Comments on: O Haiti, não é aqui

By: alessandro

alessandro — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:14:24 +0000

To Fritznel: on what basis do you make that accusation? It is people like you, constantly looking to point a finger instead of taking up responsibility and looking forward for way to improve the country, that are responsible for Haiti’s misery. This article is very uniformed. First of all, it is not the members of the lavalas party that are murdered without legal consequence. People only look at what happens at the “rich” but no one bats an eye for the misery the poor are in. Aristide has killed hundreds of poor people who rose against his teachings. He publicly made several speeches claiming that violence, and blaming were ways to deal with current issues in the country. Even people who lacked a formal education found this absurd. Second, in 1999, the U.S. released $3.5 million for Haitian elections to hold fair and democratic elections. Where did this money go? How do people who say that Aristide was voted democratically explain that of the top 4 candidates in the 2001 elections, 2 were “mysteriously” killed? Anyone that has ever posed a threat to aristide’s non-democratic regime was somehow found dead or disappeared.
Anyway, I have been hypocritical, as I myself have pointed blame. However, we need to stop this, and look forward as to how we can improve this situation. Many of Haiti’s most qualified and intelligent citizens will not open their mouths because of the fear that they might be killed or attacked, or ridiculed. If we want to move forward, we must stop the mudslinging and not keep going back to the past.
I am hopeful for the upcoming elections, and hope that the Haitian people will elect a good-hearted leader, who will not bow down to the temptations of corruption.

By: Coffy

Coffy — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 22:19:13 +0000

O Hati pouquoi c’est toi:”la premiere republique noir du monde”haiti prenent courage un jour tu sera parmi les grands.Representant des noir dans le monde.Haiti cherie je t’aime,que Dieu te benisse tes fils et tes filles.La france,usa,canada sont responsable misere de mon pays.
Haiti je t’aime

By: Fritznel

Fritznel — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 22:07:03 +0000

Mon pays n’est pas pauvre comme tous pense;si Haiti donne un asperct miserable c’est grace a Etats-unis,canada et la France,c’est trois pays sont responsable misere D’haiti.

By: Damien

Damien — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 04:17:47 +0000

I appreciate the authors comments a lot. I just was wondering what to make of the quotation of that beautiful song by Caetano in the sense that I think you omitted the most striking and important of that songs lyrics. “Pensa no Haiti, reza por Haiti. O Haiti e aqui, O Haiti nao e aqui.” You faithfully translate, yet the phrase “O Haiti e aqui” is curiously missing. “Think about Haiti, Pray for Haiti. HAITI IS HERE. Haiti is not here.” What does it mean when Caetano says Haiti is here? Even in “Haiti is not here,” we seem to be reminded that “we” are “there” – the influence of our lives, our thoughts, our foreign policy, our apathy, our care IS there in Haiti, just as Haiti’s strength, life, hope, pain, destitution is here; in our hearts, our greed, our flagging confidence in the possibility of our own freedoms. That interconnectedness theme…. Thanks for writing! Peace

By: Mike Hussein Cohen

Mike Hussein Cohen — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 00:06:20 +0000

“Haiti” by Arcade Fire is one of the most beautiful songs:

Haïti, mon pays,
wounded mother I’ll never see.
Ma famille set me free.
Throw my ashes into the sea.

Mes cousins jamais nés
hantent les nuits de Duvalier.
Rien n’arrete nos esprits.
Guns can’t kill what soldiers can’t see.

In the forest we lie hiding,
unmarked graves where flowers grow.
Hear the soldiers angry yelling,
in the river we will go.

Tous les morts-nés forment une armée,
soon we will reclaim the earth.
All the tears and all the bodies
bring about our second birth.

Haïti, never free,
n’aie pas peur de sonner l’alarme.
Tes enfants sont partis,
In those days their blood was still warm.