Patrick's Musings #2

November 8, 2008

1) When driving through the chaotic streets of Port au Prince one cannot help but notice a commonality amongst the men of Haiti: mustaches. It seems that from a young age this sacred lip hair is encouraged and nurtured for boys striving to demonstrate their manhood. Using the power of personal observation, I have determined that approximately 94% of Haitian men have mustaches. Worldwide, this number is only trumped in the land of India where roughly 99.9% of men are sporting mustaches. It would seem that a gargantuan effort will be needed on the part of American men if our country is to catch up to the rest of the world.

2) Every morning Kim and I are greeted by a giant water truck blasting out “ice cream truck” like music. Unfortunately this truck only plays one song. The song is Celine Deon’s, “My Heart Will Go On.” The truck drives around our neighborhood incessantly throughout the day and into the early evening spilling water on the streets and belting out this tune. Haven’t the people of Haiti suffered enough already?

3) A few days ago Kim and I had a conversation with Pastor Patrick about his wife Francois. We were commenting on how tough she was when Patrick shared with us an interesting joke. He teased us that Francois must have drank donkey milk when she was a child because this is the only explanation for how strong and tough she is. Donkey milk? Yes, donkey milk. Haitians seemed to have stumbled onto a piece of fascinating information that I believe could be the foundation of a future nation of super men and women. Prediction: if Haiti can a find a way to import a large supply of donkeys into the country they will not only win, but dominate, the 2020 Olympics.

4) Yesterday I spent an hour doing a question and answer session with an 8^th grade class at the school. Several of the questions pertained to race. Why do Americans hate Haitians? Why does American treat us like dust? Why doesn’t the U.S. let Haitians into Florida? Why are Americans so racist? I think you get the point. I tried to the answer the questions as honestly and with as much insight as I could muster. I explained to the kids that not all Americans are white, not all Americans are racist, and that the actions of our government do not always represent the beliefs and wishes of the American people. In light of these questions and in light of the excitement in Haiti over the election of Obama, I cannot help but to believe that we are in a “kairos” moment. What better time to improve relations between the people of Haiti and the people of the U.S. than after we have finally elected a person of color to the Oval Office? Kounye a se le a. Now is the time.

5) Of course, we all know that we can find the rap artist 50 Cent in the club, but did you also know that you could find him in the classrooms of Haiti? Se vre. It’s true. During a recent English lesson on numbers I began teaching the children how to say the tens in English. When we arrived at 50 one of the children yelled out, “50 Cent.” All of the other kids joined in and said, “50 Cent, 50 Cent.” Ah, the best of American culture coming soon to a developing country near you.

6) The random t-shirt of the day goes to a teenager whose t-shirt proudly asserted, “Drink More Wine: Live Longer, Remember Less.” Well said young man.

7) Did you know that Haiti was the first colonized slave country to gain its freedom? On January 1, 1804, Haitian slaves, led by national heroes Toussaint L’ Ouverture and Jean-Jacques Dessalines, won their freedom from Napoleon Bonaparte and their French oppressors after a successful revolt that lasted nearly 13 years. The significance of Haiti gaining its independence should not be overlooked. After becoming a free country, Haiti provided sanctuary and arms to Simon Bolivar, who in turn, led successful rebellions in numerous South American countries resulting in the indigenous and slave populations of these countries gaining their own freedom. In addition, when Napoleon lost all of the revenue coming from Haiti he was forced to sell a large chunk of French owned land in order to make ends meet. The buying and selling of this land would become known in our history books as the Louisiana Purchase. Thanks Haiti.

8) In closing, I want to reiterate how much race is perceived by the Haitian people as a reason for the ill treatment they have received from the American government. If anyone is interested in the history of race relations and American involvement in Haiti, I would recommend a book by Randall Robinson entitled, “An Unbroken Agony: Haiti, From Revolution to the Kidnapping of a President.” As a country we have to begin to understand that when we meddle in non-European countries (Haiti, Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua to name a few) it is often perceived as stemming from racist motivations. It is difficult to argue against this perception since the U.S. doesn’t seem to “bring democracy” to predominately white European countries. In recognition of the suffering and exploitation of the Haitian people who cry out for equality and liberation I would like to conclude with today’s quote of the day, which comes from the Hebrew prophet Amos 2: 6-7 & 5:24: “They sell the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals – they who trample the heads of the poor into the dust of the earth and push the afflicted out of the way. But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like and ever-flowing stream.” Amen.