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#4495: Re. comment from Mambo Racine #4417 : Graves comments
From: archim <archim@globelsud.net>
I'm a bit behind in some comments because I was out of Haiti for
two weeks (In Cape May, NJ, Bob Morse!), and then returned to downed
telephone lines and no e-mail connection. (Kevin, can I come over and
hook-up?)
However, I do wish to comment on the use of the term "blanc" in
Haiti. Yes, the word does literally mean "white", but it is not used
in that manner in Haiti, and I am surprised that several
Haitian-connection writers don't appear to know that. "Blanc", to the
Haitian, is used to denote foreigner, in most cases. Lots of black and
yellow and brown folks are referred to as "blancs" in Haiti, and that
has no racist intention whatsoever. Please don't be offended Mambo
Racine...or anyone else for that matter.
When the US military contingent was in Haiti there were many, many
black Haitian/Americans as part of their group. When those who wanted
them to go rallied against them, the watchword was "an ba, blan" (get
out, foreigner), and that was odd because most of them were not
"blancs". +AM/FM