The Ottawa Initiative on Haiti
September 25, 2016
Ayisyen vote byen pou nou sove Ayiti
November 18, 2016“malè ou swete bèlmè, se manman ou li frape” – Haitian wisdom
(the evil you wish upon your mother-in-law strikes your mother)
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The other day, I saw a video excerpt of an October 2012 speech in which Bill Clinton was telling an audience in New-York how his wife, Hillary, possesses the extraordinary psychic ability to speak regularly with the dead, in particular, with the spirit of former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.
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Today, some U.S. citizens who are still stunned by the election of Donald Trump may be seeking extra insights to help answer many troubling questions. However, I doubt the dead are in any way equipped to help them understand what is happening in the so-called “land of the free and home of the brave“. If Harvard and Yale graduates could not see the Trump train wreck coming, neither could the spirit of the dead help the Democratic Party and Clinton avoid this humiliating defeat they have just suffered at the hand of Donald “grab-them-by-the-pussy” Trump. Yet, a small group of New-York based Haitians had posted the writing on the wall, several months ago. The Haitians took their warning straight to Hillary Clinton’s headquarters in Manhattan. Unfortunately, few American citizens, from a population of 325 million, ever heard or saw – let alone welcomed – the prophetic message of KOMOKODA (the Committee to Mobilize Against Dictatorship in Haiti).
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Had U.S. Democrats listened to KOMOKODA, they would have known long ago how election fixing (as happened in favour of Clinton and against Bernie Sanders) is a particular expertise of the Clinton clan. Ironically, in Haiti, Bill and Hillary Clinton’s electoral cheating was applied in favour of Michel “Sweet Micky” Martelly, a Caribbean-style Trump-like character who is infamous for his trademark “balls-grabbing” gestures. Below are some highlights on this peculiar Clinton-Trump/Martelly-Haiti story. 
Since KOMOKODA published the above track many years ago, there has been several investigative reports and Wikileaks which confirm their assertion that Hillary Clinton intervened personally in the 2010-11 Haitian elections to rig them in favour of Michel “Sweet Micky” Martelly. The latter went on to steal millions of dollars to enrich himself and his family over a five year presidency marked by scandalous debauchery by Haiti’s morally-repugnant 1%, while the Black majority continues to die whenever it rains on their environmentally-vulnerable third of island.
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The Clintons profess great love for Martelly and it is reciprocal as, among other gifts, Martelly offered a very lucrative, once-in-a-century Haitian gold mining deal to Tony Rodham (Hillary’s brother) and his company CVS Mining.
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Martelly who, while acting as “President of Haiti”, once yelled to a woman in the audience that she ought to join him “in the back bush, so he may do her”, was heralded by Bill Clinton as “Haiti’s most articulate leader of the past 30 years”. Slick Bill, apparently, has a very peculiar sense of humour. But, Haitians do not often laugh at his sick jokes.
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Today, as Americans are trying to awake from the November 8, 2016 shock, many who are bemoaning the arrival of Trump and Melania to the White House may still not realize how lucky they, in fact, are. So, once again, rather than inviting our brothers and sisters to consult “Jesus” or to summon the spirit of Eleanor Roosevelt we, Haitians, do encourage all Americans to courageously seek the answers to their questions in real life.
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Dear neighbours, as bad as it is, your situation is still better than what it could have been.
- You had the luxury of electing your own bigoted, misogynist dictator. No foreign powers imposed him on you. He is yours, all yours. To do with, as you so please.
- You were fortunate to have uncovered the corruption that plagues the Democratic Party which rigged the elections in favor of the Clinton clan. Therefore, if you have the will and the courage to do so, you have here a perfect opportunity to discipline the guilty, abandon the 2 party oligarchy’s sham and adopt real democracy.
- Trump, unlike Haiti’s Sweet Micky, is already filthy rich before taking office. And, your beloved country can easily survive several days of rainfall at a time.
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So, do not despair. Let the spirit of Eleonor Roosevelt rest in peace. However, as the Esquelito character in Nacho Libre might have said in such circumstances: “I believe in science”. Although superstition is never the answer, there are natural laws of the universe such as “the evil you wish for mother-in-law shall surely strike your own mother“.
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“malè ou swete bèlmè, se manman ou li frape” – Haitian wisdom – from the same family of laws of science as “what goes around comes around”, “karma’s gonna get ya” etc…
M pa ka ri…pa kwè m ri…lè m ri ou wè dan m, ou pa wè anndan m”
(I cannot laugh… don’t you believe I am laughing – when I laugh, my teeth you do see, but not my soul) – song by Beethova Obas
Jafrikayiti (Jean Elissaint Saint-Vil) was born and raised in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and currently lives in Canada. He hosts weekly radio programs in Ottawa and has been featured as political analyst on Canadian and international radio and television. He is the author of “LAFIMEN: Listwa Pèp Ayisyen Depi Nan Ginen”, CD1 (2003), CD2&3 (2006), CD4 (2010) – audio recordings narrating Haitian History in Kreyòl and “Viv Bondye ! Aba Relijyon!” (2000) – book in Kreyòl (Praise God Down with Religion) which deals with the history of Christianity and its influence on the lives of people of African Descent.
On his blog godisnotwhite.com, Jafrikayiti publishes regularly, in English, French and his native Kreyòl.
4 Comments
Jah/Jahnes love beloved Jafrikayiti. This was a great read! I love the “in your face” “talk/write back to power/empire” style. Your edgy , no holds bar tone was well taken and suits the situation. You are right in asserting that KOMOKODA, an association that has been relentless in their pursuit of Justice for Ayiti people against the KKKlinton machinery and other powers that be, was correct about their claims. Unfortunately, the Corporate and racist, ethnocentric and hateful media in the U.S. refused to address the corruption and blood shed that the KKKlintons initiated in Ayiti since the 1990s. They pretended to be “friends” of JBH and Ayiti’s people but that was a sham. More than that, if the KKKlintons believe in Ghosts and the supernatural, then they shouldn’t be at all surprised that the candidate who mentioned Ayiti and her people (albeit for a few seconds) during the Presidential debates, should be the one s/elected for the office. Newly S/elected Trump, mentioned to HRC that the people in “Little Haiti, hate you and your husband” in the last debate. To which, HRC replied with a lie about having only collected some $30 million for Earth Quake relief in Ayiti. So, we should all remember that “with truth, justice and love on our side, David will always beat Goliath” (paraphrase His Imperial Majesty Qedamawi Haile Selassie I). And in my opinion, Ayiti and her people have won, and that’s thanks in part to the activism of KOMOKODA, Ezili Danto. Jafrikayiti, and intellectuals like Dady Chery, Jemima Pierre and Radio personality Alice Backer. Thank you so much for all of your help in keeping me alive. Mesi anpil, the legacy of 1804 still lives. Blessed love.
Thank you MNP! Although, I found it irresistible to resort to humour for this piece, the sadness of the situation has not escaped me. Indeed, hats off to brother Dahoud Andre and the KOMOKODA comrades, Ezili Danto and everyone who stood up to help expose and repudiate the Clintons and their machine of corruption. May the American people reach from deep within to find the wisdom, the courage and the determination to find light at the end of this very cavernous Trump tunnel.
Jahnes love beloved Jafrikayiti. Thanks for the kind reply to my comment about your wonderful article. I forgot to add that others, non Ayiti people also wrote very good articles that exposed the KKKlinton imperialist plan for Ayiti and her people. I am forever grateful for great articles in the Jacobin, and the Nation as well as New York Times and Black Agenda Report to name some of the media outlets that provided some coverage of the KKKlintons misdeeds in Ayiti. Democracy Now! Also invited Dahoud Andre to discuss KOMOKODA’s protest against the KKKlintons and they mentioned the activities in a few of their programs which seemed to un-nerve some of their guests. I am also glad that the FBI pursued it’s case against HRC because they stopped the KKKLinton machine from taking office which would position them to “hide” the evidence of their pedophile crimes against young children in the Caribbean. Blessed love.
Dear Jafrikayiti,
Thanks for this superb article. The criminality of Hillary Clinton against Ayiti, together with her husband Bill and such tools of theirs as the execrable Collier, deserves to be shouted from the rooftops. Your citation of the Kreole proverb is perfectly apt. Exit-poll evidence in the US election suggests that after stealing the Democratic candidacy from Sanders, Hillary had the main prize stolen from her by Trump. All best wishes to you.