Good Lord who hath made the sun that shines upon us, that riseth from the sea, who maketh the storm to roar; and governeth the thunders, The Lord is hidden in the heavens, and there He watcheth over us. The Lord seeth what the blancs have done. Their god commandeth crimes, ours giveth blessings upon us. The Good Lord hath ordained vengeance. He will give strength to our arms and courage to our hearts. He shall sustain us. Cast down the image of the god of the blancs, because he maketh the tears to flow from our eyes. Hearken unto Liberty that speaketh now in all your hearts.
Dutty Boukman
In 1791 at Bois Caiman a creole pig was sacrificed and its blood shared in an oath to the cause of Haitian independence and liberation from white slave owners. This ceremony was not so different to the covenants conveyed in the Old Testament of the Bible between Israel and God. Liberation from slavery - the various African peoples dragged to these Caribbean shores wanted this, just as the Jews did when they were exiled and made slaves in Egypt. Haitians wanted a life free from captivity and they got it. Well, kind of. And as the plane lifts and rises over Port-au-Prince, I look down upon the sprawling capital, its poverty and hardships observable in my minds-eye, and it’s clear that freedom from oppression is still the cry of the majority.
That the abomination of slavery is gone in Haiti is wonderful but there are other chains that still demand breaking and not all of them belong to a white master. In the late 18th century the blancs were the obvious enemy, not so anymore. Yes, the West and America have a profound legacy and ongoing influence but that doesn’t satisfactorily explain why most Haitians suffer. For over two hundred years there has been, in principle, the possibility of transformation in terms of healthcare, education and infrastructure, all these things that would alleviate difficulty and facilitate opportunities for better living. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you are from, when you are sick you want a doctor, parents want their children to learn and people want the possibility to make a living and be secure. This country has seen much change and some improvements in living conditions but it is far from what my Haitian friends want. I have lots of ideas but no good answers and the truth is that I don’t need to provide them. It seems to me they will have to work it out for themselves and just like me will have to wrestle with themselves, each other and their government to see greater freedom.
In our own lives we are often our own worst enemies and barriers to what we desire. When it comes to societies it becomes even harder and for those in power it is worse. It is easy to hate the tyrant and we should oppose him (well, usually it’s a he), but don’t we all suffer under tyranny? The tyranny of our families, the guilt of our wrongdoing, the circumstances of our birth, the fortunes of our home countries, our sense of self and the inevitable bumps and bruises along life’s journey. Life isn’t easy for anyone and for some it’s really hard. We have this in common – we long for more life than we currently experience. I believe that the challenges humans face are mostly held within us and that the greater manifestation of these problems in countries like Haiti, and truly global issues like the growing gap between rich and poor, are symptomatic of human nature.
So, how do you voodoo? Well, pretty much the same as everyone probably. However attractively ‘together’ we may think we have got our lives, we are in truth bumbling and fumbling along trying to survive and stay true to our beliefs, whatever they might be – voodoo itself, environmentalism, gender equality, veganism, self-before-other-ness, any-other-ism, comfortable self-preservation and/or faith in Jesus. We all choose our way in life, consciously or not, willingly or not, and that determines so much of our lives or not (natural phenomenon and perhaps God as some might see it). The point is (to bastardise the saying), we have to live in the worlds that are created for us and engage with them as we decide. I decided to return to aid work last year, dip my toe back in those murky waters, and do what small good I could. Seven months in Haiti haven’t broken me. Despite the failure to implement any meaningful humanitarian programming I am not disillusioned or cynical. I made my choices as did everyone else and life happened. There was the comic and the tragic, as well as the good that happens every day in the world which rarely makes the news headlines. We built no houses but were busy working and spending (and in one obvious sense wasting) money every day as the authorities postured, pushed for what they wanted and ultimately prevailed. No houses were built and the poor people who so admirably rebuilt their humble homes after the devastation of Hurricane Matthew continued to live their lives without assistance from us or their leaders. That is normal for them and yet still they found a measure of joy and kindness day by day. It is always the poor that endure the most and often are the most content.
The rich are the powerful for sure but regularly discontented. People even say that under the Duvalier dictators, Papa and Baby Doc, at least there was more respect in society and less crime although the thuggery of the Tonton Macoutes (the national security service) was infamous. Unfortunately humanitarian organisations have to navigate the difficult terrain of politics. I would have more happily worked side by side with the people I was there to help but sadly it never happened. When the local mayors were still blocking access after months of negotiations, we decided to leave. Such was the reaction in one location that roadblocks were set up and people raided our depot. News travels fast and the Prime Minister summoned me to his residence to explain. Without governmental approval NGOs simply can’t work in an area (that’s the usual procedure). At every step of the process we respected the law and remained committed to the humanitarian imperative to help those in need without prejudice. The PM seemed a reasonable man, polite and even decent, and with a vision for a better Haiti for all (most leaders do). He understood the impasse and accepted, with regret, our decision to abandon the project. However, it is clear that the reality of that political and social melée will remain shrouded in mystery and clouded by cross-cultural confusion.
When I was a young man I dreamed of doing diplomatic work in foreign countries and here I was conversing in my somewhat brutal French with the Haitian PM, the Minister of Planning and the head of mission for USAID. I didn’t expect it to look like this but I guess dreams are often strangers upon realisation. Looking down on the brown river snaking towards the sea through a scarred landscape stripped of the verdant forest which once covered the land, I make my peace with the past months and accept them with as much honesty as I can, acknowledging as I do so that I am not defined by the work I do and that to spend time again in Haiti has been a privilege.
