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Bourik chaje pa kanpe
A loaded donkey doesn't stand still
(Haitian Proverb)
CHAY LA | Main Story
Foreign Intervention
Last Friday, Kenya's High Court ruled that deploying police to Haiti would be unconstitutional. The court's position is that while the military could be deployed without a bilateral agreement, sending Kenyan police would be illegal.
This intervention was requested by de facto Prime Minister Ariel Henry, claiming that the Haitian National Police (PNH) needs help facing various armed groups who now control about 80% of the capital. The violence, rape, and loss of property exacted by the armed groups have displaced an estimated 3,000 Haitians in Site Solèy and Pènye this week alone. The UN Security Council voted to approve the non-UN mission in October 2023. We have discussed various concerns against foreign intervention in previous newsletters.
President William Ruto of Kenya responded to the court’s ruling that his government and Haiti were preparing the arrangement required by the court and suggested that the intervention might get moving as soon as next week.
“The mission was thrown into doubt after the Kenyan court ruled that it would be unconstitutional to deploy officers abroad unless there was a "reciprocal arrangement" in place with the host government.
Ruto said Haiti had asked for help months ago, and he expected a request would come shortly that would satisfy the demands of the court.
"So that mission can go ahead as soon as next week if all the paperwork is done between Kenya and Haiti on the bilateral route that has been suggested by the court," Ruto said following an Italian-Africa summit in Rome.” (Source: Reuters)
Securing financial resources for the deployment remains an issue. The Biden administration is seeking funding from Congress to foot most of the bill, and Republican lawmakers are requiring more details on the intervention before releasing additional funds beyond $10,000,000.
Past foreign military interventions in Haiti have resulted in the death of civilians, scandals like the cholera epidemic, as well as Haitian children abandoned by UN fathers. Beyond that, most people are skeptical that an intervention would change anything structurally, given that the gangs are controlled by powerful people. Proponents of foreign intervention argue that for Haitians living in places like Site Solèy and Pènye, an intervention would interrupt the daily terror under which these communities live.
We know that armed groups are formed to protect economic and political interests. This week, an arms buyer for the 400 Mawozo gang on trial in the US admitted as much. He explained that they smuggled guns from Florida into Haiti to affect the outcome of any eventual elections.
The relationship between the political and economic elites with gangs for personal gain and protection is something that folks in Haiti know, and Haitian human rights organizations like Fondasyon Je Klere have documented. A recent report by U.N. experts echoed just that. A foreign intervention won’t change that incentive structure. Only we can. Haitians need to realize that no one is coming to save us.
7 Fevriye
Meanwhile, this week, general strikes and protests took place in Okap, Podpè, Petyonvil, and Delma, and organizers have announced more as February 7th approaches. In Jeremi, high school students commemorating Fèt Filozof marched, demanding a proper education.
Demonstrations in front of the Canadian Embassy were violently dispersed by PNH officers, who fired tear gas at anti-government protesters on Jan. 31.
Various socio-political and trade union organizations behind the upcoming demonstrations warn that the de facto government is trying to stifle social movements, particularly in Grandans and Gonayiv.
In a press conference on Thursday, the political party Rassemblement social-démocrate pour le progrès d'Haïti (Rsd) called for Ariel Henry to step down to avoid bloodshed. A rally is scheduled for Monday, February 5, 2024, in front of Ariel Henry's office in Musseau, in Port-au-Prince, among others.
NEW ON WOYMAGAZINE.COM
This week on Woy Magazine, we explore The Rise and Fall of Claudine Gay, the first Black president of Harvard who resigned amid allegations of plagiarism and criticism over her handling of antisemitism on campus. Check out this piece written by Alex Audate here.
To understand how anti-Blackness left Dr. Gay susceptible to the unfortunate events that took place recently, one must understand the white supremacist propaganda that many Black immigrants, including Haitians, are fed. The unfortunate naïveté of the Black immigrant experience is buying into the white supremacist lie that there is an untapped chance at the American dream that Black Americans have simply “overlooked.” The violence of it is thinking that our Black siblings on this land are not “good enough” or “hardworking enough” to access it. An institution like Harvard does not exist for nearly 400 years (since 1636) without a Black president because no suitable Black candidate exists on this land.” (Source: Woy Magazine)
KILTIRÈL
Jazz in PAP
The 17th edition of PAPJAZZ, an international jazz festival, successfully took place in Pòtoprens last weekend. Like many other Haitian families, institutions, and cultural events, the festival was moved to Okap last year because of the deteriorating security conditions in the capital. The organizers decided to return to its home city. Still, they restrained the activities, which included workshops, concerts on one main stage, and after-hours performances at restaurants in the Petyonvil area. There was also a Discovery category for local artists who applied. Those chosen performed at the Centre Culturel Caraibes, where their show was also broadcast on RadioTele Caraibes.
In previous years, one of the main stages was housed at Université Quisqueya, where free concerts were held. However, with armed groups encroaching on more and more of Pòtoprens, that was not possible this year.
Artists from Spain, Cuba, Martinique, Mexico, and the legendary Cameroonian singer and bassist Richard Bona performed at PAPJAZZ this year. The festival also highlighted several Haitian acts, such as Beethova Obas, the group Nanm, Erol Josue, Max Lafaille, the Jazz Lakay Project, and Akoustik.
You might recall that we interviewed Charline Jean-Gilles, one of Nanm's founding members, last year. Check it out.
One critique of the PAPJAZZ festival is that it only pays the artists in the Discovery category of their showcase 1,000 Goud per artist (about $7.55 dollars at the current exchange rate).
An event like PAPJAZZ might seem alarming to some amid such turmoil, but we should not underestimate the importance of art and celebration in our lives. It is not a trivial matter. Also, artists deserve an opportunity to share their work and earn a living. Check out these pictures of the festival by Vicky Onelien for Woy Magazine.