20938: erzilidanto: 2004 Haiti's miracle year- Haiti unites the African Union and CARICOM (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Erzilidanto@aol.com

2004 is already Haiti's miracle year-  Haiti unites the African Union and
CARICOM
(See article attached)
*******

Dessaline's army is rising. Coup D'etat or no Coup D'etat, Haitians have the
richest culture in the Western Hemisphere and defeated Napoleon, Britain,
Spain and a U.S. embargo. That is our rallying point. It remains our rallying
point. That is part of what it means to be Haitian. We are the first to put
Liberty into application in the Western Hemisphere. No other. That is the Haitian
identity that has survived embargoes, 32 U.S./Euro sponsored Coup D'etats and
Slavery before that and we shall overcome this U.S./France orchestrated Coup
D'etat also. History cannot be rewritten no matter how many nuclear weapons or
dollars France, Canada and the U.S. mobilize against Haiti's identity and our
pioneering efforts in the fight for liberty and enfranchisement of the wretched
of the earth the worldwide.

Even with ten years of a steady U.S./Euro destabilization campaign from 1994
to 2004, Haitians still built more schools than ever in Haiti's history. Even
with 10 years of destabilization, Haitians built hospital, public parks, put
in more electricity in more towns than ever before, built public parks in the
poorest neighborhoods; recognized the Vodun culture; brought the literacy rate
down from 90/85% to 48%; recognized Kreyol as one of our official language;
Haitians wrote more books in Kreyol than ever before; Haitians from the Diaspora
sent to Haiti more than 850 million a year. These are our accomplishments. We
may celebrate them. They are the facts hidden behind the headlines. Only
Haitians have an interests in publicizing them. They must not be forgotten. Too
many Haitians lives have been lost and will be lost to regain even the small
footing in democracy we had before Feb. 5 and 29th, 2004. Let's not forget our
miracles even with over ten years of U.S/Euro destabilization.

In 2004, despite Coup D'etat and Imperialism in Haiti, Haitians are committed
to:

1. Celebrate our Ancestors great victory and our rich Vodun-based culture.
Nothing can change the facts. We shall sponsor teach-in strikes and celebration
events and marches. History cannot be rewritten. Despite the lies, Black
civilization, beauty, law and justice in Haiti shall rise.

2. Empower the poor and now disenfranchised in Haiti. We shall continue to
mobilize human rights monitors to help save the lives of the Haitian poor now in
the greatest jeopardy since the last U.S.-backed dictatorship years in Haiti.

3. Mobilize the vote against Bush, Jr. We shall continue to mobilize the
Haitian-American vote, connect it with the grassroots U.S. movement to reclaim
U.S. democracy and lift the boot Bush has put on our Haitian dream for democracy
back off our people's neck in Haiti and those "indefinitely detained." This
time the Black vote shall COUNT!!!!!

4. We shall support the people of Jamaica for their stand for Haitian
democracy and CARICOM and the African Union and push for justice because the will of
the Haitian majority was not respected by the powerful and most resourceful in
the world. We shall continue to push for:

l. The 21.8 billion debt owed by France not to be forgotten but in fact
expedited to Court;

2. The murderers and ex-army and FRAPH mercenaries to be deported to the U.S.
or France where they may join their bosses;

3. Request that parliamentary and presidential elections be scheduled,
according to the Haitian Constitution, 60 days from today and that the Coup D'etat
countries have no role in the process but that CARICOM and the AFRICAN UNION
send in election monitors.

4. Use this opportunity to show the world that democracy in Haiti was not
just about President Aristide or not. The Haitian people, Haitian women in
particular, their lives, dreams for domestic development, for social inclusion must
become more visible.

Ezili Danto
March 29, 2004

Anyone who wishes to volunteer to take on or help organize any of the above.
Contact: Erzilidanto@aol.com, see
http://www.margueritelaurent.com/pressclips/haitianlawyers.html
or the Haitiaction.net

2004 is already Haiti's miracle year-  Haiti unites the African Union and
CARICOM
*******
DURBAN

Haiti inspires Africans - Mbeki

Posted Fri, 26 Mar 2004

http://iafrica.com/news/sa/312208.htm


The victory of African slaves over French rule in Haiti in the 1800s should
be used by Africans to inspire them to successfully address the challenges
facing them across the world, South African president Thabo Mbeki said on Friday.


He told delegates attending the sixth African Renaissance Conference in
Durban: "Today I am absolutely sure that the people of the Bahamas are inspired as
we should be here to make sure that (this) great African victory be used as an
inspiration... to address the challenges of the African Renaissance."


Many Africans ignorant of Haiti's history


Mbeki, a proponent of the African Renaissance concept, gave his audience a
history lesson on Haiti, saying that many Africans were not taught about the
struggle of the impoverished Caribbean country. Due to this many Africans did not
know an important part of their history.


He said when a person read about the history of that country, he became angry
because it was kept away from Africans because the powers that be knew it
would inspire pride amongst all Africans and make them realise what they could
accomplish.


Mbeki said he did not want to offend the people who had fought for South
Africa's liberation, but it would be very difficult to find a struggle as
inspiring as the one by the slaves in Haiti.


Haiti became an independent country and abolished slavery on January 1, 1804.
This was after the slaves defeated French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte's army.


Mbeki said the French government of that time told Haiti it would not
recognise its independence if it did not pay reparations for the loss French slave
owners would suffer. This would have led to the French government blocking the
exports of Haiti.


"They had no choice but to pay," he said.


The French set up a central bank through which the payments would be made,
and because the Haitians could not make the first instalment, money was borrowed
from a French bank, and that debt was serviced with interest.


The world's first black republic


In later years the United States took over the debt and only in 1945 did
Haiti pay its last reparation.


This was a main reason why Haiti, the world's first back republic, was so
impoverished.


Mbeki said there were no centenary celebrations for Haiti's independence
because the French government was opposed to this because they would celebrate the
defeat of Napoleon. The French government decided that this matter would be
reviewed in a 100 years. The same decision was taken for this year's
bicentenary celebrations.


Mbeki, who attended this year's celebrations in January, said he had been
questioned by Haitian opposition parties and civil society groups about his
attendance because it could have been interpreted as showing support for then
president Jean-Bertrand Aristide, who was ousted after a military coup earlier this
year.


Mbeki said he explained to them that the independence of Haiti was an
important part of the history of Africans, and he was there to participate in the
celebrations.


He said it was agreed by all parties that Haiti's problems should be
discussed under the auspices of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). During discussions
the armed uprising, by gangsters and spread by former Haitian soldiers,
started.


Haiti's police service did not have any equipment


Mbeki said CARICOM and the Haitian government requested South Africa's help
in the matter because its police service did not have any equipment, such as
teargas, ammunition and weapons.


Mbeki agreed to help, and after a list was sent to South Africa, the
equipment was sent to Jamaica.


However, before the material arrived in Haiti, Aristide was ousted and sent
to the Central African Republic.


"He did not ask to leave... but others said he should leave," Mbeki said.


He told the audience that in the midst of all this turmoil, a marvellous
thing had happened because the injustice concerning Haiti and Aristide's forced
departure, had brought greater unity amongst Africans across the globe.


"I think we have never seen as much unity amongst Africans on a matter,"
Mbeki said. "All of us are saying a great injustice has happened and all of us are
saying we must... help the Haitians."


Africans should address common problems together


Mbeki said Africans would have a bright future if they addressed common
problems together.


"Our African people in the United States are still African and are less equal
than other Americans," he said to applause.


The small Caribbean countries could only succeed if they were part of the
greater African home.


Mbeki said whether Africans were living in Johannesburg or New York, they
faced the same difficulties.


He called on those attending the conference to find ways of taking the
African Renaissance forward, saying its success would have a positive affect on all
Africans.


"What do we need to do to build a global, united movement of Africans?" Mbeki
asked.


"Don't lose this opportunity to reinforce the cohesion... so that together we
can fight the common problems of Africans."


DA wants answers


Democratic Alliance leader Tony Leon said this week he had written another
letter to Mbeki regarding a consignment of arms sent to Haiti in the dying hours
of Aristide's rule.


Leon said he had to date received no answer to his previous query regarding
the dispatch in late February of an SA Air Force Boeing 707 to the Caribbean
island state loaded with 150 R1 assault rifles, ammunition and assorted
equipment.


"This is a most extraordinary thing in a constitutional democracy. If it
wasn't for a journalist and a newspaper in Jamaica, we would never have known
about this deployment," Leon told a press conference in Johannesburg.


The DA leader said he had taken legal advice on the matter from an advocate
in Cape Town who advised him that the flight to Haiti amounted to the
employment of the Defence Force as contemplated in the constitution as well as in the
new Defence Act and that government, by not reporting this deployment to
parliament within the stipulated 14 days, was in breach of the law.


Sapa
*******

Dessaline's army is rising.
March 29, 2004
Ezili Danto
Li led li la