Haiti 2004: Life Under President Aristide (days before the Coup)

In December 2003, my wife, Manzè Choublak, and I decided to take our son, Lanmoukaji, with us to the bicentennial celebrations in Haiti.


Meanwhile in mainstream media, Haiti is described as a land of lawlessness and generalized mayhem, a dictatorship from which visitors are encouraged to stay as far away as possible.

In the following video report, I will share with you a glimpse of what we found out during the weeks we spent traveling the Streets, mountains and oceans of Haiti, including an evening spent at the National Palace. As it was infamously known to be a torture dungeon during the years of U.S.-backed Duvalier dictatorships (1957-1986), I will let you discover from the video footage what happened to us as we visited President Jean-Bertrand Aristide and guests at the National Palace, on January 1, 2004.

I’ve decided to start this series titled “Ayiti 2004: Se Pa Ti Koul”, with as little narration as possible.

The date is January 25, 2004, three weeks after the National Palace visit (so much for my desire to make this suspenseful, nope! there was no ritualistic killing involving me seated in boiled water. However, there was a whole lot of this...

“Ayiti 2004: Se Pa Ti Koul”

- See more at: https://jafrikayiti.com/haiti-2004-life-under-president-aristide-days-before-the-coup/#sthash.cktDsJyT.dpuf

"Ayisyen, chak fwa dyab la mande w Dessalines ak Toussaint ki lès ou pi pito, reponn: toulede fout! Epi, kale je w nan je l, mande l : e oumenm, ipokrit, ki lès ou pi rayi!"

- Mesaj frè nou Jafrikayiti pou tout pitit Dessalines, tout Fanmi Lavalas, tout pitit Lietnan Sanit Belè, tout pitit Marie Sainte Dede Bazile (Defile)...nou pap janm trayi sa n, san nou se san Boukmann...

https://youtu.be/QfoOmIyyNiA

Anpil fwa, kote n ap chèche mesaj lanmou, lapè, lajistis lan, se pa la li ye ditou...
...

Anpil fwa sajès, fratènite san twounanmanch, solidarite sensè, entèlijans...se anba tcha-tcha, vaksin ak tanbou nèg ak nègès Bèlè li ye.

Jou 25 janvye sa a rete grave nan memwa mwen. Yon moun ka viv amoni ki nan mizik la, ou ka kite pawol yo travay lespri ou ak nanm ou. Men, anverite, sa ki te pi bèl pou mwen nan kominyon sa a, se souri machann byè ak kola a ki kontan lè yon frè retounen pote boutèy vid la pou li, se akolad 2 kanmarad ki espantan apre youn te pile pye lot, epi li dil "eskize m sanba!".

Se yomenm, frè ak sè nou yo, zot bay tit "chimè" paske yo te chwazi fè rezistans kont kolon ak tchoul kolon ki te vle gate selebrasyon bisantnè a.

Mwen pa fè montaj, mwen eseye pa pale twop nan ti videyo saa. Noumenm, n a va jije ak zorèy nou, ak je n, san prejije. Mwenmenm, se yon sèl mo mwen genyen pou Patikoul: MÈSI!


YO METE DIVIZYON POU YOUN KA DECHIRE LOT...REZISTANS! ENTÈLIJANS! REZISTANS!
TAN POU NOU TOUNEN (LAGÈ) VYETNAM, NOU PITO MANJE LAM...REZISTANS! ENTÈLIJANS! REZISTANS!