16602: Simidor: There goes la Mambo again! (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Daniel Simidor <karioka9@mail.arczip.com>


As Haitians, we ought to hold ourselves responsible for what
became of our country after 200 years of independence.  To argue
otherwise would be to renounce (abjurer) that independence, and to
play in the hands of those who believe black people not fit to
govern themselves.

At the same time, to insist as Mambo Racine does, time after time,
that Haitian culture is the reason why Haiti is so screwed up, is
not that much different than saying that the West is on top of the
world because of its inherent superiority, culturally and
otherwise.  This line of reasoning smacks of racism and the
peculiar blindness associated with white skin privilege.  Even
more importantly, it lets the real culprits off the hook.

The economist Mats Lundhal resists this kind of sloppy
generalization about Haitian culture.  Haiti has been a perfect
kleptocracy since 1843, he explains.  “By and large, the economic
underdevelopment of Haiti is the result of three factors: 1) the
interaction between the growth of the population and soil erosion,
2) the lack of technological progress in agriculture, and 3) the
predatory nature of the governments which have ruled the
country.”  Lundhal characterizes Haitian officeholders as a
predatory mafia divided into small cliques vying for political
supremacy, a system that has its roots in the colonial period.
The author concludes pessimistically that as long as the country
remains a kleptocracy, there is no hope for democracy in Haiti.
(Lundhal, “History as an Obstacle to Change: the case of Haiti,”
in Journal of Interamerican Studies and World Affairs, Summer 1989)

Predictably, Lundhal ignores a fourth, equally important factor:
the imperialist predators (France, Germany, the US) that have
worked in tandem with the Haitian comprador class in despoiling
the country.  (I know, I know, this kind of language is so
dépassé, imperialism and class struggle are such a thing of the
past, etc.)  Still, the proverb says it well: without receivers
(of stolen goods), there would be no thieves.  Sadly, the
exploitation of Haiti did not stop when it became an independent
country.  Who will deny that Haiti became a neo-colony of the
foreign predators listed above, merely 20 years after its
independence?  Unless people on this list still believe that the
West colonizes other peoples to civilize them or to save their
souls, then what are we talking about?

I know this is just an Internet opinion group, but there should be
a limit to the kind of cheap generalizations about the Haitian
people that goes on here.  Some of the new Haiti experts hold as a
badge of honor the time they spent with one US/UN mission or
another in Haiti after 1994.  The salaries were good, I
understand.  But other that that, you’ve been bamboozled, folks.
Serving Uncle Sam or one of its front operations had little to do
with helping the Haitian people.  Or haven’t you noticed that
Haiti is much worse off today than it was before the US
embargo/occupation a decade ago that was to save Haiti against
itself?

Daniel Simidor