With Haiti in the news again as Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe resigns, one cannot help but think of the large protests and unrest that rocked Haiti in the 1946, culminating in a revolution that unseated Lescot. During the current wave of protests, journalists described protesters as gathering around the grounds of the destroyed National Palace and I immediately thought of Matthew J. Smith's Red and Black in Haiti, which is where I found this photo.
Ummmmm, I have mixed feeling about this. Somehow, Lamothe's resignation does not really remind me of the 1946 "January Revolution." While there has been popular demonstrations against both his person and Martelly, this is hardly new in Haitian political and social scenery. Furthermore, the events of 1946 (at least on the surface) had a democratic demeanour, which is hardly the case here. Between government corruption, kidnappings carried by people close to the presidential family and Martelly making no signs of being interested in calling for a general election, I do not necessarily feel this event is comparable to 1946. (Likewise, there is no opposition to the government that has formed anything resembling the radical Marxists or Noirists of 1946. I can only think of the Fanmi Lavalas in terms of grassroots appeal but, they have been carefully banned from the last election and it is very likely that the United States will work in doing the same thing for the next election, if there is one.)
ReplyDelete...Yet, somehow, I too thought of the 1946 Revolution when I read the news yesterday. Perhaps because of the timing of this resignation? Who knows.
I think the main reason I thought of 1946 was I had been reading Matthew J. Smith's book a few months ago when I came across the picture, and I wanted to share it. But yes, you are right, these are very different events.
DeleteI think I understand why you may feel this way. (And I hope my comment did not come out harsh.)
DeleteI suppose perhaps we are all wishing for a revolutionary generation like that of 1946, but, I don't know... With the current situation further complicated by the MINUSTAH and the amount of NGOs that seem aloof to the fact that their presence and disorganization only serves to weaken the Haitian state, I do not know what the next generation will need to do in order to achieve some sense of independence ...
I think I understand why you may feel this way. (And I hope my comment did not come out harsh.)
DeleteI suppose perhaps we are all wishing for a revolutionary generation like that of 1946, but, I don't know... With the current situation further complicated by the MINUSTAH and the amount of NGOs that seem aloof to the fact that their presence and disorganization only serves to weaken the Haitian state, I do not know what the next generation will need to do in order to achieve some sense of independence ...
No, you fine. Yeah, it will be interesting to see how this unfolds, and how it will affect the presidential ambitions of Lamothe, Villedrouin and others.
Delete