17788: Esser: Huge Rally Marks 1804 Haitian Revolution (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

 From D. Esser torx@joimail.com


Huge rally marks 1804 Haitian revolution

Author: Mark Almberg
People's Weekly World Newspaper, 01/08/04 12:23

Many tens of thousands of cheering Haitians flooded the streets
surrounding
the National Palace in Port-au-Prince on New Yearís Day in celebration
of
the 200th anniversary of their countryís independence.

They came to hear President Jean-Bertrand Aristide and international
guests
such as South African President Thabo Mbeki, Rep. Maxine Waters
(D-Calif.),
and actor Danny Glover pay tribute to the victorious slave rebellion
led by
Toussaint LíOuverture that resulted in the defeat of Napoleonís troops
and
the founding of the first Black republic in 1804.

Mbeki told the crowd, ìWe celebrate the Haitian revolution because it
dealt
a deadly blow to the slave traders who had scoured the coasts of West
and
East Africa for slaves and ruined the lives of millions of Africans.î He
said the revolution ìcommunicates an important message to all of us that
the poor of the world can and must act together decisively to confront
the
common challenges they face ñ poverty, underdevelopment, discrimination
and
marginalization.î

The rally had a distinctly contemporary theme as well. Besides
commemorating the bicentennial of the revolution, the enthusiastic crowd
was also demonstrating its support for the programs of embattled
President
Aristide.

Aristide, 50, says his government has made advances in reducing the
infant
mortality rate, malnutrition, HIV/AIDS, and poor housing, but much more
needs to be done. Haiti is the poorest country in the hemisphere, with
the
overwhelming majority of its 8 million people living in extreme poverty.
Less than 40 percent have access to safe drinking water, and 85 percent
are
illiterate. Unemployment is at 70 percent, and the average income is
less
than $1 a day. Life expectancy is only 53 years.

Most of the nationís wealth is concentrated in the hands of a tiny,
lighter-skinned bourgeois elite.

Aristide and his Lavalas movement have sought to address these
inequities,
thereby winning widespread support from the poorest sectors of the
population. This has frustrated the wealthy elite in Port-au-Prince and
their patrons in Washington and Wall Street, who would prefer to return
to
the policy of systematic neglect of the popular masses that prevailed
under
former President FranÁois ìPapa Docî Duvalier.

Aristide broke with that legacy in the early 90s. In 2000, he and his
allies were re-elected in a landslide victory. However, almost
immediately
thereafter the United States denounced the election as flawed and led an
international campaign to financially blockade the country. Since then,
over $500 million in development and humanitarian aid funds has been
withheld by the U.S., the European Union, International Monetary Fund,
World Bank and Inter-American Development Bank.

Secretary of State Colin Powell has spoken of the withholding of this
humanitarian aid a way to leverage a more desirable political outcome
from
his point of view  in Haiti.

In an effort that is eerily reminiscent of the campaign against
Allendeís
Chile in the 1970s or against Hugo Chavezís Venezuela today, the U.S.
government has bankrolled anti-Aristide political groups, including the
so-called ìDemocratic Convergence,î with tens of millions of dollars. It
has sought to paint Aristide as incompetent and unstable, and urged him
to
resign. Violence is also escalating: more than 30 Lavalas members and
supporters have been killed by anti-government paramilitaries over the
past
year.

The State Department and the U.S. media have played up demonstrations
against Aristide, while huge outpourings of support for him, like a
Dec. 16
rally that turned out 50,000 people, have gone largely unreported. And
because the opposition knows it canít win in democratic elections, the
Democratic Convergence and others have sought to block scheduled
legislative elections this year.

At the bicentennial rally people chanted, "Elections, yes! Coup d"etat,
No!
Aristide for five years!" Aristide's term is scheduled to run until
2006.

Rep. Maxine Waters expressed support for Aristide, and brought a
proclamation from the Congressional Black Caucus. ìI believe this
celebration sends a message around the world about the will of oppressed
peoples to fight for freedom,î she told the Miami Herald.

Actor Danny Glover, who is working with Ron Daniels, chairman of the
Haiti
Support Project, to bring medical and educational supplies to Haiti in
August, stressed the importance of solidarity with the Haitian people.
Haitiís victory in 1804 changed the course of history, Glover told the
rally. ìItís not just Haitiís victory,î he said. ìItís a victory for all
those who cherish justice and freedom, even more so today than ever.î

The author can be reached at malmberg@pww.org.