Peace and Environment News* September 1994
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Peace and Environment News * September 1994 |
by Kathy Kelly and Lena Seigers
July 15, 1994: As fear intensifies, coupled with hunger, panic and desperation, the atmosphere in Haiti is ripe for an explosive situation. Even "middle class" families that could once feed their children are beginning to worry that they might become like those they've always felt sorry for. Daily injustices violate young men's instinctive sense of their rights, and they struggle to repress their rage. CPT's neighbours in St. Helene have said that, lacking any semblance of a legitimate justice system, they would now use violence if threatened directly. "Bernard," who works at the St. Helene church, says the tension is like a fire slowly smoldering at both ends of a stick. Sooner or later the stick will burst into uncontrollable flames.
People here wonder about the motives of the United States. The majority of Haitians believe the U.S. was a major force behind the 1991 coup d'etat that removed Aristide from the National Palace. Evidence in the past thirty-three months confirms their perception that the U.S. is toying with them as pawns in a larger political game. Virtually no one trusts that the current political process is honest, and they weary of cynical manipulation. Comparisons have been made to the "Panama deception" (the U.S. invasion of December 1989). If the U.S. is going to act, why is it waiting so long? Does the U.S. want the situation to deteriorate further? Would it use increased violence as a pretext for invasion? Or do the embargo, its consequences, and the disregard for human rights of refugees constitute a premeditated policy to destroy Aristide's base? Perhaps U.S. officials are just waiting for the clock to run out on Aristide's term of office.
General Cedras' brother Alix has said. "the ignorant, starving peasants aren't ready for democracy; they only understand force." CPT members live among these "starving peasants" in Jeremie—far from the capital city where most reporters get their news. Each day we witness how clearly they understand and analyze their situation as they speak of political and economic realities that drastically affect their everyday lives. We experience the daily sharing and mediating that goes on among poor Haitians. The majority reject force and abuse.
July 27: The CPT in Jeremie has two advantages not shared by most of our neighbours. Each week, if someone arrives by boat from Port-au-Prince, from our team, we receive a packet of recent reports (UPI, AP, Reuters). Also, twice a day, we listen to radio news on a short-wave radio. While several of our neighbours have radios, most cannot afford to buy batteries. No newspapers are sold here—in fact, the only written materials for sale are a collection of worn, tattered grammar texts which are also priced beyond most people's means.
It's heartening to see a group of twenty people clustered around one radio to hear Aristide's nightly speeches. And some of our neighbours hold an informal discussion group after each broadcast. They express guarded hopes. They suspect that Aristide will only return after making significant compromises with the U.S. government, and impoverished Haitians have little reason to believe that the U.S. authorities have their best interests at heart. They wonder if the U.S. wants to intervene with armed forces so that it can gain control over Haitian resources before France, Venezuela or Argentina attempt to dominate undeveloped Haitian resources.
Several nights ago, helicopters flew directly over the neighbourhood and buzzed the area for about ten minutes. Some people who live near the military compound left their houses, fearing that the invasion had come. Near our home, people lined up along the cliff to search the sky for the helicopters. The helicopters flew away, signaling no change in the weary waiting period. An added burden to the suffering now spreads through the country—an epidemic of malaria, including cerebral malaria, which, if not swiftly treated, can be fatal.
As I write, I'm recovering from malaria and feeling absurdly privileged to have had such easy access to the valuable medicine — our team already had it. When I feel my neighbours' burning foreheads and hear them describe the symptoms, I wonder how they'll recover when a visit to the clinic and the needed prescription are certainly beyond their means. And how will Haiti recover? Exhausted by violence, hunger, sickness and despair, a generation of young Haitians face a stark demand for continued struggle and fortitude. Certainly among the world's hardest-working people, historically, these proud, sad Haitians deserve to enjoy long overdue basic human rights.
Lena Seigers and Kathy Kelly are members of the Christian Peacemaker Team (CPT) in Jeremie, a group of five persons who maintain a nonviolent presence in Southern Haiti. This project of Mennonite and Church of the Brethren congregations seeks to document human rights abuse and provide support for persons whose lives are endangered by the military authorities or the vigilante groups which those authorities support. Ms. Kelly lives in Chicago, Illinois and is an instructor at St. Augustine College. Ms. Seigers is a mother of three children from Hamilton, Ontario.
Converted December 3, 2000 - Lg
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