[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
7017: Jean-Bertrand Aristide biography (fwd)
From: MKarshan@aol.com
Jean-Bertrand Aristide
Jean-Bertrand Aristide was born on July 15, 1953 in the coastal town of
Port-Salut, Haiti. At an early age he, his sister and mother moved to the
capital city of Port-au-Prince. He attended schools run by the Salesian
Fathers of Haiti and graduated from College Notre Dame in the historic town
of Cap-Haitian in 1974.
Aristide went to do novitiate studies at the Salesian seminary in La Vega in
the neighboring Dominican Republic. A year later Aristide returned to Haiti
to continue post graduate studies in philosophy at the Grand Seminaire Notre
Dame and post graduate studies in psychology at the State University of
Haiti. After completing his studies in Haiti in 1979 Aristide traveled to
Rome and then to Israel where he spent two years studying biblical theology.
On July 3, 1983 Aristide returned home for his ordination by Haitian Bishop
Willy Romelus. He was appointed curate of St. Joseph's church, a poor parish
on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince. As a parish priest, Aristide shared in
the lives and struggles of his parishioners and quickly became their
spokesperson.
He later moved to St. Jean Bosco, a church on the edge of La Saline, one of
the largest slums of Port-au-Prince. Aristide known affectionately as "Titid"
to his parishioners quickly became a leading spokesperson of "ti legliz," the
progressive wing of the Catholic church in Haiti. Aristide's message of hope,
his unique ability to communicate with the Haitian people in Creole, and his
affirmation of the human dignity of each person - summed up in the Haitian
proverb he often cited "tout moun se moun," every human being is a human
being, regularly attracted thousands of participants to mass. Aristide was an
outspoken critic of the Duvalier regime, and of the social system which
condemned 85% of the population to abject poverty. He rose to national
prominence through the broadcasts of his sermons on the Catholic station,
Radio Soleil.
Shortly after Duvalier's fall in April of 1986 Aristide led a memorial march
to notorious Fort Dimanche prison in memory of
the 30,000 Haitians who lost their lives there under Duvalier. The Haitian
military opened fire on the crowd of praying demonstrators but Aristide
continued a live broadcast on Radio Soleil during the massacre, confirming
his reputation as a fearless opponent of the regime.
Aristide became a target of repression by the military governments that held
power after Duvalier's fall. He survived at least 9 attempts on his life. On
September 11, 1988 St. Jean Bosco was attacked by a group of armed thugs
while Aristide was giving mass. Dozens of congregants were murdered and the
church was burned to the ground, destroying the symbolic heart of the ti
legliz movement. A week later, partly due to the general revulsion at this
act of brutality, the military junta fell. Aristide was expelled from the
Salesian order on the grounds that he had crossed the border between religion
and politics.
Though his church had been burned down Aristide's popularity among the
Haitian poor only grew. He continued to play a leading role in the movement
for democracy through the difficult and dangerous years of 1989 and 1990. He
also dedicated more of his time to La Fanmi Selavi (the Family is life), a
home for street children he founded in 1986.
In the fall of 1990 Haiti prepared for presidential elections that many
feared would end in violence as they did in 1987 when voters were massacred
at the voting poles. On the final day of registration Aristide announced his
candidacy for the presidency. The announcement electrified the country and
after a six week campaign that Aristide dubbed "Lavalas" or a cleansing
flood, he was elected president in Haiti's first free and fair election with
an overwhelming 67% of the vote. On the eve of his inauguration violence
struck again as arsonists set fire to La Fanmi Selavi, killing four children.
During Aristide's seven months in office his government pursued a program of
change based of the principles of participation, transparence and justice.
The Lavalas government began the difficult tasks of cleaning out a corrupt
civil service, enforcing tax codes, fighting drug trafficking, and delivering
services to its citizens. There was relative security, with military
violence and criminal activity sharply reduced. Human rights organizations
reported a dramatic drop in violations, the flow of refugees came to a halt,
and not a single extrajudicial execution was attributed to the government
during this period. The international community applauded the numerous
reforms undertaken and donors pledged funds to the new government.
All of this ended on September 30, 1991, when the Haitian military violently
overthrew the democratic government. Aristide was forced into exile, and the
military unleashed an unprecedented campaign of
terror and violence taking the lives of more than 5000 Haitian over the next
three years, hundreds of thousands were forced into hiding, and tens of
thousands more fled their homeland by boat. The coup targeted peasant
organizations, members of the ti legliz, journalists, students, political
activists, and neighborhoods that were strongholds of support for Aristide.
Despite this repression the majority of Haitians continued to support
Aristide and to nonviolently resist the military regime.
President Aristide first went to Venezuela and then spent two and half years
of exile in Washington DC. Throughout his 1,111 days in exile he was
recognized internationally as the legitimate
President of Haiti. President Aristide worked nonstop, pursuing numerous
diplomatic initiatives aimed at resolving the crisis and challenging the
international community to work with the Haitian people to restore democracy
to Haiti. Traveling throughout Europe, Latin America, Africa, and the United
States speaking against the violence and repression
that reigned in Haiti he urged international support for Haiti's cause and
maintained close contact with the large Haitian
diaspora.
On October 15, 1994, President Aristide triumphantly returned to Haiti where
he completed the last sixteen months of his presidential term. He returned to
a country traumatized by the violence of the coup period and economically
devastated. His commitment to justice, and his calls for peaceful rebuilding
of the nation enabled the country to regain political stability and take the
first steps towards economic recovery. His most significant act as President
was to dismantle the Haitian military. His government created Haiti's first
civilian police force. With the support of the United Nations legislative
elections were held and in February 1996 Haiti witnessed its first peaceful
transition from one democratically elected president to the next.
After completing his five year term as President, Aristide founded the
Aristide Foundation for Democracy. Under Aristide's
leadership the Foundation is dedicated to deepening the roots of Haiti's
democracy by opening avenues of participation to all Haitians. The foundation
has three major program areas: sponsoring forums
and public dialogues on issues such as justice, land
reform, and the economic future of the nation; supporting literacy programs
in Haiti; and fostering community-based economic initiatives.
President Aristide has been honored and recognized worldwide for his
commitment to nonviolence, peace and justice. A partial
list of awards he has received includes the Oscar Romero Award, the Martin
Luther King International Statesman and Ecumenical Award, and the
Aix-la-Chappelle Peace Prize.
In January 1996 Aristide married Mildred Trouillot, a Haitian-American lawyer
who served as a legal advisor to the government of Haiti while Aristide was
in exile and after his return to Haiti in 1994. They
have two daughters.
President Aristide has authored several books including: Why (1978); Raise
the Table (1986); 100 Verses of Dechoukaj (1986); The Truth in Truth
(1989); In the Parish of the Poor (1990); Aristide: An Autobiography (1992);
Theology and and Politics (1993); Dignity (1995); and
Eyes of the Heart: Seeking a Path for the Poor in the Age of Globalization
(2000). He is fluent in Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Hebrew,
English and in his native Creole and French. Aristide is an accomplished
musician and composer, he plays the guitar, saxophone, organ, drums, clarinet
and piano.
Based on biographies contained in the Aristide Foundation for Democracy
brochure and at eyesoftheheart.org