Onè! 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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Mèsi Washington
The earthquake that occurred in August was one devastating event in an already tough year and an even tougher decade. The peak number of Haitians fleeing the country in the last decade has reflected this. This week, 344 groups published a letter calling on the Biden Administration to halt deportations and expand their humanitarian response to Haitian immigrants in the wake of the recent devastating earthquake and the assassination of Jovenel Moise. The groups condemned the continued deportation of Haitian citizens, claiming it falls in contradiction to the administration's acknowledgment that the human rights situation in Haiti is critical. “Is the goal of the U.S. government to continue to contribute to the destabilization of Haiti?” said Guerline Jozef, executive director of Haitian Bridge Alliance.
The recent ship sent to Haiti as aid from the United States and this call for a halt to deportations recalls 2010, where a wave of aid was sent in as a form of migration control. The Christian Science Monitor reported back in 2010:
Should Haitians try to leave their island nation en masse, US officials could activate what’s called the “mass migration plan.” Put together by Homeland Security officials in 2004, it triggers legal authorities for local and federal agencies. Among other things, it allows the Defense Department to deploy ships to the region to hold hundreds of migrants at sea before they are repatriated.
Jonathan Katz spoke of this in a recent interview with Slate.
"When people remember—if people even now remember—the quake from 11 years ago, they often remember that there were these big, totemic money figures floated about. But where did the money go? If you actually look back at that, you’ll see that much more was pledged to Haiti than was ever delivered, and the vast majority of the money that was given never went to Haiti. It just went in circles from one hand to the next in the donor countries. One of the biggest figures was a half a billion dollars to the U.S. Department of Defense. The point of that money was to fund a military response, which did do some things, like help repair the port in Port-au-Prince. But the vast majority of that money, the vast majority of time and resources, was there to prevent social unrest, and to essentially keep people from leaving Haiti and coming to the United States." (Source: Slate)
In the aftermath of a Trump presidency, Haitians remain hopeful that the Biden administration will do right by them. And while the TPS extension from earlier this year is a major step forward, one can't help but remember the Obama administration deporting Haitians in the middle of Hurricane Matthew that wreaked havoc in the Southern Penninsula just five years ago.
Bumpy Road to a Haitian Solution
Earlier this week, social media was flooded with scenes of chairs flying and a few people screaming, "pa gen akò!" at a meeting to sign the accord led by the Commission to find a Haitian solution. The noisemakers sought to delegitimize a consultation process that now has the green light from over 200 organizations. This raises the questions: what is actually in the agreement, and who might not want it signed?
Check out this interview between Monique Clesca and the World Politics Review on the work this commission is attempting to accomplish: “We Have the Moral High Ground”
The main points of the accord are also highlighted in this video from the commission. A number of the key pillars of the accord touch on: security, impunity/corruption, the economy, election apparatus, and a national sovereign conference. The series of consultations that are summarized in 11 pillars will be used to develop a road map against which the transitional government will be evaluated.
Joseph Lambert, one of only nine elected officials in the whole country expressed his support for the 30 August accord and condemned the attempt to detract its signature, as those who did claim to be his supporters. The very next day he held a press conference presenting himself as the only evident and legitimate person to lead the country because of his experience and the fact that he was elected. While Lambert's lip service and claim to power based on his being an elected official might be compelling to some, it's important to remember that Lambert is a PHTK ally, and is one of the players at the center of the bad governance that has led the country here. Lambert campaigned for Jovenel Moise, and when others took a position on the debate on the end of Moise's term back in February he took no position. Applauding the civil society accord just as the US gives it a nod doesn't give him a pass as a good option for Haitians.
Alo Lapolis
Saturday, August 28th, Haitian National Police announced a series of arrests they made at a party that they raided the previous night. Photos of those arrested were published on the PNH social media pages. Many of the folks pictured in the photos were artists, and fellow Haitian artists took to the internet to protest the arrest of their friends, insisting they are innocent people who were caught at the wrong place at the wrong time.
Among them were a well-known Haitian drummer and a rapper who go by Cisco and Wellborn. They were released during the week, but some others remain in custody. This incident raised many concerns about the PNH’s lack of regard for due process and privacy. The publishing of photos of citizens who have yet to see a judge is an attempt to garner public support and promote supposed good policing. This is the same sort of violation of rights that occurs in the United States and contributes to negative stereotypes about Black citizens in the U.S. and the negative stereotypes of people with dreadlocks in Haiti.
Dyaspora dollars
In a press conference, this past Monday, the president of the Republic Bank of Haiti, Jean Baden Dubois, revealed that the bank’s coffers would be empty if it were not for the percentage it charges on diaspora transfers.
La banque centrale a fait des injections de l’ordre de 348 millions de dollars sur le marché des changes et déboursé, au 27 août 2021, 550 millions de dollars pour l’acquisition de produits pétroliers. « Cela donne à peu près 900 millions de dollars. Heureusement que la BRH avait une retenue sur les transferts », a indiqué Jean Baden Dubois, estimant qu’on devrait souligner le « miracle » fait par la BRH eu égard au niveau actuel du taux de change et en considérant le grand « déséquilibre » de la balance commerciale d’Haïti. (Source: Le Nouvelliste)
Liminasyon
A vibrant new music album by theater group Bazou was released on Tuesday. With this proejct, the group hopes to inform listeners on matters of Vodou and social justice. Check out this special project today.
Ou gen jou pa w, mwen gen jou pa m
RastafarI love. As always, I enjoyed reading Woy Magazine’s weekly edition. I liked the fact that your coverage of Ayiti news and events incorporates various Media and Social Media platforms. I think that this will make it easier for our youths or folks from the younger generation to participate and stay informed on current issues in Ayiti. Still, I want to read more coverage of our lives in the Disspora. For instance, we have issues and problems in the United States and we need the Haitian Media to focus their gaze on these which could help us find solutions. Blessed love.#1804 #Ayiti