Haiti PM steps down amid anti-govt protests

Haiti President Michel Martelly is seeking his fourth prime minister since taking office in 2011 after Laurent Lamothe quit to diffuse growing protests over a delayed electoral law that could lead to parliament’s dissolution.

Lamothe, who took office in 2012, stepped down Dec. 14 after a tumultuous week in the Caribbean nation that saw a presidential commission call for his resignation, United Nations troops confronting protesters and a high-level diplomatic effort by the U.S. In a 2 a.m. address to the nation, he said he was leaving with a sense of “duty accomplished.”

The 42-year-old Lamothe had won praise from leaders including former U.S. President Bill Clinton and telecommunications billionaire Denis O’Brien for his efforts to lure investment and rebuild Haiti after a 2010 earthquake killed more than 200,000 people. His resignation may not win over an opposition angered by allegations of government corruption, U.S. involvement in the crisis and the contention that Martelly’s election law proposal was unconstitutional.

“To negotiate with Martelly is useless,” said Senator Westner Polycarpe, one of six lawmakers opposing the law, via e-mail. Polycarpe called for the resignation of some members of the Supreme Court and electoral council. “The formation of a provisional government could pacify the country and help realize credible elections,” he said.

No Quorum

With only 20 of the senate’s 30 seats currently filled because elections haven’t been held, the bloc of six senators can prevent a quorum needed to approve or reject legislation.

“The next few days will be very critical,” said Robert Fatton, a Haitian-born professor of politics at the University of Virginia. “Martelly is now very weakened and there’s a segment of the opposition that will continue to protest and continue to call for his resignation.”

In a nationally-televised address before Lamothe stepped down, Martelly praised him for his “courage and determination to help Haiti.”

“I recognize he is taking this decision to help unblock the political situation,” Martelly said.

Rule by Decree

The resignation doesn’t end the dispute over the electoral law. Local elections that had last been scheduled for October still haven’t taken place. Without a breakthrough, parliament will be dissolved next month and Martelly could rule by decree until elections take place.

“Michel Martelly needs to find a solution to stop the protests in the street by choosing a prime minister from a consensual platform,” said Jean-Junior Joseph, a Haitian political commentator who blogs at the touthaiti.com website, in an e-mailed response to questions.

Martelly said negotiations would begin Monday, but he did not lay out a timetable of when an interim prime minister would be selected or say with whom he would be negotiating.

Lamothe and Martelly have courted investors in their bid to boost growth in the Western Hemisphere’s poorest country, ranked near the bottom of the World Bank’s annual “Doing Business” reports. The nation of 10 million people was rated 163rd out of 175 nations in Transparency International’s 2013 corruption index, behind Venezuela and Zimbabwe. The government still depends on non-profits and foreign aid to provide many basic services.

Cruise Company

Economic growth in Haiti, which shares the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic, isforecast to moderate to 3.7 percent next year from 3.8 percent this year, according to the International Monetary Fund. That compares to 4.2 percent next year for the Dominican Republic and 1.8 percent for Jamaica.

Cruise-ship company Carnival Corp. (CCL) in July announced a $70 million cruise port project on Haiti’s northern Turtle Island, while the government is working with Bermuda-based Lazard Ltd. to raise an investment fund it says can aid the domestic economy.

In a Dec. 11 interview with the Miami Herald, former President Clinton said Lamothe had done a “really good job” and that the country was putting at risk four years of progress since the earthquake.

Demonstrators have taken to the streets in recent weeks to demand that both Martelly and Lamothe step down. On Dec. 12, United Nations peace keepers and Haitian police fired tear gas at protesters as they tried to march on the presidential palace.

U.S. Trip

A committee appointed by Martelly to address the crisis last week recommended that Lamothe, members of his government, the head of the Supreme Court and electoral council members resign to help defuse the crisis.

Following a quick trip to the country by State Department Counselor Thomas Shannon, spokeswomanJen Psaki said the U.S. supported the committee’s work, without specifically endorsing its recommendations.

As he begins negotiating with lawmakers, Martelly will have to appoint an interim prime minister who can work with a deeply polarized opposition, Fatton said. In the meantime, the government will struggle to pass any policy measures.

“We’re in a state of paralysis until there is a resolution and the likeliness of that happening is very full of uncertainty,” he said.

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Open letter to members of the Haitian Govt. ; From Dr.Lesly Kernisant

December 10, 2014

 

To members of the Haitian government,

As a member of the Haitian-American community of New York, I watched intensely the growing disarticulation of the various branches of the current government of Haiti over the past few months. Obviously, as a passive observer, I am asking all our elected officials to put an end to this protracted battle for political supremacy. You have the right to express opposing viewpoints in a democratic system, but to engage in an endless political mud slugging is a clear dereliction of your duties as servants of the people of Haiti, including a large segment of bona fide Haitian citizens living abroad.

For the sake of your local constituency whose interest you were elected to serve, I am appealing to your sense of duty to end the political stalemate using the power of Collaboration over the destructive force of Confrontation. You were all entrusted with the will of the majority to improve their living conditions. Instead, you have spent considerable amount of time promoting political ideologies, name calling, character assassination and have turned the idea of "balance of power" into a battle for "grabbing of power". In the meanwhile, the Haitian electorate, powerless and helpless, continues to pray for their trusted representatives to deliver on your campaign promise of a "better life". They are expecting much needed welfare services, a boom of economic activities, the right to a good education, preservation of civil liberties, safety, justice and security to live free and clear of any danger.

 Sadly, these basic necessities of life expected as part the natural human right package for most citizens of the Western hemisphere, continue to be a dream for most of our compatriots. As unwanted visitors abroad, they are treated like pariahs of society and are being expelled daily from neighboring countries that still use watchdogs, border patrols and newly adopted immigration laws to strip them of their adopted nationality, even those children born of Haitian parents in the host country. From heroes with a proud history of great warriors, we are now carrying the disparaging labels of "beggars of the world" as people and the "failed state" of the Caribbean region. as a country ........
  

Joining my voice to a chorus of other concerned compatriots, I am urging the country's elected government officials to “do the right thing”.  As a general rule, political stability maintains social control which, in turn, is essential to future economic growth of a country. As such, you, our leaders, should set aside your differences, use your collective effort under the banner of a “Representative Democracy” and make necessary compromises for a quick solution to this simmering political crisis.  While political ideologies are not easily reconciled, divisive issues fueled by political partisanship can be addressed through less disruptive and destabilizing form of disapproval. Time is of essence. We cannot take back the country into a climate of despair and chaos after a long period of relative calmness. When that happens, we will be forced to, once again, rely on the whims and desires of the international community for life-saving rescue missions. As Haitians, we have a rich history and a proud tradition. We cannot continue to perpetrate this self-generating torture of our own people.

While we condemn the explosive nature of your on-going debate on such controversial issues as "checks and balances" in a normal system of governance, it is a legitimate concern to protect the citizens against potential “abuse of power”. All of us from the Diaspora support the existing bicameral form of government that clearly establishes boundaries delineating legal, constitutional, social and political rights of individual citizens. For most of us, having lived in adoptive countries where such principles are held sacred, we understand the need to allow political parties free speech under the constitution, free election for legislatures and a separate, totally independent judiciary. At the same time, we also have a moral obligation to differentiate “the right from wrong”. As a parallel, we cannot get rid of termites in a single room by blowing up the entire house with a stick of dynamites. That would be counterproductive.  Under the constitution, the executive branch works in concert with the other two branches to guarantee “stability of the government”.  We cannot therefore remove a duly elected President by simply waving a mass protest or igniting the popular fuse into a mass mayhem. We just cannot act irresponsibly as leaders whose decisions will impact the lives and livelihood of a nation with a population of 11 millions.

We have to follow the Constitution; the president serves for a fixed term and cannot be removed from office unless we follow the dictum of our Constitution. In the unlikely event of an impeachable offense warranting such a removal from office, there is always an orderly, peaceful procedure to follow. In my view, any attempt at launching a complex and extensive campaign to unseat a duly elected President at the tail end of his constitutional mandate is futile and counterproductive. All of us should operate within the boundaries of reason as we continue to freely express our opposing views. It is fair game to criticize, but it is also fair play to point out key achievements while we highlight the significant failures. 

In my humble opinion, the socio-economic pulse of the country is more palpable now than it has ever been.  As one travels the countryside, there is noticeable improvement of our previously barren national landscape. Some areas are beaming with construction, new creations and lush vegetation. The security situation has had a remarkable improvement and the social scene is now more vibrant than it was four years ago. Arguably, these steps of progress are largely infused with international goodwill, but the government-built platform for change, coordination and collaboration cannot be dismissed as not-enough.

In a country with a culture of poverty where destruction is used as a weapon to erase any structure that memorializes a predecessor’s accomplishment, it is worth-mentioning that the current government has a track record that tends to preserve what is built and build on what was conceived. Hence, this progressive agenda should be considered a great step in the right direction. Conversely, we can cite a few examples of disappointment. We can openly decry the widening economic gap between the haves and the have-nots, the on-going political feud between the legislative and the executive branch of government, the missed opportunities of a high post-quake international interest that has quickly dissipated with very few long term, foreign investments.

Finally, when the glare of the world-wide cameras was turned off on the large number of our citizens, victims of the disastrous earthquake, we have essentially submerged them in the deep recesses of our minds’ distant memory. The flimsy tents of the post-quake era have not yet totally disappeared, a substantial number of homeless families have simply relocated their tents not far away from Port-au-Prince. In fairness tough, one should agree that the fulfillment of all the transformational changes promised and articulated in most presidential inauguration speeches are never implemented within the predicted timeline. It is therefore unfair to use a sort of a knee-jerk skepticism to call for a drastic and immediate change of government.

As we begin a New Year in a couple of weeks, it may be time for all of us to reflect on the past with a renewed sense of “Country first” objective. We have two distinct choices.  We can follow our emotional impulses by mobilizing an already divided population toward a specific ideology. Inevitably, any movement that sparks the emotional tinderbox through civil disobedience can also lead to violence and destructive behavior. Inevitably, the end-results of such a political solution will destabilize the government, plunge the country in a state of chaos and create a perfect reason for the International Big brother to impose a state of emergency in a “failed state” or a “Banana Republic” or the “poorest, most politically volatile Caribbean country”, the same old images of our recent past. That would take us back to a familiar theme” Haiti, back to the future”.

A more rational approach, however, is to invoke our sense of patriotism, the love of country and the well-being of the citizens of Haiti, inside and outside the borders of the country.  Together, we can compromise, we can make deals, we can strategize a socio-economic system designed for the well-being of the people.  Together, we can dream of a country with many centers of economic activities (Decentralization of Port-au-Prince), a country with greater access to healthcare, with equal opportunity for a good education, a country secure enough to guarantee personal freedom for all its citizens and finally, a country whose past image of systemic dysfunction can become a relic of the past. This can become a reality only if all of us, elected officials, community leaders, appointed members of the executives together with the Haitian expatriates embrace the notion of " United, we will succeed, Divided we will surely fail "

Wishing you the best for the holidays,

Lesly Kernisant MD, FACOG

Executive Director of Clinical Practices

AdvantageCare Physicians

441 9th Avenue, 6th Floor

New York, NY 1000

718-422-8030 - Office

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 Haiti PM steps down amid anti-govt protests

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Review of the premiere of Madame ou Mademoiselle?: By Jean Claude Elie

Review of the premiere of Madame ou Mademoiselle?
By: Eng. Jean Claude Elie (RockMaster)
November 17, 2014
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THE BIRTH OF AN IDEA

With more than five years in the making and delayed by numerous starts, stops and restarts, mostly caused by budget constraints, writer & director Sheila Degraff finally pulled the switch and achieved what I, and many skeptics thought would never come to fruition. Yes, director Degraff, you pulled it off on October 26, 2014 with the release of the very first Haitian movie musical “Madame ou Mademoiselle?”

Most, if not all of us, know Sheila as a talented songwriter and vocalist originating from  the roots (racine) music world, as a performer in the group Rara Machine, led by Clifford Sylvain. At that time, a future as a script writer and movie director was surely not part of her plans, I presume.

Many years ago, Sheila had embarked on a project to produce a new music album. The first song she wrote was about a wife singing in anger “Tande’m Tande”..gin yon ti fanm ki vle pran mari’m. As Sheila listened to the finished song, she thought, “Why not create dialog in which the “ti fanm” (Mademoiselle)” replies to the wife (Madame)?. Thus came the next song “Gason marié”.

One thing led to another, culminating in her decision to make the CD into a full featured movie musical.  She then began writing the script for the first Haitian movie musical, “Madame ou Mademoiselle?”

THE PRODUCTION

With no budget to hire professional actors, and with little financial sponsorship, producing the movie would be a challenge. So Sheila decided to reach out to personal friends and acquaintances that have talents, most no movie acting experience, to join her in this project.

She subsequently revealed an exceptional skill in casting, as she perfectly matched these mostly rookie actors with roles that each one of them excelled in. It included this writer who had the perfect role of playing himself in a short appearance. Each one of the actors played his or her role to perfection. Namely; Mikerline Pierre (Mamay), Adina Anglade (Kapita), Jean Claude Eugene (Bruno), Mayer Morisette (Pierre), Marjorie Renaud (Lumina), Yatande Boko (Palasso), Steffy Bee (Tamara), only to name a few. In short, she hit a home run in the casting category.

Then came the tedious work and challenges of finding shooting locations, scheduling the actors, technical crew, etc for rehearsals and final takes with the technical director Johnny Regice. Adding to the stress, was the constant search of financial support to cover the mounting expenses.

Hard work and years of perseverance paid off,  and  took us to the Vault Café on October 26, 2014 for the grand premiere of “Madame ou Mademoiselle?”

MORNING OF THE  GRAND PREMIERE

Anxious, excited and nervous, Sheila was on the phone all morning making sure everything was in place, including calling me, the MC, a least 5 times  stressing “Don’t be late”

Comes 4:00 PM, the scheduled door opening time, there was already a line outside the club. By the time of my arrival at 5PM, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the room was almost full with very few seats left.

As I looked around the room, I observed a public made of a cross section of the Haitian community, including artists, media personalities, politicians, business owners, young people to senior citizen and the general public as a whole. Everyone wearing perfect attire for the occasion. It was a reminder of the old traditional Sunday afternoon at the movies in Haiti.

For an hour before the start of live performances, it was time for socializing, networking and joyous friendly reunions toasted with a cocktail at the bar

SHOW TIME

Then it was time for the live performances. MC Jean-Claude Elie (RockMaster) took the stage to welcome everyone and announce the start of the festivities. First was the introduction of the star of the night Sheila Degraff, with a brief bio of her voyage from Singer to Script Writer to Movie Director.

Following was a series of lively performances that truly delighted the public. It featured: Blaise (System  Band) and his dancers, singer Jocelyne Dorisme, actress/singer Adina Anglade, Actor/Vocalist Jean Claude Eugene, Actor/R&B Singer Mayer Morisette, Kizomba dance, drum solo, closing with dancers of the Mikerline Dance School. In short it was an hour packed with a variety of exciting performances.

THE BIG EVENT:

Theater lights out, Silence, Projector Beam streaming across the room;

‘Madame ou Mademoiselle” has finally hit the big screen. and in a split second, Sheila’s dream has become a reality. One could detect a big smile  widening  across her face.

Be careful though! Just as this moment is pure joy, one question remains. Will it be a lasting joy or will disappointment set-in 2 hours later? The answer will be in the hands of the viewing public and the critics, once the room’s lights are back on.

As the minutes kept ticking, scenes after scenes on the big screen, a sense of relief started to built,  as laughter, applause, tension, silence, sudden screams, and all the emotions which are signs of a great movie filled the room for the full 2 hours.

Then : “THE END”. Lights are back on, followed by applause and a standing ovation. Sheila’s big smile and joy has survived and will last.

The critics were unanimous. “Great Script, Great Music, Fun and Exciting Movie”.

Now, it’s time for you, the reader, to taste the feeling of being present by watching this condensed video which I put together with highlights of what is reported above.
  

   - CONGRATULATIONS SHEILA -

  

Jean Claude Elie, Eng

RockMasters Marketing Services

www.RockMasters.com

'American Idol' alum Joanne Borgella dies at 32

Singer and model Joanne Borgella, an "American Idol" contestant in 2008, died on Saturday at age 32 after a battle with cancer, her family said on her Facebook page.

"With heavy hearts, we are deeply saddened to announce the passing of our beloved Joanne," the family wrote. "Although our family is suffering with this great loss, we find comfort in the closeness Joanne shared with the Lord. We know her spirit still shines and will continue to live on in heaven."

The New York-born Haitian-American entertainer made it to the top 24 of "American Idol's" seventh season, three years after appearing on "Mo'Nique's Fat Chance," a contest for plus-size models. She went on to model professionally for brands such as Ashley Stewart, Macy's and Nordstrom, and created her own jewelry and plus-size clothing line. She also appeared on "Curvy Girls," which airs on English-language Latino network NUVOtv.

"All of us at NUVOtv are deeply saddened at the news of Joanne Borgella's passing. We are thankful to have known such a courageous woman with a beautiful voice who brought passion, faith and heart to everything she did. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family at this very difficult time," NUVOtv spokeswoman Diane Castro said.

Borgella went public with her throat cancer diagnosis last year in a YouTube video, telling fans that it had spread to her chest. Since then she has documented her treatment on Facebook.

3 DAYS OF THE HAITIAN GOVERNMENT IN NY AT UN ASSEMBLY

We are pleased to present you with this Video Newsreel recapping the 3 days activities and speeches of Haiti's government while in NY for the 69th Assembly of the United Nation.

This video presentation is the product of a week's work compiling videos, pictures etc of the speeches and meetings by the President and Prime Minister. It is meant to be informative and to make you feel that you were present for the ride. From the arrivals to NY to meetings with heads of states, UN Committees, TV interviews. Including the full presidential address to the UN, and closing with a lightning and exhilarating appearance in Brooklyn to address the Diaspora

SO CLICK BELOW - RELAX & ENJOY:
3 DAYS OF HAITI'S GOVERNMENT IN 45 MINUTES

[youtube=http://youtu.be/XYdddjRJMxw]

Former President Jean-Claude Duvalier dead at 63

Jean-Claude Duvalier, a former president of Haiti known as Baby Doc who ruled the country with a bloody brutality and then shocked the country anew with a sudden return from a 25-year exile in 2011, died on Saturday.

Mr. Duvalier, 63, died of a heart attack at his home, his lawyer told The Associated Press. President Michel J. Martelly announced the death on Twitter.

Mr. Duvalier continued to defend what human rights workers called one of the most oppressive governments in the Western Hemisphere, following in the footsteps of his father, François, known as Papa Doc, who also died suddenly, in 1971. The son was 19 when he assumed the post “president for life,” as he and his father called it, becoming the youngest head of state at the time.

He never apologized for atrocities, including brutal crackdowns on opponents at the hands of the feared Tonton Macoutes, a civilian militia that left a thousand people, if not more, dead, disappeared or illegally detained in harsh prisons.

Indeed, he defended himself as victims of his government pursued cases in Haitian courts on charges of corruption and human rights abuses. Mr. Duvalier had appeared in court and calmly denied any wrongdoing and even asserted the country was better off when he ruled.

“Were there deaths and summary executions under your government?” a judge asked him at a hearing in March 2013.

“Deaths exist in all countries,” Mr. Duvalier replied almost inaudibly. “I didn’t intervene in the activities of the police.”

He regularly dined in restaurants in Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital, and attended events at the invitation of Mr. Martelly, whose administration has included relatives and allies of people associated with Mr. Duvalier.

This year, his old political party announced that it would field candidates in elections and opened an office, though analysts were not sure if it was a serious move or a thumb in the eye of the rival he loathed and who succeeded him, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, another formerly exiled president who also returned and still is a political force.

Mr. Duvalier fled the country in 1986, as political repression and worsening economic conditions set off violent unrest in what was then and still is the hemisphere’s poorest country. He asked France for asylum and the United States for the plane that would take him there, an American official said at the time.

His departure set the stage for democratic, though tumultuous, elections. Human rights groups have said that he looted Haiti’s treasury of millions of dollars and has largely lived off ill-gotten gains ever since.

His presence in the country, and the fact that he will now escape trial, appalled victims and human rights workers.

“On Duvalier’s death I’m thinking of the look in my mother’s eyes when she talks about her brother Joel who was disappeared by that dictator,” Patrick Gaspard, a Haitian-American who is the American ambassador to South Africa, said on Twitter. “News of the passing of Duvalier makes me honor my father and generations of Haitians who resisted that vicious dictatorship.”

Continue reading the main storyContinue reading the main storyContinue reading the main story
Mr. Duvalier was born July 3, 1951, in Port-au-Prince. Biographical sketches published at the time he became president describe him as an introvert who liked fast cars and jazz and was a martial arts enthusiast. He spoke English, Spanish and French and attended classes at the University of Haiti, though diplomats whispered that he was unprepared for office and speculated that his father’s ministers would be the power behind the throne.

But Mr. Duvalier took obvious cues from his father and quickly squashed whatever dissent emerged.

He curried favor with the United States and exploited its Cold War aims to ensure that Haiti did not fall under Cuba’s sway.

Investment increased and he pushed an urbanization program. He welcomed nongovernment organizations to fill in what his government could not or would not do, leading to a heavy presence that still exists today.

“The years of Jean-Claude Duvalier were also the time of a ramping up of the current highly fragmented landscape of aid delivery in Haiti,” said Laurent Dubois, an expert on modern Haitian history at Duke University.

“Jean-Claude Duvalier inherited a carefully constructed state apparatus for political repression from his father, and he largely maintained it during his regime,” Mr. Dubois said. “But he also cultivated new connections with the U.S., seeking new types of investment in the country. The model of using small manufacturing to expand the economy — some talked of Haiti becoming the ‘Taiwan of the Caribbean’ — was a key part of his economic policy, though even he later admitted that its ultimate success in alleviating poverty was quite limited.”

As political oppression mounted, so did stories of his extravagances. When he fled Haiti, American officials said he held $200 million to $500 million in foreign bank accounts and had a reputation for million-dollar vacations at luxury resorts, as millions of Haitians lived in squalor and scrounged for food.

While in exile, he kept a low profile but he suddenly returned to Haiti in Jan. 16, 2011, saying that the January 2010 earthquake that devastated the capital broke his heart and that he wanted to help rebuild the country. But others wondered if he was making a bid to secure money still stashed away; he had admitted he spent a fortune on jewelry, trips and an expensive divorce from his first wife, Michele Bennett, scion of a coffee-producing family.

He looked frail and far thinner than the 250 pounds he once carried on his six-foot frame, and with occasional trips to the hospital, Haitian media speculated that he had returned home to die.

He is survived by his wife, Veronique Roy, and a son and daughter from his first marriage, François Nicolas and Anya.

Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe interview with TV5 in NY

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=FcV8QKYBInQ[/embed]

Laurent Lamothe participe à l'Assemblée Générale de l'ONU - Radio Metropole le Premier ministre, Laurent Lamothe, se trouve actuellement à New York, dans le cadre de la 69ème session de l'Assemblée Générale des Nations Unies. Selon un communiqué de la primature Monsieur Lamothe participera, du 22 au 26 septembre, à d'importantes activités au cours desquelles il discutera des grands chantiers de développement du pays, de la politique de reconstruction, de la gouvernance éducative, administrative engagée par son gouvernement. Il interviendra, le lundi 22 septembre, à l'ouverture de la session plénière de l'Assemblée générale des Nations Unies à laquelle participeront, entre autres, l'ancienne secrétaire d'Etat Américain Hillary Clinton, le président de la Banque mondiale Jim Yonk Kim et le président de l'IBM Ginni Rometty. Il participera également à la réception en l'honneur des chefs d'Etat et de Gouvernement. Dans la soirée du lundi, le Chef du Gouvernement participera à la remise de prix du Citoyen du monde de la Fondation Clinton. Il aura, en apartheid, une rencontre avec l'ambassadeur de Suriname Harvey Naarendorp. Il aura mercredi un déjeuner de travail avec l'ancien Premier Ministre Britannique, Tony Blair, et jeudi une rencontre bilatérale avec le président du Ghana John Dramani. Le Premier ministre Laurent Lamothe rencontrera également la communauté haïtienne de New York. Dans la journée de mardi, le Premier ministre Lamothe accordera des interviews à de prestigieux médias, dont TV5 Monde, Voix de l'Amérique, le New York Times pour ne citer que ceux là. EJ/Radio Métropole Haïti

More scrutiny for shipwreck found off Haiti's coast

NEW YORK, USA — Maritime archaeological investigator Barry Clifford talks about discovering what he believes to be Christopher Columbus’ ship, the Santa Maria off the northern coast of Haiti at a news conference on May 14, 2014 in New York. Clifford says “all the geographical, underwater topography and archaeological evidence strongly suggest that this wreck is Columbus’ famous flagship,” which struck a reef and foundered on Christmas Day in 1492. (PHOTO: AFP)

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PARIS, France (CMC) — The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) says the remains of a Haitian shipwreck, believed to be the lost remains of the Santa Maria -- the flagship of Christopher Columbus, requires further investigation.

A UNESCO team led by the former head of the Spanish National Museum on Underwater Archaeology, Xavier Nieto Prieto, recently examined the wreck off Cap-Haïtien in northern Haiti and collected samples as part of the investigation.

The wreck was first discovered by explorer Barry Clifford, who earlier this year alerted Haitian authorities.

Clifford then said he was certain that the "Holy Grail" of shipwrecks had been found but needed to investigate further.

However, Clifford and Charles Beeker, a leading maritime archaeologist and director of Indiana University's (IU) underwater science programme, were rejected by UNESCO's Scientific and Technical Advisory Body.

Ulrike Guerin, who is responsible for underwater cultural heritage issues at UNESCO, said the two were rejected on several grounds, including a lack of scientific background, proof of available funds and competence.

In response, Beeker said the decision made no sense given that he and Indiana University were endorsed by UNESCO to document Columbus artifacts at La Isabela, Dominican Republic.

The Miami Herald reports that as part of its scrutiny, the UNESCO team recovered samples of diagnostic artifacts to date the site and investigated other nearby shipwrecks.

"The evidence collected concerning the location, nature and artifact content will now be subjected to thorough investigation by an acclaimed team of experts," UNESCO said.

Un nouveau plan d’aménagement urbain du Cap-Haïtien (Le Nouvelliste)

Le Premier ministre haïtien Laurent Lamothe, en compagnie de quelques membres de son cabinet, a reçu, à la Primature ce lundi 1er septembre 2014, une délégation de Now Institute de l’Université de Californie à Los Angeles (UCLA) conduite par Michaëlle Jean, l’envoyée spéciale de l’Unesco pour Haïti, pour une réunion de travail autour du « Plan d’aménagement urbain et d’extension du Cap-Haïtien et de Milot ».
« On ne peut plus se permettre d’avoir une entrée comme celle du Cap-Haïtien […] Ce n’est pas digne de cette ville qui a tant à offrir au monde de par sa culture et son histoire », s’est exclamée, horrifiée, Michaëlle Jean, envoyée spéciale de l’Unesco pour Haïti. Cette dernière, avec la verve qui est la sienne, a défendu tout au long de la réunion la pertinence de ce plan.
« C’est un dossier urgent pour le développement du tourisme et pour l’image de la ville du Cap », a soutenu l’ex-gouverneure générale du Canada. Présente à cette séance de travail, Stéphanie Balmir Villedrouin, ministre du Tourisme et des Industries créatives, s’est montrée très emballée par la présentation de ce plan ainsi que par ses probables retombées pour le tourisme. Si jamais il était mis à exécution.
Pour la ministre, ce plan pourrait être à l’origine d’une réplique de la ville de Venise au Cap-Haïtien. Pour ce faire, le plan doit être en mesure de désenclaver la grand-rue et de transférer tous les magasins qui s’y trouvent en dehors de la ville. Il est question aussi, à travers ce plan d’aménagement urbain, de maintenir propre la rivière à l’entrée de la ville du Cap et de réparer les maisonnettes construites dans cet environnement.
Frédérick Mangonès, architecte et partenaire de Now Institute, porteur de ce plan d’aménagement urbain, s’est dit prêt à relever le défi. Néanmoins, il sollicite l’implication de l’État, en sus du versement des 200 000 dollars américains nécessaires à l’étude de faisabilité de ce plan, afin d’avoir un accès total à l’information. Sinon, comme des dizaines d’autres avant lui, ce plan est voué à l’échec.
Par ailleurs, Michèle Oriol, secrétaire exécutive du Comité interministériel pour l’aménagement du territoire (CIAT), a plaidé en faveur de la création d’une autorité d’aménagement. « Le moment est maintenant venu pour la création d’une autorité d’aménagement car les plans sont faits et ne sont jamais respectés », a déclaré Michèle Oriol. Pour cette dernière, rien n’empêche l’exécutif de commencer à plancher sur la préparation d’un arrêté créant cette autorité d’aménagement.
Le chef du gouvernement, très concentré durant tout le déroulement de la réunion et qui n’a cessé de prendre des notes, a promis à l’équipe de Now Institute le support de l’Etat haïtien. Il a en outre demandé au CIAT et au Now Institute de travailler d’arrache-pied en vue de la présentation d’un plan d’aménagement pour plusieurs autres villes de province.
Au cours de ces 10 dernières années, le Now Institute,  un centre de recherche urbaine en architecture et en urbanisme à l'UCLA, a établi un partenariat avec des organismes privés, des décideurs et des organisations non gouvernementales à Los Angeles, New Orleans, Madrid, Pékin et Port-au-Prince pour offrir aux architectes la possibilité d’associer l’urbanisme à des domaines incluant la culture, la mobilité, la revitalisation urbaine et la durabilité.
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Vers l'exécution d'un plan d'aménagement de la ville du Cap-Haïtien
 Le Premier ministre, Laurent Lamothe, s'est entretenu, lundi, avec l'envoyée spéciale de l'Unesco pour Haïti, Michaëlle Jean, autour d'un important projet d'aménagement de la ville du Cap-Haïtien visant à mettre en valeur le potentiel touristique de la ville et dynamiser l'économie de la région.
Selon un communiqué de la primature, ce nouveau plan d'aménagement devra aussi permettre de supporter les travaux effectués par le Comité interministériel de l'aménagement du territoire (CIAT) et s'étendra à tout le département du Nord ainsi qu'au Nord-Est, en particulier la ville de Fort-Liberté qui représente un haut lieu de notre histoire.
Cette démarche s'inscrit dans la vision du Gouvernement Martelly/Lamothe de promouvoir le patrimoine historique, archéologique et touristique du pays. À cet effet, des experts internationaux, en provenance du Now Institute de l'Université de Californie à Los Angeles (UCLA), travaillent avec les autorités haïtiennes afin d'élaborer un plan qui répond aux besoins réels d'aménagement des villes du Cap-Haïtien, de Fort-Liberté et de Milôt, une manière de faciliter le développement de la région.
Le plan vise notamment la réhabilitation urbaine du quartier Shada, à l'entrée du Cap-Haïtien, qui, selon les vœux du Gouvernement Martelly/Lamothe, doit être la vitrine de la ville, un des pôles importants de destination touristique. Le Gouvernement s'engage à définir un plan spécial pour ce quartier, qui prendra en compte l'amélioration des conditions de vie de la population.
A ces projets, notamment aux études des plans directeurs qui devront être menées par le Now Institute de concert avec le CIAT, le Gouvernement Martelly/Lamothe va mobiliser 200 000 dollars américains et s'engagera à ce que les propositions qui en résulteront soient appliquées.
Le Gouvernement Martelly/Lamothe continue de multiplier les actions visant l'amélioration de l'image du pays à l'étranger en vue de le replacer sur la carte touristique du monde.

EJ/Radio Métropole Haïti

Five Haitian Family members die in Car Crash in Long Island NY on Sunday

New York State Police said Sunday they are investigating whether speeding could have caused the fiery car crash that killed five family members -- including a woman and her three children -- on the Southern State Parkway as they returned home from a gathering in Brentwood.

Police also are determining whether alcohol might have played a role in the Saturday night single-car crash that killed driver Myriam Lebrun, 37, her mother, Marie Rose Yolande Moise, 68, and her three children, Marquis Jeanty, 14, Marcel Jeanty, 9, and Kayla Jeanty, 8, all of Brooklyn.

"It looks like a combination of speed, and we're investigating the possibility of alcohol," lead State Police investigator Charles Knapp said Sunday.

n's 1998 Honda Accord veered off the roadway in North Babylon and crashed into a tree shortly before 11 p.m. Saturday, erupting into flames on impact, police said.

Relatives at the party told investigators that Lebrun didn't eat, but had a few drinks during the night, Knapp said. The relatives said they didn't think she was intoxicated, he said.

Other relatives who didn't attend the gathering said Sunday Lebrun would not have put her family at risk.

"She was health-conscious. She doesn't smoke, she eats healthy. She cares about her life," said Mayerline Moise, 26, a cousin who lives in Hempstead. She called Lebrun "a very safe driver."

Christine Moise, 20, another cousin, also of Hempstead, said, "She wouldn't endanger her family. She just wouldn't."

A witness told State Police that she saw the headlights of Lebrun's car speeding up behind her as she drove west on the parkway near Exit 38, adjacent to Belmont Lake State Park, according to a police report. That witness reported that Lebrun's vehicle passed her at a speed of more than 60 mph, then immediately went into the woods, according to the report. The speed limit is 55 mph.

Another witness reported seeing the Honda speeding and weaving on the parkway, police said. Detectives are awaiting toxicology reports, which can take several weeks to complete.

The impact caused the car to shear in half. Lebrun and Marquis, who sat in the front passenger seat, were both wearing seat belts, according to the police report. Moise and Kayla were ejected from the rear of the car. That part of the vehicle was too badly damaged for investigators to determine if they had been wearing seat belts, police said.

Lebrun's father, Jean Lebrun, sat on his daughter's porch sobbing Sunday as he processed the loss of his child, grandchildren and ex-wife.

"What can I do? This is a part of life and I have to deal with it. I have to survive," Jean Lebrun, 72, said through an interpreter.

He last saw his daughter two weeks ago.

"We just talked," he said.

Other family members who spoke from a home on Ormond Street in Hempstead where they had gathered said Lebrun had been studying at Kingsborough Community College for a job in a health-related field.

Marquis adored basketball, Marcel had an artistic streak, and Kayla was a "little runway diva" who "could play dress-up all day," Christine Moise said.

Yolande Moise's brother, Eustache Moise, 64, of West Hempstead, said he found out about the deaths while watching a television newscast early Sunday.

"I'm trying to hang on, that's all I can do," he said.

Myriam Lebrun moved from Haiti to Eustache Moise's home in Hempstead in 1994, family members said. She lived there until 2002.

When first responders arrived at the crash scene about 11 p.m. Saturday, the flames from the vehicle were 10 to 15 feet high, North Babylon First Assistant Fire Chief Robert Cabano said.

"The front of the car was pretty much engulfed in flames," he said. "There was a lot of trauma to the vehicle."

It took firefighters about 15 minutes to put out the fire, which Cabano said was confined to the front of the car. The westbound parkway was closed for several hours after the crash, reopening about 3:30 a.m., police said.

Among the broken glass and tree branches at the crash site Sunday was a child's shirt with cat designs on it, children's shoes and a pair of high heels.

Edmond Edouazin, a friend of the Moise family from Haiti, photographed the wreckage -- the tree split in half, its bark charred.

Edouazin, 54, of Huntington, said he was lifelong friends with the family from "the old country," and he considered them family.

"We're still trying to figure out what happened," Edouazin said.

"They're devastated," he said of the families. "It's too much emotion."

videos & contribute

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_5uZR_V7oo]
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xevPl0ymya4]

11 escapees caught in Dominican Republic - Haiti Libre

Following the escape Sunday, August 10 of 329 inmates from the maximum security prison of Croix-des-Bouquets, located 13km north-east of Port-au-Prince and 44.9 kilometers from the Dominican border http://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-11795-haiti-security-329-escapees-the-government-explains-video.html Dominican army forces captured on the night of Wednesday to Thursday Lodo H. Cele, 25, one of the 329 escapees on the run, in a village near the border town of Duvergé, 217 km east of Santo Domingo.

Admiral Sigfrido Pared, the Dominican Minister of Defence indicated that it was the 11th escapee captured by the Dominicans after the joint operation with the National Police of Haiti last Tuesday, which resulted in the capture in the Dominican Republic of Clifford Brandt and 3 other escapeeshttp://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-11804-haiti-security-it-s-the-dominican-army-that-captured-clifford-brandt.htmlhttp://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-11803-haiti-flash-end-of-the-run-for-clifford-brandt-update-5-48-pm.html However, he did not say if the 11 escapees were part or not of the 19 fugitives announced by the Haitian authorities.

Furthermore, Admiral revealed Friday that the Dominican forces had proceeded Thursday evening at the arrest of 55 Haitians who were trying to enter the Dominican Republic in a village near the border town of Jimani, 282 km east of the Dominican capital. Admiral Pared indicated that investigations were underway with the Haitian authorities, in order to confirm the eventual presence of escapees in this group of people "We will only give names after verification..."

Note that since this important evasion and according to information from Major General Paulino Sem Rubén Darío, 6,000 soldiers equipped with advanced technologies, with intelligence support, special rapid response units and adequate transportation equipment were deployed at the border to prevent these escapees, whose many of whom are classified as dangerous, dnd refuge in the Dominican Republic.

Aristide summoned in money laundering case

August 15 2014 at 11:41am

Supporters of former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide clashed with U.N. peacekeepers Thursday as the popular former leader faced possible arrest for not providing court-ordered testimony in a criminal investigation.
About 150 Haitians had erected barricades of stones and burning tires outside Aristide's home in Port-au-Prince to prevent any attempt to arrest him, keeping traffic at bay along the busy street largely without incident much of the day.
But some demonstrators pelted an SUV carrying U.N. personnel with stones, forcing the occupants to flee into a nearby home. They were subsequently rescued by peacekeeping troops, who then cleared the protesters and their barricades using tear gas and armored vehicles.
The source of the tension was a summons issued by investigating magistrate Lamarre Belizaire for testimony from Aristide, whose ouster in February 2004 amid a violent rebellion triggered the deployment of a U.N. peacekeeping force that has been in the country ever since.
Belizaire issued the summons ordering Aristide to appear in court Wednesday. A copy of the order obtained by The Associated Press says the case involves allegations of laundering drug money but does not provide details.
Aristide lawyer Mario Joseph said the former president never received the summons at his home, where he has largely lived a secluded life behind high walls since he returned in March 2011 from exile in South Africa. The lawyer showed up at the court at the appointed time after hearing media reports about the hearing and brought a letter explaining why the summons should not be considered properly served.
The judge himself did not show up at the hearing and he could not be reached for comment. Under Haitian law, the judge could issue an order requiring police to take Aristide into custody for questioning, but it was not known whether he did so.
Joseph said he had been unable to reach the judge to clarify the situation. The lawyer said the summons was not properly served on the former president and thus he could not be legally taken into custody as a result.
Aristide remains a polarizing figure in Haiti. He is popular among a large segment of the population and his supporters allege that the criminal investigation is part of a campaign to keep the party that he founded, Fanmi Lavalas, from trying to build support ahead of legislative elections expected by the end of the year.
"The judge is a political judge," Joseph said. "He is an opponent of Fanmi Lavalas. All this is an act to block Fanmi Lavalas from taking part in the election."

Basic police work led to arrest of Haiti prison escapee, more remain at large - Miami Herald

LINE CHARLES
JCHARLES@MIAMIHERALD.COM

The arrest of a high-profile alleged kidnapper from Haiti’s prison break offer a glimmer of hope, but confusion and questions about what happened still remain.

When Esau Marcellus arrived in a remote rural market near the Haitian-Dominican border to pick up an escaped fugitive early this week, the Haitian National Police inspector was happy with his catch.

But little did he know that the prized catch — alleged kidnapping kingpin Clifford Brandt — was only a few phone calls, and mere hours away. Marcellus’ quick thinking led to the capture of Brandt, the country’s most-wanted fugitive who was among 329 inmates to escape a Port-au-Prince prison a few days before.

Marcellus was making the rounds early Tuesday at the Savane Bombe market, spreading the word to shoppers and merchants about Sunday’s prison break when residents told him of several suspicious-looking men who had recently passed through the area.

He quickly dialed several informants to ask if they had seen strangers lurking around the rugged, barren frontier.

“They told me they saw three suspicious individuals,” he told the Miami Herald. “I asked them to describe them. They said, ‘One was light-skinned and the others were black.’ I told them to follow them to see where they are going. Finally, they reported back they were headed in the direction of the Dominican Republic.”

Still unaware of who the men were, Marcellus warned another informant on the Dominican side to be on the look out, and to ask Dominican soldiers to detain the men.

Brandt and his traveling companions were arrested by a Dominican Army patrol assigned to the Cacique Enriquillo post around 11:30 a.m. Tuesday. But it would be hours before they or even Marcellus realized exactly who it was they had in custody.

Arriving at the border post with a justice of the peace, two other police officers and the prisoner he had picked up that morning, Marcellus got out of his vehicle, stepped into the holding cell and asked the men to identify themselves.

“He didn’t hesitate,” said Marcellus, 49. “He said, ‘My name is Clifford Brandt.’”

Haiti’s Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe has congratulated Marcellus, a 19-year-veteran of the police force, on a job well-done while acknowledging that cooperation over the arrest signal a new chapter in the relationship between Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

“A lot of people doubted that we would arrive at this result that we have today,” Lamothe said about Brandt, who was flown back to Port-au-Prince. “We knew the results would be positive. But we are not yet satisfied. We will be satisfied when we have re-caught every escapee.”

The arrest of Brandt, the best-known fugitive from Sunday’s prison break, has provided a glimmer of hope amid an embarrassing episode for Haiti’s government.

But confusion and questions over the prison break remain as hundreds of other criminals, including possible Colombian drug traffickers, remain at large and the public still has no idea who they are, or what they look like.

“We are focusing on Brandt, but there are others, dangerous criminals, drug traffickers who also escaped,” said Pierre Esperance, the head of Haiti’s National Network for the Defense of Human Rights (RNNDH).

And while some, including Haiti’s police, believe the goal of the prison break was to free Brandt, his disheveled appearance and the manner in which he was captured has raised questions about whether he was the real mastermind, or simply took advantage of an opportunity to run after 22 months in pretrial detention inside the overcrowded jail.

This week, Lamothe called for Haiti’s prisons to be reinforced with cameras and for every detainee to be fashioned with an electronic bracelet. He has also called for a deepening of the investigation into the prison escape and the submission of a daily report on the arrest of escapees.

“This escape has hit all of us,” he said, appealing to Haitians for support and understanding. “We will all put our hands together, put our determination together to get everyone who escaped.”

Esperance said while he welcomes the government’s determination, an example needs to be set to prevent a repeat of Sunday’s episode.

“Over the years, you always have prison guards who from time to time organize escapes, but sanctions are never taken against them,” Esperance said. “They are never judged. Reinforcing the security measures is fine, but what needs to be done today, what is important, is that sanctions have to be applied against all the prison guards who were involved. Justice needs to do its job.”

Esperance said his group believes the prison break was an inside job and that Brandt left the facility with at least a dozen other prisoners about an hour-and-half before the mayhem that allowed hundreds of other prisoners to escape happened.

“What we at RNNDH know is that in the moment that Brandt was leaving the prison, there was no fight,” he said. “It was like a door opened and Brandt and a dozen other people walked out.”

Details of the incident are as murky as Brandt’s life on the run.

A police officer at the scene told the Herald that it was only after shots were heard that officers at the nearby Croix-des-Bouquets police station realized something was wrong. It was the officers, he said, who stopped many more of the 899 prisoners from escaping.

“Guns were distributed inside the prison; who distributed we don’t know but they were not from the guards,” the officer said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak about the incident. “The prisoners had 9 mm, even an M-4. This was something that was planned a long time ago from the inside.”

Police back-up from other Port-au-Prince stations, the officer said, didn’t arrive until two hours later.

Haitian authorities have removed the head of the Croix-des-Bouquet police station — whose officers arrived too late to prevent the prisoners from escaping — despite lauding the efforts of police.

For his part, police inspector Marcellus said he was simply doing his job.

“When you are a police officer,” he said, “you can’t be a coward.”

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Viomcu5Goc&list=PLrJh_zjeyVtBSF1i0dndpp9riqX7SuPCW&index=1[/embed]

American Airlines to expand its flights to Cap-Haitien - by Haitiantreasures.com

CAP-HAITIEN ABOUT TO WELCOME LARGER AIRCRAFT

What many people have been waiting for a long time is about to happen in Haiti's countryside. The expansion of international flights to the North will soon allow passengers from Miami to go directly to the city of King Henri Christophe. Beginning October 2, 2014, the giant North-American carrier American Airlines will provide daily nonstop service to Cap-Haïtien, one of Haiti's best tourist destinations.

According to Minister of Tourism, Stephanie B. Villedrouin, "In terms of tourism, the North has long been the historical capital by excellence! With this new access to the outside world, the success of this destination is guaranteed."  As a matter of fact 30 to 35 percent of American Airlines' Haiti-bound passengers traveling from JFK, Miami International and Fort-Lauderdale currently transit in Port-au-Prince before heading to Cap-Haitien.

"Considering the North region's potentiality in terms of attractions, such as the amazing Citadelle Laferriere the biggest fortress of the Americas, the ruins of Sans-Souci Palace, Royal Caribbean’s private beach in Labadee, Cormier Beach, Vertières, Bréda, the historical city of Cap-Haitien is a major location standpoint for the revival of tourism in the country", added Stephanie Villedrouin.

The Cathedral Notre-Dame of Cap-Haitien in front of La Place d'Armes

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQ27ln6pCdc?rel=0]

Excerpt from Haiti's Hidden Treasures Part II, documentary showcasing Haiti's incredible landscape and history

Financed by the government of Venezuela and equipped with security materials provided by the US government, the newly renovated Cap-Haitien Airport now called the Hugo Chávez International Airport with a 7,500-foot runway will be ready to welcome the first major American flight to Cap-Haitien through a brand new terminal. In the past 10 years, this airport has already accommodated some international flights from Miami, Orlando and the Caribbean. In October 2012, former Secretary of State Hilary Clinton and her husband, visited the area aboard a modified 757 large aircraft to attend the Caracol industrial park’s opening.

Pierre Chauvet, CEO of Citadelle Travel Agency in Port-au-Prince and former president of the Tourist Association of Haiti welcomed the arrival of American Airlines in Haiti’s second largest city, stating that will be a gate opener to Florida market and will definitely boost tourism in the North. Others said that it's a great deal for the city of Cap-Haitien and neighboring regions, the economy, and the diaspora. Still, Haitiantravelers are complaining about the airline-ticket prices, which they would like to see dropping to facilitate the return of more visitor

Polo: Haiti raises first Championship Trophy in History

SAN FRANCISCO, USA (sentinel.ht) - In the 1920's and 30's, Haiti was known for holding, and having the best in its territory for polo matches. Providing the ideal tropical climate, a friendly native population welcome travelers from all over the world, who docked in its ports to enjoy the best foods, culture, entertainment and sport.

But in these times, since these times, Haiti had never fielded a national team of its own. It was a game described as "the sport of kings", a nation born of slaves who revolted, it seemed implausible to play... but as we know through Haitian history, in the heart of the enslaved can be the heart of a king, that can become king.

Team Haiti raises Championship trophy after defeating the United States 6-2 in the PoloSF and Audi Sportscar Experience International Tournament in San Francisco, CA [Reed Davis]

It is yet still remarkable that the history-making participation of the first Haitian team, in an official international tournament (USPA, et al recognized), would perform so well and in the end, hold up the championship trophy.

Box score results

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final
United States	0	1	0	1	2
Haiti	1	2	2	1	6

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Team Haiti was challenged by teams with long-standing records, reputations, on its way to the championship, but Panama, China and the defending international world champions, Argentina, could not stop what seemed in retrospect, a charging locomotive.

Team Haiti [Reed Davis]

Haiti Team Captain Claude-Alix Bertrand described Sunday’s events as “serendipitous… everything was working in our way.” Jessie Diaz, the Secretary of State for Tourism in Haiti made the opening toss that was quickly engaged by Bertrand and led to a first score for the Haitian team in less than 30 seconds. “You can tell [the Americans] were just struck by then.”

The United States offered a very impressive defensive front, but it seemed a confused offensive attack, struck by an early goal, would culminate in an unraveling 6-2 defeat. Haiti became the Champions of the inaugural, POLOSF, Inc. and Audi Sportscar Experience International Polo Tournament in San Francisco that Sunday.

The impressive run of the Haitian squad now places it in the rankings of the world’s polo associations, opening the country for participation in tournaments throughout the world and year-round.

Despite a final score of 6-2, the U.S. defense kept the Haiti team, which scored 8 against a strong Argentina squad, to only 6 but two scoreless opening chukkers, in the first and third, would relegate them to runner’s up in the tournament.

There was more good news to come, with dozens of ladies in hats at Sunday’s match, Secretary Diaz’s red head wear won her top showing in the hat competition.

Was it the Pope, the Messiah or Haiti’s Liberators delivered from Heaven? (A Must Read) - By Jean Claude Elie

HAITI’S CHANGING COLORS – PART 4: By Jean Claude Elie July 24, 2014

A Little Background

Following the prior 3 articles published on my blog,, I am releasing  this 4^th  article to present  you with undisputable visual evidence of the ugliness of this national crisis which I entitled “Haiti’s Changing Colors – Sport Fanaticism or Treason?”

If you did not, read The previous 3 articles published on this subject, I encourage you to read  them before  viewing  the video featured below.  Here are the links:
Part 1-  Haiti’s Changing Colors – Extreme Fanaticism or Treason?
 Part 2- How Argentina ‘Eliminated’ Africans From Its History And Conscience
Part 3-  NY Times: Soccer's Odd Bonding: When Brazil Scores, Haiti Roars

Before embarking on this project,  I pondered the thought many times. This subject has been disturbing me for years. But I was held back by the uncertain repercussion that I could expose myself from the self-proclaimed Haitian/Brazilians or Haitians/Argentineans. As you know, we are in large a nation fanatics, not open to objectivity and open minded criticism. The accepted norm in communication is that the loudest person wins the debate, thus  every discussion becomes a screaming argument.

But having witnessed this extreme behavior expressed itself at a chaotic level during the last world cup, the feeling of embarrassment got too much for me to bear. Then with my wife’s motivation, I decided to move ahead.

Surprising feedback

The feedback I received on the prior articles was overwhelmingly positive. I never realized that so many of us were equally disgusted with this lack of individual personality, national pride and respect for our blue and red colors.

Even more surprising was the fact that 100% of the replies were positive and in agreement.   I did not get ONE, not even ONE reply in disagreement. So what happened to the thousands of Haitian/Brazilians/Argentineans who wore those countries colors with such pride during the games?  Why was their silence so deafening?

The only expiation I could derive was that the articles touched a nerve. A nerve of guilt,  a nerve of conscience,  and the fear of being identified as one of those “Achte de Figi”. How does someone defend a behavior that is associated with lack of personal and national pride? The sudden manner in which they went into hiding was just amazing and unexpected. Guilt is a powerful feeling.

THE  VIDEO IN EVIDENCE – FACT NOT TO BE DISPUTED

This takes me to the real purpose of this 4th  publication. The presentation of the video which led to this article being titled  “Was it the Pope,  the Messiah or Haiti’s Liberators delivered to us?

As a background, this video was filmed and distributed by Brazilians  to show to their countrymen how much Haitians are in love with Brazil. They divided the video in multiple chapters titled “The Passion, “The Love”, “The Emotions” that the Haitians people felt for them. Unfortunately, they forgot to include the most important chapter “HAITIANS STUPIDITY”

In return for this love, they proceeded to pump 6 goals into the net of the demoralized Haitian team during this friendship game. No Pity

NOW WATCH THESE 2 
Anyone with one drop of Haitian blood would be disgusted. The video had over 200,000 views in Brazil

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05G1IAxEe50]

- Now watch this more recent video -
MIZE AYISYEN YO NAN BRAZIL
(Made last year - 2013)
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqjbZt1Af7E[/embed]

Note
This is not about Brazil, it’s not about Argentina and it’s not about the sport.  I am a football fan who respects and loves Brazil fooib all. My problem is not the love for one’s team. It the inexplicable and cult like behavior we express over  Brazil and Argentine. The extreme fanaticism and adoption of another country’s color. Finally our uncontrollable urge to priority and adopt what others have while ignoring what is ours. giving others priorities over nation our flag and our team is the problem

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NY Times: Soccer's Odd Bonding: When Brazil Scores, Haiti Roars

By MICHAEL KAMBER - Published: August 13, 2004

When Brazil Scores, Haiti Roars

Djari Theophilo, one of the few Brazilian civilians living in Haiti, had an alarming experience after Brazil defeated Argentina in this summer's America's Cup Soccer Championship. Hundreds of thousands of self-proclaimed ''Brazil fanatics'' poured into the streets. People sang and cried, car horns honked, dogs barked, guns were fired into the air.

This is normal behavior in Haiti whenever Brazil plays soccer. What upset Mr. Theophilo was the lone Haitian who, in a frenzy, tore off his yellow Brazil jersey and began rubbing it on his face, and then seized Mr. Theophilo's hand and began kissing it, shouting: ''I love Brazil! I love your country!''

Mr. Theophilo shook his head as he recalled the incident. ''I urged him to calm down, it was too much,'' he said. ''In Brazil, we have a party when our team plays, but in Haiti it is insanity. The Haitians are bigger fans of Brazil than we Brazilians.''

Haiti's 40-year love affair with Brazilian soccer has grown to obsessive proportions over the past decade, and the outpouring of emotion Mr. Theophilo encountered on July 25 may be tame compared with what could happen on Aug. 18, when Brazil's national team, accompanied by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, arrives here to play an exhibition against Haiti.

The match, in which Brazilian players paid millions of dollars will face off against a Haitian team whose players have not been paid since April 2003, is expected to buoy spirits here and give a public relations lift to both the interim Haitian government and the United Nations peacekeeping force anchored by 1,200 Brazilians here in the capital.

The match was conceived as part of a disarmament plan in which guns would be exchanged for tickets, but that plan was scrapped for fear of alienating law-abiding Haitians. Now the Brazilians are billing the match as a gesture of peace and brotherhood, one that reinforces their standing as they wait for the multinational force to reach its full strength of 6,700 troops.

Franklin Desir, an unemployed bus driver, is a member of Bas Tanga, one of dozens of fan clubs around the city dedicated to Brazilian soccer. (Bas translates as base, or camp, and tanga means string and is slang for the Brazilian soccer style where the players move the ball around gracefully.) Most Haitians are too poor to own televisions so the club's 5,000 or so members -- essentially the entire neighborhood of Delmas 55, where Mr. Desir lives -- gather around televisions on sidewalks or in neighborhood storefronts to watch their team play.

Mr. Desir has a huge green banner with a Brazilian flag inset that he sewed himself and that he stretches between telephone poles across Delmas, a major thoroughfare, whenever the Brazilian national team plays. With his 10-year-old daughter, Francia, ---- also a Brazil fan -- at his side, he pinched his sinewy arm. ''Under my skin,'' he said, ''you will find Brazil.''

Across the street, at the Tropical Market, Michel Abraham, who is one of Bas Tanga's sponsors, sat at his desk in front of a photo collage of Brazilian soccer players and snapshots of various victory parties. But the Haitian obsession with Brazil extends to all things Brazilian. The prosperous storeowner pulled out his digital camera to show off a treasured image: a photo of his daughter standing between two Brazilian peacekeepers who came to shop at his store.

When asked why they like Brazilian soccer, Haitians often point out that the players are black like themselves, or, simply puzzled at the question, answer, ''Because I'm Haitian,'' or, ''It's part of Haitian culture.''

Junior Laroque, a 20-year old dockworker and Citoyens Réunis member who sports a green and yellow cap, explained: ''I like their style, the way they move the ball. And they're confident and cool, not like the excitable Germans and Italians.''

Echoing other Haitians, he offered: ''We're talking about the No.1 soccer nation in the world. If I just rooted for the Haitian team, I'd be disappointed all the time.''

(The Haitian team's one claim to fame to date is that it scored a goal against Italy in the 1974 World Cup.)

Dr. Yves Jean-Bart, a physician and the president of the Haitian Football Association, agreed.

''Many Haitians have no satisfaction in their lives,'' he said. ''Brazil is one of the good things in their life.'' And, he pointed out, ''the Brazilian players are black and they're from the masses. Ronaldo'' -- the Brazilian star -- ''washed cars in the street when he was a boy.''

President da Silva has asked the Brazilian national team not to run up the score against the Haitians. ''He doesn't want us to spoil the party,'' said Ricardo Teixeira, president of the Brazilian Soccer Federation. All of the big name stars on the team have agreed to play, which is not always the case for ''friendly'' matches.

But such worldly concerns were far from the minds of those gathered at a soccer fan club in Cité Soleil, a desperate slum district here in the capital. Asked about the prospect of a Haitian victory over Brazil, they laughed at first, then fell silent for a moment, as if pondering the unlikely situation for the first time.

''If Haiti won,'' a man in the crowd shouted out, ''God would come down to earth.''

The fan club cheered.

Photos: Whenever the Brazilian national team plays, Franklin Desir, with his daughter Francia, displays a huge green banner with a Brazilian flag.; Haiti's love affair with Brazilian soccer has reached obsessive proportions. A bus in Port-au-Prince featured a painting of a Brazilian star. (Photographs by Michael Kamber for The New York Times) Map of Haiti highlighting Port-au-Prince: Brazilian flags and T-shirts are a common sight in Port-au-Prince.

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How Argentina ‘Eliminated’ Africans From Its History And Conscience

Haitians should learn the History of the flags they adopt they adopt

How Argentina ‘Eliminated’ AfricansFrom Its History And Conscience 

Tens of millions of black Africans were forcibly removed from their homelands from the 16th century to the 19th century to toil on the plantations and farms of the New World. This so-called “Middle Passage” accounted for one of the greatest forced migrations of people in human history, as well as one of the greatest tragedies the world has ever witnessed.

Millions of these helpless Africans washed ashore in Brazil -- indeed, in the present-day, roughly one-half of the Brazilian population trace their lineage directly to Africa. African culture has imbued Brazil permanently and profoundly, in terms of music, dance, food and in many other tangible ways.

But what about Brazil's neighbor, Argentina? Hundreds of thousands of Africans were brought there as well – yet, the black presence in Argentina has virtually vanished from the country’s records and consciousness.

According to historical accounts, Africans first arrived in Argentina in the late 16th century in the region now called the Rio de la Plata, which includes Buenos Aires, primarily to work in agriculture and as domestic servants. By the late 18th century and early 19th century, black Africans were numerous in parts of Argentina, accounting for up to half the population in some provinces, including Santiago del Estero, Catamarca, Salta and Córdoba.

In Buenos Aires, neighborhoods like Monserrat and San Telmo housed many black slaves, some of whom were engaged in craft-making for their masters. Indeed, blacks accounted for an estimated one-third of the city’s population, according to surveys taken in the early 1800s.

Slavery was officially abolished in 1813, but the practice remained in place until about 1853. Ironically, at about this time, the black population of Argentina began to plunge.

Historians generally attribute two major factors to this sudden “mass disappearance” of black Africans from the country – the deadly war against Paraguay from 1865-1870 (in which thousands of blacks fought on the frontlines for the Argentine military) as well as various other wars; and the onset of yellow fever in Buenos Aires in 1871.

The heavy casualties suffered by black Argentines in military combat created a huge gender gap among the African population – a circumstance that appears to have led black women to mate with whites, further diluting the black population. Many other black Argentines fled to neighboring Brazil and Uruguay, which were viewed as somewhat more hospitable to them.

Others claim something more nefarious at work.

It has been alleged that the president of Argentina from 1868 to 1874, Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, sought to wipe out blacks from the country in a policy of covert genocide through extremely repressive policies (including possibly the forced recruitment of Africans into the army and by forcing blacks to remain in neighborhoods where disease would decimate them in the absence of adequate health care).

Tellingly, Sarmiento wrote in his diary in 1848: “In the United States… 4 million are black, and within 20 years will be 8 [million]…. What is [to be] done with such blacks, hated by the white race? Slavery is a parasite that the vegetation of English colonization has left attached to leafy tree of freedom.”

By 1895, there were reportedly so few blacks left in Argentina that the government did not even bother registering African-descended people in the national census.

The CIA World Factbook currently notes that Argentina is 97 percent white (primarily comprising people descended from Spanish and Italian immigrants), thereby making it the “whitest” nation in Latin America.

But blacks did not really vanish from Argentina – despite attempts by the government to eliminate them (partially by encouraging large-scale immigration in the late 19th and 20th century from Europe and the Near East). Rather, they remain a hidden and forgotten part of Argentine society.

Hisham Aidi, a lecturer at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs, wrote on Planete Afrique that in the 1950s, when the black American entertainer Josephine Baker arrived in Argentina, she asked the mixed-race minister of public health, Ramon Carilio: “Where are the Negroes?” In response, Carilio joked: “There are only two -- you and I.”

As in virtually all Latin American societies where blacks mixed with whites and with local Indians, the question of race is extremely complex and contentious.

“People of mixed ancestry are often not considered ‘black’ in Argentina, historically, because having black ancestry was not considered proper,” said Alejandro Frigerio, an anthropologist at the Universidad Catolica de Buenos Aires, according to Planete Afrique.

“Today the term ‘negro’ is used loosely on anyone with slightly darker skin, but they can be descendants of indigenous Indians [or] Middle Eastern immigrants.”

AfricaVive, a black empowerment group founded in Buenos Aires in the late 1990s, claimed that there are 1 million Argentines of black African descent in the country (out of a total population of about 41 million). A report in the Washington Post even suggested that 10 percent of Buenos Aires’ population may have African blood (even if they are classified as “whites” by the census).

"People for years have accepted the idea that there are no black people in Argentina," Miriam Gomes, a professor of literature at the University of Buenos Aires, who is part black herself, told the Post.

"Even the schoolbooks here accepted this as a fact. But where did that leave me?"

She also explained that almost no one in Argentina with black blood in their veins will admit to it.

"Without a doubt, racial prejudice is great in this society, and people want to believe that they are white," she said. "Here, if someone has one drop of white blood, they call themselves white."

Gomes also told the San Francisco Chronicle that after many decades of white immigration into Argentina, people with African blood have been able to blend in and conceal their origins.

"Argentina's history books have been partly responsible for misinformation regarding Africans in Argentine society," she said. "Argentines say there are no blacks here. If you're looking for traditional African people with very black skin, you won't find it. African people in Argentina are of mixed heritage."

Ironically, Argentina’s most famous cultural gift to the world – the tango – came from the African influence.

"The first paintings of people dancing the tango are of people of African descent," Gomes added.

On a broader scale, the “elimination” of blacks from the country’s history and consciousness reflected the long-cherished desire of successive Argentine governments to imagine the country as an “all-white” extension of Western Europe in Latin America.

“There is a silence about the participation of Afro-Argentines in the history and building of Argentina, a silence about the enslavement and poverty,” said Paula Brufman, an Argentine law student and researcher, according to Planete Afrique.

“The denial and disdain for the Afro community shows the racism of an elite that sees Africans as undeveloped and uncivilized.”

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Excerpts below from WIKIPEDIA Encyclopedia

Decline of the Afro-Argentine population 

• Heavy casualties caused by constant civil wars and foreign wars: Blacks formed a disproportionate part of the Argentine army in the long and bloody War of Paraguay (1865–1870), in which the loss of lives on both sides were high.
• Genocide. The rapid disappearance of blacks from Argentina has been attributed to racial genocide on the part of the Argentine government. Argentine President Domingo Sarmiento is noted for claiming that blacks can have no part in Argentine society [13] The Argentine government was known to have carried out similar ethnic cleansing of the countriesNative American population [14]. Historians that criticize claims of black casualties in the civil wars often cite the fact that women did not fight in the Argentine wars, yet black women disappeared simultaneously with men in Argentina.[15]
• Epidemics, especially of yellow fever in 1871: the traditional history holds that the epidemics had greater impact in areas where the poorest people lived.
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