I was appalled at the devastation and loss of life, but even more distressed by the fact that I could watch people trying to dig others out of the rubble with their bare hands.
Years ago, I watched a little girl who was stuck in a mudslide for days with the same agony after a volcano in Colombia erupted and buried whole villages. She eventually died because rescuers could not extract her from the hands of a relative who was buried beneath her.
It is amazing that we have the technology to watch these events, but cannot respond to them as quickly. Haiti was unprepared for such a disaster. It is one of the poorest countries in the world, just a short trip by air from the United States. Someone sent me an e-mail about the history of why Haiti is so poor, and I would like to share what I learned with you.
On Dec. 5, 1492, Columbus arrived at an island inhabited by the Arawakan people and named it La Isla Espanola. In 1697, Spain ceded the western third of the island to France. The French imported slaves from Africa to work on the sugar cane and coffee plantations. In 1791, the slave population revolted and gained control of the northern part of the French colony. In 1804, Napoleon Bonaparte sent an army to regain control and lost to the revolutionaries.
Haiti became the first democratic nation in the West ruled by former African slaves. In its Constitution, it declared that any African slave who landed on its shore would be free. This was intolerable to the French, the United States (which still practiced slavery) and all the other European nations who wanted to control this land rich with natural resources. They made sure that it was isolated from the world economy, and in time, it became bankrupt.
French officials came and said that they would recognize Haiti as a sovereign nation only if it paid compensation and reparation to France. The price was 150 million in gold francs! Thus began the systematic destruction of the newly formed republic.
In 1915, the United States’ military occupied Haiti in order to help the French collect not only their reparations, but interest on the unpaid amount! Haiti was crushed. The U.S. Military left in 1934, but the damage was done. The poverty of Haiti can be laid at the feet of the United States and France and the other European nations who supported their policies even to the present day.
The earthquake on Jan. 12 calls us to make reparation to Haiti, and to help rebuild that nation on a solid footing, not with buildings made of defective cement, not with peanut butter from which we have extracted all the nutrients, but with clean water, sewers, and well-built roads, bridges, hospitals, schools, and homes that can withstand hurricanes and earthquakes.
The citizens of Haiti deserve an infrastructure that enables them to prosper and to claim their rightful place among the nations of the world.
Spirituality Discussed
The book discussion group, Spirituality Discussed, is meeting Feb. 15, at 7:30 p.m., at the Warrenville library meeting room. Deb Hanes is leading a discussion of the book, “Return to Love” by Marianne Williamson.
After the discussion, the group adjourns to a home for coffee and treats. New members are always welcome.
For more information about the group, please call the group sponsor, Donna Hathaway, at (630) 836-1617.
