23344: Vedrine: Are you a proud Haitian? (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: E Vedrine <evedrine@hotmail.com>


ARE YOU A PROUD HAITIAN?

If we, Haitians, really want to help Haiti and to see a new Haiti, it's
something that requires SACRIFICE. You MUST believe in it and try to do your
best with all your heart and soul. We've already seen many leaders' and
political parties' failure. It's not because they never had the resources
needed to help our country, and sometimes you may wonder: what's going on?
what's wrong with Haiti? why does this nation fail?... a bunch of questions
that can come to your mind. Well, the first thing to do is: LOOK AT YOURSELF
in a mirror. I am pretty sure that NOBODY is perfect, we may try to be and
that's why we are no angel otherwise we'd not be suffering on this planet.
So it's a whole process to change the COMPLEX HAITIAN MENTALITY, one that
has been brainwashed for centuries.

I've been trying to develop an appreciation for Haiti from the model that my
late loving parents left behind, a whole legacy (love, care, respect for
everyone and wisdom). With 28 years of experience traveling abroad (to
different continents and countries),  I've learned a lot and it takes
courage to say I AM HAITIAN (because of the negative ways in which they
perceive Haitians around the globe - no matter of their social class or
their educational background, they're all on the same boat).

BUT you know what? People DO RESPECT you when you are proud of who you are,
when you are proud of your culture, when you know facts about your country,
when you love your people (rich or poor), when you are proud of your ethnic
background, and many times you'll feel that you are an ambassador
representing your country.

It's quite sad to see how the Haitian society has been divided since Haiti's
independence and the same colonial mentality is still there in the twenty
first century, but there's hope to change things around and the hope is
within ME and YOU only when we become conscious of our reality, only when we
can accept the truth and only when we can put all of our differences behind
to work together for A COUNTRY, a mother that has given birth to all of us.

e.w.vedrine