précipitaient dehors à cause d’un tremblement de terre », a expliqué Foufoune.
Elle a passé toutes ses actions en revue. « Une voisine m’avait conseillé d’aller passer la nuit à la rue 5. J’aurais dû le faire. Je lui ai dit qu’un séisme ne dure pas. C’est alors qu’elle m’a informé de la situation. Je suis restée à une bonne distance. Des voisines et moi avions décidé de faire la circulation dans la zone. J’ai vu des membres de la population qui venaient de ‘’Lafosèt’’ en quête du carburant. On les a déconseillés de se servir. Malgré tout, ils ont foncé. Et c’est à ce moment que l’explosion a eu lieu », a-t-elle raconté minutieusement. (Source: Le Nouvelliste)
The mayor of Cap-Haitian was interviewed on the matter and cites the plunderers as the primary cause of the blast. However, many understand this incident as the result of failed governance, and the actions of these citizens is to be expected in the face of scarcity.
Sadly, the city is not equipped to respond to such an event and no hospitals in the country are capable of responding to the needs of the burn victims. Haiti’s biggest hospital, l’Hôpital de l’Université d’Etat d’Haïti, lost its burn unit in the 2010 earthquake. And the one hospital with a burn unit capable of tending to such severe burns cannot accommodate all of the victims of the blast.
La seule entité spécialisée dans la prise en charge des grands brûlés en Haïti se trouve à l’hôpital de Médecins sans Frontières à Tabarre, selon un porte-parole de l’institution.
Cette institution se trouvait à Drouillard, mais elle a dû se relocaliser à Tabarre en février, à cause des assauts répétés des bandits dans la zone.
Cette relocalisation n’est pas sans conséquence. MSF pouvait recevoir plus de 40 grands brûlés à son hôpital de traumatologie/grands brûlés de Drouillard. Aujourd’hui, ce chiffre se divise par deux.
« Sur les vingt places disponibles à Tabarre, quinze étaient déjà occupées lors de l’incendie survenu au Cap-Haïtien », révèle à AyiboPost le docteur Anicet Umba, directeur médical de Médecins sans frontières. (Source: AyiboPost)
If people are interested in donating to the response effort in Okap, we recommend you give to Okap Kolektif. They are a group of individuals and businesses from the city itself — collecting money and medical supplies for the care of the burn victims.
Fuel prices increase
The cost of fuel went up recently as part of a plan to eliminate government subsidies on fuel and get a handle on the national deficit. A tenuous issue, the price hikes are said to leave public transportation costs unaffected since gasoline prices will not increase by much — though that is very relative in a country as poor as Haiti.
Yet, it is diesel and kerosene, two of the most commonly used forms of fuel, which will be subject to the greatest increases. In the case of diesel, prices will more than double.
Le gallon de gazoline passera de 201.00 gourdes à 250.00 gourdes, soit une augmentation de 49.00 gourdes (Ndlr : US 1.00 = 101.00 gourdes ; 1 euro = 113.00 gourdes ; 1 peso dominicain = 1.80 gourde aujourd’hui).
Le gallon de diesel coûtera 353.00 gourdes au lieu de 169.00 gourdes, soit une augmentation de 184.00 gourdes.
Le gallon de kérosène, qui se vendait à 163.00 gourdes, passera à 352.00 gourdes, soit une augmentation de 189.00 gourdes. (Source: AlterPresse)
CNT put in place by the Commission for a Haitian solution
On December12th, the Commission for a Haitian Solution moved to establish the Conseil national de transition (CNT). The group, consisting of 52 people appointed by political parties, political groups and civil society organizations, is charged with choosing an interim president and prime minister.
La cérémonie d’installation du Cnt s’est déroulée dans un hôtel de Pétionville en présence de nombreux représentants de la société civile et des milieux politiques. Des parlementaires, dont le président du tiers du sénat, Joseph Lambert, et des membres de plusieurs missions diplomatiques y ont aussi assisté. (Source: AlterPresse)
Though it is viewed as a slow process, this avenue is also seen as a more credible option based on its participatory nature. And with the recent spotlight on PHTK's corruption, the commission's resolve to propose an alternative to the Haitian people is strengthened.
Freedom Soup
Soup Joumou has officially been added to the List of Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. Haitians and government officials celebrated the news with great pride. And while it is nice to see a little bit of positive news about Haiti, we definitely didn't need UNESCO to know that Soup Joumou is a real gift and a national treasure. Throwing it back to one of the first articles ever published on Woy Magazine, Soup Joumou, a bowl of history, love and nutrition:
"There are no memories before soup joumou. There is no marker in the mind for when this food was introduced to my body. As long as I’ve been collecting the trinkets of my days as souvenirs in my mind, there has been pumpkin soup."
Jokes aside, let us please not forget to celebrate the deliciousness that is bouyon tèt kabrit as this Haitian queen so aptly pointed out.
Oscar Buzz
We are also beaming with pride thanks to Gessica Geneus and her film Freda, which was recently recognized by legendary director Francis Ford Copola in its bid for an Oscar nomination. Geneus recently gave a heartfelt interview on CBS about what this means for Haitians and the world at large to see a movie about Haitians and their realities, and their fight for justice. The hashtag being used to support Freda's Oscar campaign is #FredaOscar2022
Jah & Jahes love. Thank you for another stellar edition of Woy magazine. I am so proud of our beloved sister Gessica Geneus for her great accomplishments in film. I cannot wait to watch Freda and her other films. And I will start using the Hashtag #FredaOscar2022! I also wish that folks would acknowledge the culinary and healing contributions of the Empress Marie Claire Heureuse Felicite who supposedly developed the recipe for the soup joumou that we eat on January 1 to commemorate Ayiti's independence. I would like to point out that the pumpkin soup can be made for vegans and vegetarians and also for raw vegans. The vegetable ingredients, specifically the pumpkins and the seeds are very good to help with worms and other toxic build up in the body. Lastly, I really apprecilove the discussion about the week dedicated to discussion of violence against girls and women in Ayiti. Unfortunately, we continue to experience extreme violence of all kinds in the diaspora which has to be included in the discussion. Also, I am very happy that Dr. Michel DeGraff has made those great comments about former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's involvement with the (s)elections in Ayiti. And, I wish that the New York Times would include that in their reporting about the PHTK! Blessed love. #1804 #Ayiti #FredaOscar2022