Joumou pa donnen kalbas
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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A pye nou ye
Haitians start the new year with tradition, and this year was no different — despite the country's conditions. Ordinary Haitians have never counted on the state to commemorate our ancestors’ victories and celebrate as a community. This year, celebrations included the NANM festival, which took place in Okap and featured some of Haiti’s most prolific musicians; the honorary soup joumou prepared in all Haitian households in honor of our fight for freedom and independence; an annual biking festival in Gros-Morne called “Gwomòn ap pedale,” a kite festival in Jacmel for Fet Inosan / Fete des Aieux; and celebrations at the lakou for Fèt Lè Wa, to name a few. Here are some images from these gatherings across the country.
Unfortunately, these celebrations were also punctuated by violence. De facto Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who reportedly insisted on traveling to Gonayiv for the traditional mass, ended up escaping under gunfire — unable to make his speech — in the city where our independence was declared. The incident also resulted in one casualty.
Des tirs nourris ont été entendus aux alentours de la Cathédrale, où un important dispositif de sécurité a été mis en place pour sécuriser le périmètre, lors du déroulement du Te Deum.
La présence de fidèles n’a pas été remarquée à l’église, sauf quelques personnalités et autorités locales, suite aux menaces proférées par des bandits.
Pour laisser la Cathédrale, la délégation officielle a été obligée de prendre ses jambes à son cou, alors que des crépitements d’armes automatiques étaient entendus dans les parages, une véritable panique.” (Source: Alterpresse)
12 years later
Wednesday, January 12th, marked the 12th anniversary of the tragic earthquake that leveled the country’s capital in 2010. This was a day of grief for many to remember those lost or to reflect on the devastation left behind.
The earthquake took the lives of more than 300,000 people that day. It also left an estimated 1.3 million people (or about 11% of the population at the time) displaced or homeless. Economic damages resulting from the earthquake amounted to about US$8 billion, according to the IDB. Beyond what we could see, the earthquake also took a significant toll on the population’s mental health, a subject that remains taboo today.
While some considered what we lost that day, others pondered the scandalous recovery efforts that ensued, involving some of the world’s most prominent international figures and agencies.
Konbit Jounalist Lib released a short documentary questioning these efforts. "Are the national and international actors abusing the Haitian people's resilience?"
The video speaks with survivors and activists, summarizing the promises that were made and never brought to fruition, along with the funds that were wasted in the aftermath. The report also visits people who are still living in tent cities to this day, awaiting the state to help them rebuild the homes they lost in the earthquake, to no avail.
FOKAL hosted a live memorial called “Fè Yon Peyi" commemorating personalities such as Michelle Pierre-Louis, Gessica Geneus, Eliezer Guerisme, and Yannick Lahens. These exchanges were interspersed with beautiful performances of music and poetry. Rewatch the entire event on YouTube.
As we remember the earthquake of January 12th here at Woy Magazine, Katie-Flore Fils-Aimé reminded us of a harsh reality — where many lives could have otherwise been spared in this incident and in the many that followed — the Haitian government is entirely unprepared to respond to crisis.
In an exclusive piece for Woy Magazine, Fils-Aimé reflects on the tragic fire which recently took place in Cap-Haitian, on December 14th, 2021. The failures that led to this tragedy are many — from fuel shortages to a lack of healthcare infrastructure.
[...] decentralization has never been an urgency in political programs to help rural towns gain autonomy. Following what occurred in Cap Haitian, many of the wounded had to be transferred to Port-au-Prince because only Doctors Without Borders (whose headquarters are located in Port-au-Prince) has the capacity to treat the severely burned.
A government is a representation of its citizens. One is not detached from the other. But a conscious government, one that believes in sustainable development and chooses to cut ties with unacceptable practices, could make a significant difference and transform the lives of its citizens. (Source: Woy Magazine)
Political Theater
The second Monday of the year marked the reopening of the Haitian parliament. There are currently only ten elected senators in office since the terms of many of the members of parliament have elapsed, and no elections were held to elect their replacements. With that, the reopening of parliament revives the debate regarding terms of office for elected officials — a debate which you may remember marked the last few months of Jovenel Moise's life regarding his own term of office.
Amid the debate concerning whether or not these last ten senators' terms have elapsed, Joseph Lambert, President of the Senate, held a ceremony to mark the legislative reopening, where he insisted that the remaining senators' terms will be extending to January 2023.
En principe, deux tiers du Sénat, la Chambre des députés, les collectivités et les municipalités vont être renouvelés. Déjà des questions se posent sur la formation et les provisions légales du Conseil électoral, sans oublier les préoccupations qui se rapportent à la durée et au terme du mandat des élus. Il n'y a aucune certitude quant à la capacité de l'ONI à délivrer les cartes renouvelées, ni de nouvelles cartes à ceux qui viennent d'accéder à la majorité civile et politique », a énuméré le parlementaire.
Pour contrecarrer ceux qui disent que le mandat des dix sénateurs encore en fonction prend fin ce lundi 10 janvier 2022, Joseph Lambert déclare que les dix sénateurs « exercent leur mandat qui expire au deuxième lundi de janvier 2023… (Source: Le Nouvelliste)
Investigation Update
There have been a few more arrests tied to the assassination of Jovenel Moise. In the latest, Rodolphe Jaar was interviewed by The New York Times, where he made claims regarding PM Ariel Henry's relationship to one of the investigations lead suspects, Joseph Felix Badio.
Phone records seen by The New York Times, as well as interviews with Haitian officials and a principal suspect in the crime, reveal potentially incriminating details about the two men’s relationship. Among them: Mr. Badio spoke to Mr. Henry before the killing and afterward, including in two calls for a total of seven minutes the morning after the assassination.
Then, when Mr. Badio was wanted by the police, he visited Mr. Henry, according to two Haitian officials with knowledge of the investigation.
Four months after the assassination, the officials said, Mr. Badio went to Mr. Henry’s official residence twice — both times at night — and was able to walk in unimpeded by the prime minister’s security guards, despite being on the run from the police. (Source: The New York Times)
This isn't the first time Henry has come under suspicion in this murder. You may remember that the top prosecutor in the case was promptly sacked back in September, for seeking charges against Henry. The RNDHH had also reported ties between Henry and Badio.
On January 6th, 2022, they released yet another incendiary report unveiling the prime suspects in the case, their roles in the murder, and roadblocks preventing the investigation from moving forward.
The investigation conducted by the National Human Rights Defense Network (RNDDH) revealed that this assassination occurred after the assembly of a well-crafted plan for the preparation of which, the intellectual authors were able to count on the support of two (2) Presidential Security Officials, namely Divisional Commissioner Jean Laguel CIVIL and Municipal Commissioner Dimitri HERARD, respectively coordinator of the general security of the assassinated president and head of the General Security Unit of the National Palace (USGPN). (Source: RNDDH)
Because of the international breadth of the crime, international juridictions have come into play in the arrests. The international scope of the case has also drawn the attention of the foreign press, taking some pressure off of a local press with limited resources and a very demanding and complex case to investigate.
Yon medya tankou The New York Times depanse plis pase yon milya ak 607 milyon dola (1.6milya) dola pou ane 2020 an. The New York Times ki gen 4500 anplwaye gen lajan ki plis pase mwatye bidjè peyi d Ayiti ki genyen plis pase onz (11) milyon moun k ap viv ladan l. Medya sa a genyen pami anplwaye l yo, 1700 jounalis nan 160 peyi.
Donk, nou pa kapab konpare pèfòmans medya etranje sa yo, san nou pa konsidere mwayen materyèl ak finansye ki fè yon fonksyone.
[…]
Menm si lajan se yon eleman ki enpòtan pou medya yo ekziste ak pwodui kalite, sa pa eksplike li otomatikman pwodui pi bon kalite. Nan domèn pwodiksyon enfòmasyon, fon travay la toujou gen plis enpòtans pase fòm nan. (Source: AyiboPost)
Beyond the financial limits, the physical risks of practicing journalism in Haiti increase daily. The recent assassination of 2 journalists in Laboule 12 last week brings this reality into sharp relief. According to the BBC, journalists Wilguens Louissaint and Amady John Wesley, were killed by a rival gang in Laboule 12 after interviewing the leader of the Baz Ti Makak gang.
If you would like to help cover the funeral costs for Wilguens Louissaint and Amady John Wesley you can do so here.
Insecurity and kidnappings remain a general concern for most in the country — from even the poorest to the wealthiest. Harrowing stories of kidnappings, abuse and death have become commonplace. Anne Myriam Bolivar, a reporter, shares her brush with death in a piece for Global Press Journal:
As I start to write this, it’s summer; the air is hot and sticky. In years past, this was the season of patronal feasts, festivals dedicated to various Catholic saints. They are religious celebrations but also community celebrations, a moment of reunion with friends. Since I was a little girl, I’ve attended the feast in honor of Mary, the mother of Jesus, at Our Lady of the Assumption cathedral in the city of Les Cayes. Not this year.
Montona Accord and PEN sign an agreement
In an effort to create a political consensus, members of the Montana Accord and the Protocole d’entente nationale (PEN) have reached an agreement to establish a two-year transitional government. Based on this agreement, the transitional government would be led by a presidential body made up of 5 members, a Prime Minister, and a ministerial cabinet.
Chacune des trois structures suivantes désignera un membre au collège présidentiel : l’accord de Montana ; le Protocole d’entente nationale (PEN) et le gouvernement en place. Selon les critères définis par le Conseil national de transition, une structure mise en place dans le cadre de l’application de l’accord de Montana, des organisations importantes de la société civile désigneront les deux autres membres du collège présidentiel après validation par les membres du consensus politique, lit-on dans le document signé entre l’accord de Montana et le PEN. Le collège présidentiel comportera au moins une femme, a précisé le consensus politique. (Source: Le Nouvelliste)
Woukoukou
On January 12th, the Sèvitè of Lakou Souvnans Fernand Bien-Aimé passed away. In an interview from 2012, Bien-Aimé explains the history of Lakou Souvnans and the challenges of running such a community. May he rest in power.