By Ignacio Ramonet, article entitled Learning from Haiti, Le Monde Diplomatique , February 8, 2010
No matter how "natural" enough, no catastrophe is natural. An identical intensity earthquake causes more victims in an impoverished country that in other rich industrialized. Example: The earthquake in Haiti, with a magnitude of 7.0 on the Richter scale has caused more than a hundred thousand dead, while that of Honshu (Japan), of equal force (7.1), which occurred six months ago, just resulted in one dead and one wounded.
"The poorest countries and those with governance problems are more at risk than others," confirms a recent UN report (1). In one city, the human impact of a disaster can be very different depending on the characteristics of the neighborhoods. In Port-au-Prince, the earthquake showed no mercy with the rickety central townships. Instead, districts privileged mulatto merchant bourgeoisie suffered only havoc.
Nor are the same poor face of adversity. The International Federation of Red Cross argues that disaster, "women, the disabled, the elderly and ethnic or religious minorities, regular victims of discrimination, are hardest hit as the others" (2).
Moreover, even if a country is not rich, if it does an effective policy for disaster preparedness can save many lives. In August 2008, Hurricane Gustav, the most violent of the last fifty years, lashed the Caribbean with winds of 340 kilometers per hour. In Haiti, killing 66 people. However, in Cuba caused no fatality ...
Is Haiti a poor country? In truth, there is poor countries there are only "poor countries." It is not the same. In the last third of the eighteenth century, Haiti was the Pearl of the Antilles and produced 60% of coffee and 75% of sugar consumed in Europe. But, its wealth only benefited some 50,000 white settlers, not the 500,000 black slaves who produced it.
Invoking the noble ideals of the French Revolution, the slaves revolted in 1791 under Toussaint Louverture, the black Spartacus. The war lasted for thirteen years. Napoleon sent an expedition of 43,000 veterans. They won the insurgents. It was the first anti-colonial race war and the only slave revolt that resulted in a sovereign state.
On January 1, 1804, independence was proclaimed. It sounded like a knock on the American continent. Black slaves showed that, by its own struggle, without help from anyone, could gain freedom. Afro-Latin emerging in the international political scene.
But the "bad example" of Haiti, they called the U.S. president, Thomas Jefferson, "terrified the powers that still practiced slavery. He was not pardoned. And no one recognized, not helped the new republic black, white nightmare of colonialism. Even today, the old fear has not disappeared. Pat Robertson, American televangelist, is not perhaps just state: "hatianos Thousands have died in the earthquake because the slaves of Haiti made a pact with the devil to gain his freedom" (3)?
The newly independent state was boycotted for decades with the idea of "detain fever" there. Haiti fell into civil war that devastated its territory. He missed the necessary stage of building a nation-state. Institutionally, despite the high quality of its many intellectuals, the country was stalled.
Then came the time of the U.S. occupation that lasted from 1915 to 1934. And the war of resistance. The hero of the revolt, Charlemagne Peralte, was crucified by the Marines, nailed to the door of a church ... Washington gave way to new Haitian dictators, including: Papa Doc Duvalier, one of the most despotic.
In the 1970s, Haiti still enjoyed food sovereignty, its farmers produced 90% of food consumed by the population. But the Reagan-Bush Plan imposed by Washington, forced to abolish import tariffs on rice, staple of local culture. American Rice, cheaper because it was subsidized, flooded the local market and ruined thousands of farmers who migrated en masse to the capital, where the earthquake has caught ...
The only truly democratic government experience was that of Jean-Bertrand Aristide, twice President (1994-1996 and 2001-2004). But his own mistakes and pressure from Washington pushed him into exile. Since then, in fact, Haiti is under the supervision of the UN and international NGO conglomerate. The government of René Préval has been systematically deprived of means of action. It is therefore absurd to criticize his inaction to the effects of the earthquake. Some time ago the public sector was dismantled and transferred its main activities, whether they were profitable, the private sector or NGOs when they were not. Before becoming the Ground Zero of the world, Haiti was already the first case of "humanitarian colonialism." The tragedy will reinforce dependence. And therefore the resistance. The "shock capitalism" described by Naomi Klein, find a new opportunity to claim "in the name of efficiency, the full privatization of all economic and commercial activities related to reconstruction.
America is at the forefront, with its armed forces deployed in an offensive major humanitarian. Results clearly a generous desire to help. But also undeniable geopolitical interests. Washington prefers to invade Haiti to help to do their shores invaded by tens of thousands of Haitian boat people. Basically, it's the same old obsession: "detain fever" ...
Notes:
- Risk and poverty in a changing climate. Invest today for a safer tomorrow, United Nations, New York, May 2009.
- World Disasters Report 2009, International Red Cross, Geneva, July 2009.
- Christian Broadcasting Network, January 14, 2010.
