There is a rumor going around about zombies in Cap Haitian. Although false, the story is spreading by word of mouth, and getting attention on the radio, on the internet, and in newspapers. Before examining the rumor, it ‘s important to recognize that the zombie allegory is one that evolved from the history of Haiti as a nation founded from the wreckage of enslavement.Over the course of 100 years, the French imported nearly 1 million Africans to the territory and they killed at least 700,000 of them. A crime of this magnitude could not have occurred without scarring the descendants of its victims. Our fore-parents worked on plantations and were whipped by the landowners: this became the basis for the zombie allegory. The bizarre rumor circulating in Cap Haitian has numerous inconsistencies. Ciliane is presented as a person who is mentally deranged, yet she is quoted as a source of trustworthy information. We are encouraged to believe that because Ciliane claims she is a zombie, it must be true. As the story goes, Ciliane was killed but she is today vibrant enough to tell about it. Conveniently for the story tellers, Ti Boss who is accused of having enslaved Cilianeis said to be dead. Quite clearly, the dead can be defamed without risk of protest from them. The true victims of this concoction are Ciliane and Ti Boss. The picture presented of Ciliane suggests that she is suffering from a psychiatric disorder. Yet, instead of the society reaching out to her to provide the medical care that she needs, stories abound that she is a zombie. What else could people do, given that there are about 5 psychiatrists in the country and all of them are in Port-au-Prince. Meanwhile, there is no shortage of people to accuse those with mental illnesses of being zombies.
It is rumored that 1000 zombies escaped from Ti Boss’ grip. We must be able to see through this nonsense. Nowhere in Haiti are there plantations operating from the labor of 1000 people. Haiti functions on small scale family farms. Imagine, 1000 people slaving on a plantation producing agricultural products, yet all around this fortress of production is dire poverty and hunger.
This story is best suited for the National Inquirer where fantastic stories are told for our entertainment. Notice that Ciliane cannot readily be identified as she has no last name. Ti Boss carries the name of a hougan often sited in Haitian traditional songs. Ciliane spent 3 years in slavery. These number of years seem selected because the number three carries religious or mystical connotations making it more likely that readers will accept the story without probing it.
A formula for Haiti? Along with the story, a simple formula has been offered for how to develop Haiti. Does anyone wonder how this formula can be applied to solve the current US economic recession? Apparently, the formula is not known by international banks, by governments, by economists,by scientists. The formula calls for the removal of Creole and Vodou to pave the way for development. In other words, the less Haitians address each other in Creole,the better off the country will be; the less Haitians honor their ancestors, the more wealth the country will be able to obtain from the global markets. Grants and interest free loans will come in abundance!
Needless to say, development does not stem from religion or language. Like Haitians, the Japanese and Chinese also serve the spirits of their ancestors, and Japan and China are among the richest countries of the world. Likewise, the countries of Latin America are not poor because of their Christianity. Development is the work of people, it is not the fruit of religion. It was not Christianity that developed Western Europe. It was money made in the commerce of people as slaves that allowed Europeans to invest in science and industrialization. In fact, Christian leaders in Europe did all that they could to obstruct the work of scientists.
The Spanish, the English, and the French, sequentially ruled Haiti for about 300 years. During that time, not one school was built, and nearly all the wealth generated went to Europe.Later, of 450,000 people living in the territory, 150,000 were slaughtered because they wished to live with human dignity. Moreover, following the end of slavery, the French demanded that we fight yet another war or send them every last drop of money that we produced. Haiti complied. How can anyone circumvent all this, and say Vodou and Creole are at the root of poverty in Haiti?
The story is really a call for rejèt:
The rumor apparently was launched to feed an anti-Vodou campaign.The story was released to coincide with the Sodo celebrations in Haiti, an important Traditional Religious Holiday. It is far easier to attack Vodou, then to reform international trade and trade agreements, build universities, train engineers- in short, do the hard work of developing know how. An anti-Vodou campaign is just a distraction from the hard work that we need to do.
Twou manti pa fon. Istwa k ap sikile sou zonbi Okap lan radyo, lan teledyòl, sou entènèt, lan jounal, istwa sa a pa gen yon may verite ladan.Istwa a chita sou lejann peyi a ki soti lan esklavaj Franse te met sou pye. Lafrans te enpòte apeprè yon milyon Afriken ann Ayiti pandan 100 ane. Li touye 700,000. Yon kokennchenn krimkonsa pa ta ka fèt pou sa pa ta kite mak sou desandan viktim yo. Se sa nou konnen fanmi nou te pase ki rakonte lan kont moun tire sou zonbi. Bay kou bliye, pote mak sonje. Istwa zonbi a se istwa pote mak ki fidèl a istwa peyi a. Se sa k fè se sou bitasyon zonbi travay. Yo travay la paske se la menm gran grann nou te redi anba makak.
Chaje fay lan istwa k ap sikile sou afè zonbi pran lari Okap. Remake yo prezante Silyan kòm moun tèt-pa-byen. Kwak sa, yo ranmase pawòl anba bouch li pou bon pawòl. Yo di Silyan di se zonbi li ye. Poutèt sa fò n kwè, se vre, zonbi l ye. Yo di n Ti Bòs ki te kenbe Silyan lan esklavaj, mouri, e nou tout konnen mò pa ka defann tèt yo. Tout defamasyon gen dwa tonbe sou do Ti Bòs. Yo akize di gen moun ki te touye Silyan, men Silyan vivan ap koze ak jounalis.
Vrè viktim koze sa a, se Silyan ak Ti Bòs. Sou foto yo sikile a,sanble Silyan se yon moun ki ta bezwen swen medikal. Angiz sosyete a chèche ba l sa, moun pito chita ap detounen atansyon sou maladi l pou yo akize li se zonbi. Se sa menm pou yo ta di, paske si n ta vle mennen Silyan lan doktè, se apeprè 5 sikològ ki genyen lan peyi a epi yo tout Pòtoprens. Depi yon moun gen maladi mantal ann Ayiti, ou mèt tann, paske kanmèm fò w jwenn malkonprann ki pou di se zonbi moun nan ye.
Sou pant manti a, yo di gen 1000 zonbi ki te lage lan lakou Ti Bòs. Mezanmi, annou pase men lan je n, pou n wè kote nou ye. Se ann Ayiti wi. Ann Ayiti se lan jaden moun travay, se pa lan bitasyon. Se ki kote sa a ki gen mil moun k ap pwodui danre men tout zòn nan lan grangou? Mezanmi, annou pase men lan je n.
Istwa a gen gou manti. Silyan pa gen siyati. Ti Bòs pote non yon hougan ki parèt lan anpil chante tradisyonèl Ayisyen. Silyan fè 3 an lan esklavaj. Yo di sa paske moun toujou rantre chif 3 lan istwa pou fè l parèt relijye oubyen mistik konsa n a vale l san reflechi.
Fòmil pou Ayiti?
Lan menm istwa k ap sikile sou entènèt la, yo menm arive ofri yon fòmil senp pou devlope Ayiti. Nanpwen okenn bank sou latè, okenn gouvènman sou latè, okenn ekonomis sou latè, okenn konesè sou latè ki okouran fòmil sa a. Fòmil lan di, pou Ayiti devlope nou bezwen mwens Vodou, mwens Kreyòl. Ki ta vle di se lè nou sispann pale Kreyòl antre nou, se lè sa a peyi a va fè pwogrè; se lè n a sispann jete dlo pou ansyen yo, se lè sa peyi a ap ka tire avantaj sou mache entènasyonal la. Kòmkwa, lè sa a n ap jwenn don, n ap jwenn prete san enterè.
Devlopman se pa travay relijyon. Japonè ak Chinwa sèvi Dantan yo menm jan Ayisyen sèvi ansyen Ginen yo. Sa pa anpeche Japon ak Lachin rich. Se pa manke Kretyen peyi lan Lamerik Santral yo manke Kretyen ki fè yo pòv. Se moun ki fè. Se pa relijyon ki fè. Se pa relijyon Kretyen ki devlope Ewòp. Se lajan ki fèt lan esklavaj ki te vin pèmèt yo envesti lan lasyans ak lan bati izin. Okontrè, Kretyen ann Ewòp te fè tout sa yo kapab pou yo te anpeche lasyans devlope.
Kretyen Franse, Angle, Panyòl fè 300 ane ap dirije Ayiti. Pandan tout tan sa a, yo pa bati yon lekòl, yo pran tout sa peyi a pwodui epi yo voye l ann Ewòp. Annaprè, sou 450,000 Ayisyen yo touye 150,000 mil poutèt yo te vle viv lib. Pi mal toujou, apre nou mèt fen lan esklavaj, Lafrans mande Ayiti goumen oubyen ranmase dènye kras kòb lan peyi a epi pimpe l ba yo an Frans. Ayiti te setoblije voye lajan ba yo. Epi kounye a, pou moun eskive tout sa, pou yo vin di se Vodou ak Kreyòl ki sous mizè peyi a. Di se Vodou, se pa Kretyen Vivan ki malmennen Ayiti, se filozofi nou dwe rele fè m toujou. Di se Kreyòl ki malmennen Ayiti se yon lòt filozofi nou ta dwe rele fè m ankò.
Tripotay la rive lan rejèt:
Pou fay ki genyen lan istwa zonbi yo di yo wè Okap la, nou ka wè se pa okenn rapò serye. Avrèdi,se pawòl k ap vante, oubyen k ap monte pou atake Vodou. Se lan epòk fèt Sodo menm tripotay la lage. Remake, sa pi fasil pou moun atake Vodou pase pou yo atake bonjan pwoblèm peyi a. Atake Vodou fasil devan bati inivèsite, prepare enjenyè, kreye travay. Bonjan devlopman se travay men ak tèt, se pa travay lejè. Se travay toutbon. Se touse ponyèt met brenn atè. Kou moun fin fè sa, yo gen dwa pratike relijyon yo vle.
