Haiti: Olympic Potential

“f there are indeed Haitian athletes in Beijing who decide to defect, I could not blame them”: jmc strategies compares China's progress to Haiti's, asking: “Do you think a new Haiti is possible and are you prepared to do what it takes to…get it to a point where it produces 300,000 potential Olympians a year, rather than 300,000 child slaves?”

5 comments

  • Writers like this person keep spreading the propaganda they learn from the mainstream media. When I read this type of propaganda that just defies everything I know about what is really going on in Haiti, it makes me hopping mad.

    The majority of Restaveks are not “slaves” in Haiti. They are usually the country relatives of city folk, sent to them by their families because there is nothing for them at home (google effects of globalization on indigenous farmers). To be sure, there are Haitians, Dominicans and others who take advantage of Haitian people’s extreme poverty to perpetuate a type of “slavery”, but nothing like the brutal enslavement of millions of people that occurred on Haiti and the Western Hemisphere centuries ago.

    Its also true that the UN occupation has spurred abuse of children to new heights. Many soldiers have been caught abusing and raping women and children. A contingent of 100 from Sri Lanka were sent home for this last year. Its been reported that they took along Haitians for sex trafficking purposes upon their departure and that these poor souls had to be rescued. The UN refuses to release the report.

    The Gov’ts of Haiti & Iraq To Blame for the Imperialist actions of US?

    That the U.S. government empowered so-called “rebel” thugs to intimidate the democratic government of President Aristide. That they declined to help him by supplying arms or assistance. That they had an embargo on aid, arms, loans…etc in order to bring the Aristide government to its knees (AN EMBARGO ON AID TO A COUNTRY DEEMED THE POOREST IN THE “WESTERN” HEMISPHERE).

    Did those actions play any part in the conditions in Haiti… same type of extortion and games that have been played by the “Western” powers for keeping Haiti poor, underdeveloped, and a place where sweatshops flower. Where the super rich lord it over the super poor.

    When the poor people rose up to fight these “thugs” and the thugs could not get the job done, the US proceeded to invade the country, along with Canada and France. They kidnapped President Aristide and took him to the Central African Republic (a former French colony) where he knew no one.

    It is well documented and tragic the number of innocent civilians that have died (over 3000), been raped (over 35,000), not counting the ones still being held as political prisoners or rendered secretly. Who is responsible for the chaos, danger, injustice, impunity, political murders (slow genocide of the Lavalas party) that have occurred? Could it possibly be due to US interference in Haiti’s sovereign affairs? Interference not just in the US backed coups of 1991 or 2004. But encompassing the twenty year occupation (1915-1935) and the periods of support for vicious dictators like Papa and Baby Doc Duvalier.

    Honestly, what are Haitians to think when the US supports murderers, thugs, drug dealers and dictators?

    The “Western” and Eurocentric media and its constituents continuing to perpetuate the myth that Blacks, Africans and other people of color cannot rule themselves, These “Western” white AND BLACK ideologues believe that only whites (AND ASIANS) are equipped to rule, and are civilized and cultured.

    In 1836, Only 32 years after Haitians broke the yoke of enslavement, three Haitians won the top prize at the Sorbonne in Paris. “Have the brawlers about negro inferiority… forgotten that… Messieurs Faubert, Dupuy and Delva from Hayti–took all the prizes at the reunion of the colleges of France?” –from the book “Haitians and African Americans” by Leon D. Pamphile.

    Haitians and its government are not suffering from incompetence , laziness, stupidity or a lack of culture (nor is Iraq). Most Haitians love their country and do not voluntarily adopt other countries. The necessity that they do is painful and only for economic reasons.

    Too much to hope for some truth and atonement to Haitians. Too much to hope that someone will acknowledge the role of Haiti in breaking the shackles of enslavement and empowering the end of slavery.

  • Correction: Haitians leave Haiti for economic and destabilization reasons. The economic reasons are a bi-product of destabilization, privatization, foreign interference and the participation of “rebel army” factions — some trained at “western” schools by the American plutocracy.

  • Jackie

    My husband and I lived in Haiti for a year. The “thugs” that overthrew the Lavalas party are not feared but reveared. We had the privilege of meeting Guy Filipe (who lead the revolt that ousted Aristide)and to say the Haitians we were with were ecstatic is an understatement. He is a hero to Haiti’s poor, and though he lost in the presidential election he is still widely respected.

  • If you are still “privileged” to know Guy Phillipe, perhaps you could report his whereabouts to the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), they are seeking him for drug trafficking. Coincidentally, this raid on his home happened after Mr. Phillipe went on Haitian radio to outline the role the US played in his “rebel” activities and indicated that he was writing a book.

  • Real reason for Haiti raid (seeking Guy Phillipe)

    by John Yewell | Monterey County Herald
    http://www.haitiaction.net/News/01/7_29_7.html

    Thank you, Jackie for putting this issue up for discussion.

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