A country destroyed - but not without hope.

I closed my last post with the idea of a nation destroyed, the idea of challenge, and the idea of hope. I want to continue to comment on that. Over the course of decades, the country of Haiti has been torn apart by the cruelty of Francois "Papa Doc" Duvalier, the corruption of Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier, and multiple coup d'etats. Most recently, in 2004, democratically elected president Jean-Bertrand Aristide was deposed under circumstances that some say was the result of public outcry over an increasingly corrupt and violent rule. Others argue that he was essentially deposed by a foreign power who saw him as a threat to their security interests. The effects on the infrastructure of the country from this coup can still be seen. Which side is telling the truth is something that I certainly don't know, and will not comment on, however these two disparate sides to the story make for a volatile situation even today.


UN peacekeepers standing post in Port au Prince
That being said, I also spoke of challenges. The greatest challenge that this country faces is the need for the people to accept and embrace the new administration. Since the fall of the Duvalier administration, the Haitian people have become increasingly politically aware, and increasingly vocal in their political ideas. In the words of Rodrick (our cabbie in my last post), "Under [Duvalier], the people had to die in silence. Now they have a voice, and they're screaming." Those screams manifest after years of pent-up resentment, but also as a people coming into the fullness of the knowledge of how to exercise a new-found political will. The sitting administration, headed by Rene Preval (who actually succeeded Aristide in 1996), is seen in as many different lights by the Haitian people as the previous administration under Aristide. Some regard it with a great degree of distrust, while others see them as doing their best in a complicated, difficult political climate. Where both sides agree, however, is that they demand results of this administration - and they need them quickly.


Three guys running a tap-tap on the streets of Port au Prince.

This brings me to the subject of hope. Hope for a nation rebuilt. Hope for a stable, thriving country built on democratic principles. Hope for a brighter future. I already said that the Preval administration has certain demands placed on it by the Haitian people: demands for action. Those demands are slowly but surely being met. Slowly but surely, with the help of foreign aid, the sitting administration is beginning to rebuild the country. Having had the opportunity to spend some time in the halls of power, I was amazed at the effort being put in to finally make things right, and to do the job that the people entrusted them to do. Never before have I seen any governmental officials, certainly not at the ministerial and ambassadorial level working past 6:00 PM except in time of war. Yet, sitting in the Prime Minister's office at roughly this time and seeing the people still at work reveals the dedication of this administration to the task they set out before them. The people have their doubts, yes - but after many years of broken promises and broken faith, who can blame them? Those doubts aside, however, there is a sense of hope in the people - hope expressed in the little things. Construction projects are being undertaken - construction projects that seemed pointless in the face of increasing violence. Perhaps of greater significance is the fact that people are coming back out onto the streets at night, and under the glow of kerosene lanterns, merchants hawk their wares in front of freshly painted houses.