18429: erzilidanto: The meaning of being Haitian, identify with Haitians and Haitian culture (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Erzilidanto@aol.com


I just read Subject: 18418: Pierre Jean Re: 18406: ANDRE APAID IS HAITIAN,
where
a certain Pierre Jean writes:


"When a Haitian

citizen of foreign origin (especially Lebanese or

Syrian) is viewed as an "enemy" then all of a sudden

he becomes an "Arab". Never mind the fact that the

vast majority of them are at least third-generation

Haitian."

Whoever wrote this is stretching the truth again.  Haitians have been
referring to Haitians of Syrian or Lebanese extraction as "Arab" way before 9/11 gave
that word a terrorist coding. It goes back at least the 1920s if not before
in our Haitian history. So Writer, please get your facts straight about Haitian
culture.

Further, as said Writer is bringing it up - this terrorist aspect of the
crisis in Haiti. Allow me to make this point: Sometime ago, around the time of the
Gubernatorial Jeb Bush elections in Florida, a boatload of impoverished
Haitians (Black, not-of-foreign-origin-and-without-
Apaid's-money-or-passports/visas) hit the shores of Miami looking for asylum and safe harbor. Amongst them
where some very poor Haitian school children, the same sort Apaid and his group
have been stoning and openly preventing from going to school in the name of
the overthrow of Aristide these past months. In Miami, one such Haitian child
was granted bail pending hearing of his case. Ascroft appealed. One of his
reasons was that there were Middle Eastern peoples with terrorist connections in
Haiti will ill will towards the U.S. Now, we know that particular child was not
"of Middle Eastern extraction." In fact, it's safe to say that whole boatload
of very poor Haitians didn't have access to the passports and monies necessary
to be a threat to the U.S.  But, since Ascroft brought up that specter for
Haiti about Haiti's Middle Eastern citizens. If Mr. Apaid is feeling some
pressure because he has placed himself in opposition to the duly elected Haitian
government and his identify as an "Arab" has been brought up, separate and apart
from the fomenting of violence and Civil War and trafficking in corpses and
terrorizing school children, if that identity has been brought up and questioned
because he has placed himself in the position of "candidate to lead" the
Haitian people, but he is feeling a more intense credibility pressure because he
is ALSO an "Arab" he should blame that on Ascroft and how the U.S. wages war
against terrorism, and not blame this on Haitian people. We are tired of
carrying the weight for the wrongdoing of others.

FURTHER, perhaps Apaid should have complained about this arbitrary and
blanket discrimination against "Arabs" the Patriot Act is promulgating and got his
lawyers to write a letter then, when this stuff was happening to poor non-Arab
Haitian immigrants, indefinitely being detained in U.S. cells. Then perhaps
Apaid would have lifted himself from that "Arab" coding for "terrorist." Perhaps
then the Haitian public would today find him an authentic Haitian because he
has a record of identifying with their concerns, pain and suffering and not a
"foreigner" working them, like other "foreigners", at starvation wages in his
Apha Sewing sweatshops. Perhaps this "Arab" connotation would make no sense as
to him and be inapplicable on the "terrorist" or in the visceral "foreigner"
level.

In sum, when all Haitians, especially the ones with access and means, from
all sectors, realize that our destiny with that of the majority of the Black
poor in Haiti are interlocked and we all start looking outwards together, then
and only then will Haiti start towards authentic development.

Ezili Danto