22620: Saint-Vil: Haitian Bicentennial Conference 2004 at UWI (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Jean Saint-Vil <jafrikayiti@hotmail.com>


The URL for this article is:
www.rastaspeaks.com/tyehimba/2004/0407.html

Haitian Bicentennial Conference 2004

Re-interpreting Our History

By Tyehimba
July 04, 2004

'Reinterpreting the Haitian Revolution and its Cultural Aftershocks
(1804-2004)' was the theme of the Haitian Bicentennial Conference held for 4
days at the University of the West Indies, St Augustine. In the conference,
organised by the Faculty of Humanities and Education, presenters dealt with
different themes of the Haitian situation, including 'Revolution, Race, and
Philosophy', 'History, Art and Dance', 'Folk Culture, Language and Resistance',
Politics, Economics, and Literature. The Conference's speakers included
critically acclaimed Haitian novelist Edwidge Danticat, scholars Lloyd Best,
Michael Dash and Dany Laferrière, UWI Vice Chancellor Rex Nettleford and Nobel
Laureate Derek Walcott, among others The conference ran smoothly with sessions
generally starting and ending on time.

Some of those that attended the conference were seriously concerned about the
predominance of white presenters who delivered papers at the conference. Given
that the thrust of the Haitian revolution was against European domination, and
that the theme was re-interpreting the Haitian revolution, I share these
concerns. it is Caribbean people who have to re-interpret their own history. It
is not that White historians are useless, that they aren't able to understand
the finer issues of the Haitian revolution because they lack the direct
experience of European domination. And this issue is especially important, as
there are Blacks who are more than able to articulate Haitian issues very well.
There still remains embedded in Caribbean society an over reliance on
foreigners and white authorities. Why else would there be so many white
scholars needed to reinterpret our history for us? Aren't we capable enough to
re-examine and re-write our history, void of the Eurocentric biases of Black
and religious inferiority that have plagued mainstream accounts of history? The
importance of this issue was shown by the often narrow scope of the presenters,
who amazing did not deal with the Aristide situation, save for one male
presenter.

On the first day, Lloyd Best presented one of the better papers of the
conference. Under the theme, The Revolution and Caribbean Histories, Best
presented a paper entitled Locating Haiti in the Caribbean. Quoting Gerald
Barthelmy, he pointed out that the most important thing about the Haitian case
is the very profound economic and social revolution made by the Haitian people
when they repudiated the system of plantation slavery. Best put forth that
though whites were eliminated from Haiti, the remaining population was not
homogeneous, and between blacks and mulattoes remained problems that dogged
society for all of 200 years. Best further highlighted how the peasant society
gave impetus to the development of local community organization by way of a
local language of Creole, of a local religion, of an indigenous art, of forms
of armed resistance, of systems of justice around voudou and with a peculiar
set of social rules constituting a civil code. All of this ran parallel to the
French language, the Napoleonic code, the Western army with its military
hierarchy, and an imported system of jurisprudence and justice.

Referring to orthodox media that report Haiti as a land of voodoo and violence,
Best called for another interpretation, humble enough to discard pre-conceived
judgments and to make sense of the Haitian experience on its own terms. Most
importantly, Best talked about the system of small landholdings that emerged
after the Revolution, that displayed remarkable coherence and capacity for
organization, expansion, adaptation, and viability. He pointed out that Haiti's
current crisis came only when the population explosion the start of the 20th
century made this dispensation with its surrounding arrangements a
fundamentally unviable one, leading to an exodus first to the cities and then
by boat people in search of fresh opportunity. The Haitian locals exhibited
extraordinary vigor and vision in establishing a viable sy stem of production.
This point is especially important as there has been shallow chauvinistic
claims of Haiti's problems being because of voodoo or that Africans are
inherently unable to self govern. Apart from being dangerously fallacious,
these claims ignore the external and internal forces that give rise to the
present situation.

Under the theme, Education and the Revolution, Sandra Gift explored the ways in
which Haiti was represented or not represented on school curriculums around the
world. Highlighting interviews she conducted in Gambia, Brazil, Denmark, the
USA, and the UK, she explained how Haitian history is ignored completely, or
when it is included it is often done in a very sketchy manner, and the
negatives of the Haitian situation are not put in its proper historical
context. She found a general silence on the Haitian Revolution, with many
having no knowledge of the Haitian Revolution or Toussaint L'overture.
Furthermore, Gift said that in her research, she encountered the view that it
would have been better if Haiti had remained a French colony and followed the
path of Martinique and Guadeloupe. This idea is very disturbing as it obviously
stands upon a false and incomplete understanding of Haiti. Gift further
explored how the image contamination of Haiti subverted Haiti's quest for
freedom and how two hundred years later, Haiti is still battling the forces of
European domination which not only impose physical constraints but also
negatively characterize Haiti as the land of voodoo, poverty and violence.

Claude Beauboeuf (PhD) presented a paper titled The Haitian Revolution and
Aristide Downfall" Comparative Analysis and Implications. For someone that
lives in Haiti, Dr. Beauboeuf presented quite a parochial analysis of Haitian
history that completely ignores some critical considerations. In it he likened
those who overthrew the system of chattel slavery in the Haiti Revolution to
the anti-Aristide movement that helped overthrow Aristide. Although Beauboeuf
acknowledged the US and Fr ance as having a role in the 'resignation' of
Aristide, he makes no connection between the Haiti freeing itself from colonial
bondage and the 200 years of isolation and international pressure (including US
sanctions and vicious IMF/World Bank policies) that has culminated in the Haiti
we presently know. Describing the attitude of the US to Aristide's 'political
and economical mismanagement' as realistic Dr Beauboeuf ignores two hundred
years of Haitian history, and places the reason for the horrific economic and
social realities of the Haitian people squarely on the lap of Aristide.

The conference closed with scenes from Haitian Earth, a play written and
directed by Nobel Laureate Derek Walcott. The misrepresentation of Haiti's
revolutionary leaders was unfortunate and insulting: Dessalines for example was
portrayed as a rapist and a blustering ego-maniac. While a sugar-coated
representation of the characters of the Haitian history is not necessary or
even desired, some aspects of Walcott's play were clearly without historical
basis.

All in all, the four-day conference was an interesting mix of contradictions.
Two hundred years since Dessalines proclaimed Haiti as an independent nation,
the first Black republic in the New World, in a conference celebrating the
Revolution, the same forces of European forces that Haiti has battled for over
200 years, manifested as if to remind people that the struggle of the Haitian
people to achieve self determination is far from over. The circumstances of the
conference has emphasized that it is Blacks and Haitians that are most
qualified to re-interpret their own history (given that they are informed), and
they must be given the space to articulate their deep painful story that echo a
dream of freedom, freedom from the Eurocentric ignorance and arrogance that
have dogged their development for two hundred years.

Furthermore, talking Black Haitian lady, she explained that Haitian issues are
very sensitive and is hardly discussed openly among Haitians because of the
discrimination and possibility of reprisals. As she put it, there is a culture
of silence as discussing an issue today, can be the bullet that kills you
tomorrow.

Given that Haiti has been inconspicuously consigned to the sidelines of
history, many are unaware of the debt that Black/Caribbean people owe Haiti,
and the sacrifice that was willingly given for the cause of human dignity,
freedom and national self-determination. So challenged were the prejudices of
the time, by this brave nation of people who climbed the highest mountain and
swam the deepest sea in search of their freedom. The underdevelopment that
Haiti has been subjected to has reinforced dangerous stereotypes of Black
inferiority and the inability of Blacks to self-govern. As one presenter put
it, Haiti has become a metaphor for the supposed inabilities of Blacks/Africans
to self govern. More proactive movements need to be made by CARICOM to help
Haiti who is still experiencing international neglect and Euro-American
domination. Including a proper account of Haitian history in school curricula
as well as providing scholarships to Haitians will be a good start to counter
the underdevelopment forced unto our Caribbean neighbors. I reminded of a
haunting poem by the powerful Jamaican Poet Mutabaruka.


"haiti yuh goin an' no one seem to care
haiti yuh goin neighbors beware
de poverty an' death that haunts everyday
de boat dat leave to de u.s.a.
yuh payin payin boukman is not a sleep
u gave us haiti de strength to fite
black people in de caribbean i say unite
brake de chains dat keep us apart
haiti suffers because it made a start
haiti haiti yuh 'ave de will
haiti haiti afrika calls u still
too black too strong you'll 'ave to pay
balcker than nite never seein de day
but too black is always de reason for your pain
but your fite for freedom will not be in vain
haiti yuh goin an' no one seem to care
haiti yuh goin neighbors beware
de blood seat an' tears dat shed today
will be a guide for afrika an' afrikans along de way
cuba beware/jamika beware/trinidad beware/greneda beware
caribbean beware beware beware/care no fear care no fear
caribbean beware beware beware
break de chains dat keep us apart
haiti suffers because it made a start
but too black is no reason for pain
de blood for freedom wil always stain"

- Muta Baruka

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