16442: Bellegarde-Smith: In Haiti: Third Assembly of Caribbean People (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: P D Bellegarde-Smith <pbs@csd.uwm.edu>


Subject: Preparations for the Third Assembly of Caribbean People

Haitians want to maintain the mobilisation developed for the Third Assembly
of Caribbean People. (AlterPresse) -15 August 2003

On 14-15 August, approximately 300 delegates of youth, women's and social
movements from various parts of Haiti took part in a national forum in
Port-au-Prince in preparation for Third Assembly of Caribbean People (ACP) that will
take place from 20-24 August in the northern city of Cap-Haitien.

All the resolutions discussed at this forum addressed the desirability of
continuing the regional mobilisation after the Assembly in order to maintain the
dynamic created during the process of organising the event. Youth and women
advocated that both sectors should have a greater involvement in decision-making
and actiions against all forms of discrimination.

Among the other main points raised in the resolutions were the questions of
national integration, Caribbean unity and the need to fight against neo-liberal
globalisation. The resolutions called for a 'united front' against
neo-liberalism.

Evoking the image of an hanging, one speaker said that "neo-liberal
globalisation is a rope around our neck. If we give them time to tie it and pull away
the support keeping us standing, we are all going to die." At the same time, he
questioned Western traditions, and called for popular knowledge and
practices, as well as ancestral cultural heritage, to be "taken into account".

Another speaker said it is necessary "to fight the image of ourselves that
white people give us, making us feel ashamed and leading us to imitate the
whites."

The Haitian resolutions will be presented at the ACP at the same time as
those from various other Caribbean countries, said William Jeanty, member of the
National Executive Committee (CEN). In general, he specified, these resolutions
"will be based on the specific situation of each country and the efforts
agreed by dynamic national forces to find solutions to their problems".

The national forum began on August 14, the date marking the 212th anniversary
of Bois Kayiman ceremony, the first attempt to unify the slaves in order to
carrry out the war of liberation from slavery. "It has a very strong
symbolism", stated Alzy Henrillot, another member of the CEN.

"In the same way that in 1791 our ancestors could find an area of agreement,
we think that today this type of agreement is possible between new sectors,
carried by a new vision", declared Alzy Henrillot.


(translated from French by Charles Arthur for the Haiti Support Group)


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See the Haiti Support Group web site:
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