Pearl of the Antilles
They walked and paddled
wanderlust and wondrous game, easily caught, pulls proto-Indians east and south across the Bering strait down to the Caribbean rim from Venezuela to one hundred islands north and west bringing cassava, cotton, tobacco, sweet potato and five thousand years of language and culture
1492: Taino and Columbus collide
Taino-Arawak one million strong
Columbus armed with gun, smallpox, chain gang, iron, and time Two generations later, 600 natives remain
1508: The thousand plantations must be fueled Natives gone, West Africa’s humanity is for sale
1790: French slave masters destroy 30,000 slaves each year Europe feeds on Haitian tobacco, coffee, sugar, cotton, indigo produced by the black gold of the French bourgeoisie 750 ships, 24,000 sailors move this cargo and humanity from Africa to Haiti to Europe the triangle of death
1804: Toussaint L’Oveture leads 30,000 slaves, against Napoleon’s finest actions birthed by the French and American revolutions the little man’s dreams of new world empire extinguished, French Louisiana sold, the US doubles size
Haiti the second republic of the new world The first freed slave republic US, France, the rest of Europe responds Haiti must be crushed embargo and boycott force her to pay 152 million francs reparations to French and US bankers Interest and principal paid off in 127 years,
1915: Wilson sends in the Marines
US debt collectors
19 years occupation
After 127 years interest and principal paid in full
1957-1986 the US runs Haiti
a client colony with
Papa Doc, then Baby Doc and
the tonton macoute
60,000 murdered, millions stolen
Haiti is in good hands
1990, Aristide elected, wins 90% of the vote, US coup, 1991 2000 Aristide reelected, Demands 21 billion at UN Kidnapping and coup 2004 2,000 disappeared Jean Bertrand Aristide banished to Africa Fanmi Lavalas, his party, barred from all elections by US
January 12, 2010
Earthquake
200,000 dead
Fourth invasion
200 flights a day
180 military flights
12,000 marines, guns, secure the rubble
(rumor of oil)
Graffiti in cite soley
“Marines al lakai nou”
“Nou pap tounin esclav enko”
Marines out, we will not be slaves...
Haiti the struggle must continue
