18263: (Chamberlain) re 18249: Louis: Aristide + Lavalas (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Greg Chamberlain <GregChamberlain@compuserve.com>

> Bébé Pierre Louis wrote:


> I honestly believe you are mistaken Mr. Chamberlain. In his book: 101
vese
dechoukaj, published by Jean Bertrand Aristide, sdb. in February 1986 in
PAP
 the author mentionned lavalas on several pages


Thank you for that reminder, Bébé.  What I meant was the first time the
word was used in a public political sense.  Aristide's candidacy in October
1990 was very hastily put together.  Konakom's Victor Benoit had been
chosen as the centre-left's candidate two weeks before and was then just
dumped and replaced by Aristide, who was seen as more likely to win.  Evans
Paul seems to have been the main organiser of the switch.

There was no talk before then of Lavalas as a political movement and the
word had not gone beyond Aristide's sermons in church.  And indeed its
first "outside" public appearance was in the name of the manifesto (Projet
Lavalas), not even as the name of the Aristide movement until a bit later.


As noted, Aristide's position until late 1990 was still very firmly anti
electoral participation and he had no organised movement at all.  He was
just a "hero-in-waiting", as it were, after his martyrdom with the 11 Sept
88 (yes, 11 Sept...) attack on his church and his expulsion from the
Salesian Order.


        Greg Chamberlain