Alo tout moun! 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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“We Are Going to Be Pioneers”
It’s been a little over a week since former de-facto leader Jovenel Moïse was assassinated, and the international game of “who did it?” has grown exponentially as new information is made regularly available to the public.
Here’s what we know so far:
There are 18 Colombian commandos among the 23 people who have been arrested for allegedly participating in the assassination (three other Colombians are dead);
Several of these Colombians claim to have been hired by CTU Security, a firm based out of Doral, Miami;
According to Colombian president Iván Duque, some of these commandos knew that they were explicitly hired to carry out the job of killing Moïse;
Florida pastor, Christian Emmanuel Sanon, is now considered a key suspect in the case, with news reports, as well as the head of the Haitian National Police (PNH), claiming Sanon helped recruit the team that carried out the assassination, with hopes that he would be installed as the next president;
The head of the USGPN who was in charge of Moïse’s security has been taken into custody;
The Colombian media ais now implicating Haiti’s current prime minister, Claude Joseph, in the plan (more on that later); and
Of course there’s American involvement. On Thursday, a spokesperson for the Pentagon admitted that a “small” number of the commandos involved had previously been trained by the U.S. (Sources: AlterPresse, Associated Press, Miami Herald, Daily Beast; Democracy Now)
In a new explainer piece, the New York Times details how some of the recruits may have been lured to Haiti under false pretenses:
Most appear to have been approached in the months before Mr. Moïse’s death by a group of businessmen, some based in the United States, who exaggerated their credentials and the scope of their companies. They misled some of the recruits about the project they were embarking on and broke promises to pay them thousands of dollars.
Succession
Earlier this week, Colombia’s Caracol TV revealed that at least three of the Colombians who were part of the plan to kill Jovenel Moïse met with several Haitian politicians to design the plan to do so — including the current Haitian prime minister, Claude Joseph:
La Unidad Investigativa de Noticias Caracol reveló que al menos tres de los colombianos que hicieron parte del plan que terminó con el asesinato del mandatario de Haití confesaron que en las semanas previas al magnicidio sostuvieron reuniones con políticos haitianos para diseñar el crimen.
Los testigos mencionaron como uno de los participantes de una de esas reuniones con los exmilitares colombianos al actual primer ministro Claude Joseph.
The allegations were quickly shot down by PNH head Leon Charles, despite the fact that reports from the United States FBI are said to also include this piece of information:
Fake News
All the mystery surrounding the death of Jovenel Moïse has extended to his widow, Martine, as well. Last Saturday, a voice note attributed to Martine was published by social media blog Tripotay Lakay. However, concern immediately arose that the voice note was not, in fact, from the former first lady.
An investigation led by Ayibopost, with the help of two separate teams of experts, found that it is very probable that the voice in the recording is not Martine’s:
La voix dans la note vocale diffusée hier d’abord par le média pro PHTK, Tripotay Lakay, puis par le gouvernement, y compris le compte officiel Twitter de la première dame, pourrait ne pas être celle de Martine Moïse. Ce sont les conclusions sorties des travaux de deux groupes d’experts en intelligence artificielle aux États-Unis et en France qui ont collaboré avec AyiboPost, depuis le 10 juillet.
Furthermore, when contacted by the outlet’s reporters, it appears that there was confusion even among Martine’s team regarding the source of the voice note:
Contactés par AyiboPost, plusieurs membres de l’équipe de communication de Mme Moïse semblent être dans une confusion totale. Une source proche de la Première dame confirme qu’elle n’utilise pas et n’a jamais utilisé Twitter personnellement. Son équipe de communication s’en est toujours chargé. Selon AFP, Associated Press et Le Nouvelliste, la note vocale a été authentifiée par le ministre de la Culture et de la Communication, M. Pradel Henriquez.
Request Denied…For Now
Late Thursday evening, President Joe Biden squashed any talks of entertaining the Haitian government’s request for U.S. troops, expressing that U.S. Marines would only be sent to the U.S. Embassy.
The Haitian government issued letters, dated July 7 - the same day Jovenel Moïse was killed - to both the Biden Administration, as well as the United Nations saying “that Haiti needed troops to support the national police in re-establishing security across the country. It highlighted the need to protect crucial infrastructure such as ports, the airport and petroleum terminals.”
The same New York Times article detailing this also quoted last week’s Woy Magazine newsletter which explained how disastrous the last U.S. Occupation ended up being for the Haitian people:
“The last U.S. occupation was preceded by the assassination of another Haitian president, under the guise of wanting to restore order, similar to what is happening now,” Woy Magazine wrote in a newsletter this week, alluding to the 1915 assassination of Jean Vilbrun Guillaume Sam. The United States then occupied Haiti until 1934.
“What followed,” Valérie Jean-Charles of Woy Magazine wrote, “was years of weakening of Haitian institutions and the senseless killings of many Haitians.”
Woy Magazine editor, Melodie Cerin, was also quoted in another Times’ article justifying why it is necessary for Haitians to dictate, with no foreign intervention, what comes next for the country:
“We’ve spent the past four years contesting the legitimacy of P.H.T.K.,” she said of Mr. Moïse’s party. “The answer would be new elections, which would reinforce this very same party: What for?”
Ms. Cerin added that a broader debate about the country’s future should gather the religious community, the private sector, the government and other members of the public. “It isn’t clear who is supposed to be leading the country,” she said, “but it’s time to discuss between ourselves.”
A Stand Against Invasion
It is more than safe to say that the Biden Administration’s decision is a direct result of the strong opposition historians, pro-democracy activists, writers and everyday people have shown.
In his latest for Foreign Policy, writer Jonathan M. Katz lays out clearly how U.S. intervention in Haiti only serves the interests of the great Western empire at the expense of Haitians:
The occupation brought Haitians neither promised peace nor prosperity. But it accomplished the Americans’ primary goals: keeping out European influence, helping establish profitable U.S. export corporations, filling the coffers of Citibank and other U.S. banks, and establishing a client state to protect a vital sea lane to the newly constructed Panama Canal. Along the way, the Marines replaced Haiti’s army with a client militarized police force and reimposed forced, unpaid labor, performed at gunpoint, to build a road system to ensure military and commercial control.
It also set the stage for everything that has happened in Haiti since.
His op-ed is in response to last week’s Washington Post editorial which called for foreign intervention, as well as David Frum’s ahistorical bit in the Atlantic which painted the U.S. as a mere observer, and sometimes white savior, to Haiti’s woes.
Additionally, in his latest blog post, Katz lays out just how hard it is for a writer to get published when he decides to be honest about America’s notorious “policies” towards Haiti in his work:
I realized I was in trouble right away when I got back the comments on my first draft. Right off the bat, the editor cast doubt on my use of the “occupation” as a way of describing what the United States did in Haiti between 1915 and 1934…
…That word was by no means not the editors’ only complaint. They also asked whether it was right to refer to the 1994 U.S. invasion of Haiti as an “invasion.” In another spot, they called my summary statement that Haiti’s government had been “consistently and intentionally weakened” by the U.S. and its allies’ propensity to funnel assistance to their own aid groups and non-governmental organizations, “a big allegation to make in just a sentence.” (Source: The Long Version)
Not So Fast…
While the U.S. government appears to be playing the game of friendly neighbor — even going as far as to have a delegation encourage all Haitian political stakeholders to come to some kind of accord — they certainly have not changed one bit when it comes to immigration.
On Tuesday, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas — a Cuban immigrant — let it be known that the government would not accept Haitian or Cuban migrants seeking to enter the U.S. by boat:
Mayorkas said those trying to reach the U.S. by sea will be intercepted by the Coast Guard and immediately returned to their home countries. Even if asylum-seekers manage to get interviews with U.S. officials, Mayorkas added, they will not be permitted to set foot on U.S. soil, regardless of the outcome of their screenings.
"If individuals make, establish a well-founded fear of persecution or torture, they are referred to third countries for resettlement," Mayorkas said. "They will not enter the United States." (Source: CBS News)
Meanwhile, Brazil is preparing itself for another influx of Haitian migrants, despite the fact that they may face economic hardships, including labor exploitation, there:
“With this situation, the external flux will probably escalate. There are already established migration networks and routes that will be used. Haitians living in Brazil tell me that it is safer here than in Haiti and will surely say so to their relatives and friends,” he said. (Source: Crux Now)
Self-Determination
Throughout the many different articles that have come out on Haiti, it remains clear that everyday Haitians are determined to have a real say in the future of their country — especially considering how the death of Moïse has robbed them of the opportunity to exercise their right of bringing corrupt leaders to justice:
Activist Vélina Elysée Charlier made this very point to author Edwidge Danticat as they spoke for the latter’s new piece in the New Yorker:
She told me that she sees Moïse’s assassination as a denial of government accountability. “We, Haitians, have been robbed of the right to find justice and closure,” she said. “Jovenel was silenced. We will never have answers from him on Petrocaribe and the many massacres. That is a big blow to our fight against corruption and impunity.”
A similar tone was struck in a New York Times article where reporter Catherine Porter spoke to Haitian civic leaders to learn what’s next for them, and how they’re moving forward to have their voices heard:
But the civic leaders meeting on Tuesday, known as the Commission, acknowledged that they needed more time to come up with a broader consensus about where the country needs to go. They have already consulted with more than 100 grass-roots organizations, and envision holding a series of forums around the country to solicit views.
No Cover to be Found
We’ll stop here to discuss something that has been apparent to many who are following the developments of the murder case. It is clear by now that most of the details and breaking news items surrounding this story have emerged from foreign press outlets, with many even borrowing some of Haiti’s journalists for a number of bylines. It feels as if the Haitian media is following the lead of its foreign counterparts rather than taking the reins. So, what gives?
We’d be remiss not to mention the precarious and vulnerable state in which many top-notch Haitian reporters find themselves working. As many of you know, over the last year, this newsletter has repeatedly covered the attacks on and disappearances of a number of journalists, including the recent murder of Diego Charles.
We were able to see and learn of the intensity of this climate with the recent backlash Ayibopost faced for attempting to authenticate and verify Martine Moïse’s voice note. During an episode of Premye Okazyon on Radio Television Caraïbes, co-host Bob C. appeared to become irate every time his fellow co-host attempted to report the facts in the story. It wasn’t lost on many that the reporter may have been attempting to thwart and discourage any countering narrative provided in the article:
In a Facebook note, Ayibopost reporter Ralph T. Joseph discussed his experience of other reporters attempting to undermine the outlet’s work, as well as how the staff continues to be harassed with threats for doing their job:
Sa te fè m mal anpil, paske sa te vini apre nou te pase yon jounen ap travay sou dosye lanmò Jovenel, entèraji ak medya etranje, jere menas sou lavi yon seri moun ki nan antouraj nou. Malgre sa, n a travay. Nan jounen sa a, gen gwo ofisyèl nan Leta a ki te rele nou pou menase n pou piblikasyon nou an. Genyen ki pase pa zanmi pwòch nou pou eseye swa entimide n, swa konvenk nou retounen sou travay nou. Gen chèf ki mande n pou n fè menm jan ak tout lòt medya yo, pou n jis rapòte pawòl gouvènman an.
Life Goes On
All in all, despite last week’s groundbreaking events, life has not changed much for many Haitians. The issue of gang violence and overall insecurity is just as present as it was before. On Thursday, RezoNòdwes reported that seven people who had been kidnapped while riding a bus were released after being held hostage:
À titre de rappel, 40 passagers de l’autobus ont vécu l’horreur, dans la nuit du 13 au 14 juillet, à Gros-Morne dans l’Artibonite, à la suite d’un guet-appens mené par des hommes lourdement armés. Dix des occupants ont été kidnappés avant d’être relâchés.
Plusieurs personnes avaient été prises en otage : Rév. Père Carl Henry Lucien, affecté au diocèse de Port-de-Paix; Michelet theoc; Fénelon Rosemene; Etienne Enold, propriétaire d’un petit motel à Port de Paix; Libenston François; Jeanty David; Jeanty Naïka et Blanc Grepsen
The kidnapped were on a bus route that links the northwestern city of Pòdepè to the capital. The owner of the bus company is currently weighing the option of suspending all trips between the two locations until further notice, because of this incident.
There is also the matter of rising food insecurity. According to a segment by Radio-Canada Info, the country’s insecurity woes are cutting off many from their day-to-day needs, including food:
In an article for the Insider, reporter Christine Jean-Baptiste took a look at how the violence being perpetuated by gangs, is thwarting any chances of political and social stability:
"Whenever a movement seems to be starting, the [gang] violence resurges," activist Olrich Jean Pierre told Woy Magazine. "Today it is more dire because the government has used the federation of gangs to create panic, and to stop people from mobilizing."…
…"This is the first time we have gangs with such a large power," Rosy Auguste Ducena, program manager at Réseau National de Défense des Droits Humains, told Insider.
"The gangs are impacting life in Haiti. Today, there are several areas where we don't go because of the gangs," Ducena explained.
Kouraj
Besides the death of Moïse, the double murders of journalist Diego Charles and activist Netty Duclaire stands as one of the most disturbing recent cases of Haiti’s insecurity issues.
As the country grappled with the death of the de-facto leader, the family of Diego Charles paid their last respects to their beloved:
And it appears that there will be a memorial service to honor Netty’s life this Sunday:
A Little Flash of Hope
At long last, and after much bureaucracy, Haiti has finally received its first shipment of vaccines. Le Nouvelliste writes:
500 000 doses de vaccins Moderna données par les Etats-Unis pour vacciner un total de 250 000 personnes à raison de deux doses par personne sont arrivées en début de soirée à Port-au-Prince, mercredi 14 juillet, a confié au Nouvelliste le directeur du ministère de la Santé publique et de la Population (MSPP), le Dr Lauré Adrien.
Sa Atis Di Nan Bagay Sa?
As with previous moments of uncertainty, Haitian artists are using their platforms to speak out on current events.
Dancer and choreographer Linda Isabelle François, inspired by current events published a new dance short and poem putting out a loud rallying cry for the Haitian people. You can check it out here.
Woy co-founder and editor, Nathalie Cerin, sat down with The World to discuss her art and Haiti’s current events. In the interview, Cerin speaks of her worries of past mistakes being repeated as the country faces yet another major moment of political upheaval. You can listen to the entire segment here.
Haitians in Cannes
The cast of Freda had a glorious moment this week in Cannes as their film, which is up for four awards, was screened at the festival. Check out some of the highlights of their moment in the spotlight, below:
As the cast, rightfully, celebrates this incredible win, there is a beautiful story of overcoming among them. Fabiola Remy, an actress in the film, tells the KitMedias how she’s gonna from being imprisoned to making history at Cannes with the rest of her team:
Weekend Listening
Before we leave you, here are two things to listen to and enjoy this weekend:
First up, there’s a new podcast out. Etikèt by artist Georgy Lundy aims to tackle harmful cliches that are popularized and promoted in Haitian society. You can listen to the first episode, below:
Also, Haitian-Canadian singer and songwriter Melissa Laveaux performed her new English and Kreyòl song, Lilith, on the COLORS Show:
See you next week!
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