Haiti and Cuba, two nations which on January 1 celebrated the triumph of their respective revolutions must be congratulated. These nations and the actions of their peoples in their respective times forever altered the course of history and ensured that the yoke of imperialism in this region which was so firmly implanted would both budge and begin to break. These nations which exported their respective revolutions and gave spiritual succour to revolutions as far afield as Greece and Portuguese colonised Africa have written themselves in the stars and collective consciousness of humanity but in these times, 216 years, and 62 years after their revolutions we must do more than that.
We must do more than celebrate the causes which were promoted and fought for and remember the hero’s both fallen and those who saw the struggle to the conclusion. We must go beyond simple recognition and homage to the giants upon whose shoulders we stand upon and we must go to the defence of these nations who lay themselves down so we may rise.
As I write this, Cuba enters its 60th decade of blockade, an action which is accepted as a form of illegal warfare and which has robbed that nation of billions of dollars. This illegal blockade, which has been routinely condemned in the halls of the UN, a blockade which was launched and is continued by the US in order to strangle a nation seeking to liberate itself, has ensured that the Cuban people lack the amenities we in Jamaica take for granted (like easily accessible internet and even fast food). This blockade however has not deprived the Cubans of their revolutionary zeal and vigour and has seen them become the most industrialised nation in the Caribbean, all while having to deal with a chronic shortage of FX and a deliberate external policy of depriving them of technology.
Cuba remains the healthiest, best educated, and well-read nation in this region, showing that adversity, even being hounded by the biggest empire the world has known does not mean that you cannot be both self-sufficient and international in your outlook.
Haiti has since independence 217 years ago been under constant blockade subterfuge and open war. France in the mid 1800 sent an armada backed up by the European and US powers, demanding an equivalent to billions in today’s currency for recognition of independence or face war. This money was only recently paid off, no wonder that Haiti since almost day one has been impoverished. This poverty of money however did not dampen their spirits and they used what scarce resources they had and longing for emancipation to finance and train rebellion’s and rebels throughout the slave owning world. Most famously they funded The Baptist war, Bolivars successful expedition and (hidden by the US) Nat Turners revolt.
Haiti despite decades of forced misrule and open invasion has become the most artistic nation in the region, oppression often bring that out in the oppressed. But they have never lost touch or sight of how they got free, they remain rightly proud of being the Black Republic, the completion of all the enlightenment sought to offer humanity (so brutally snuffed out by the ‘holders and founders’ of said enlightenment). They have never lost sight of what independence meant and what their ancestors fought for and as a result they are proudly the most rebellious nation in the region, always champing at the bit and jockeying to relieve themselves of the imperialist yoke. We see this today as they continue to fight a two-year struggle to oust the US installed puppet and instead have in power a member of the Fanmi Lavalas party which was founded by and continues to preach the principles of Jean Bertrand Aristide.
These two nations continue to pay the onerous blood debt extracted by imperialism so we the remaining nations in the global south and Latin America in particular may live with what little luxury we now have. Any semblance of lack of direct imperialism is a direct result of their actions and our thanks and praises will never do them justice. Haiti was the reason why slavery was abolished, no amount of European doublespeak can prove otherwise, Cuba was the reason why nations in Latin America could seriously flirt with left-liberalism and even social-democracy, as the Americans remained fearful that the uber exploitation meted out by their companies would breed another Castro (they dialled the oppression down to 90-100% as opposed to the 150-200% which existed before and which Arbenz bore the brunt of).
These nations which have borne the brunt for decades in one case and over a century in the other need more than an external voice of support, they need the tangible assistance which they once offered us and our ancestors. Cuba which has been targeted as a ‘terrorist nation’ and a nation which ‘traffics people’ needs CARICOM member nations and the bloc on a whole to come out and condemn these utterances and openly break the blockade. Haiti which has been the puppet of America since the 1900’s must be free and rid of her kleptocrats who aim to retard the revolution of 1804. CARICOM members individually and as the bloc must insist that any dealing with Haiti will be an internal matter, be it policing or mediating. Some may say we don’t have that power, that CARICOM calls for non-interference, that was proved null in 83’ and riddled with rigor mortis with the recent Guyana incident.
We are no one’s backyard, that is what one former regional leader said during the heights of the cold war, we are no one’s puppets or lap dogs and we as a region stand on the shoulders of giants, two of whom are represented in Haiti and Cuba. These nations deserve our full throated support, they must not only be fully integrated into CARICOM and all of its mechanisms such as the CSME and travel area, but also form the foundation and basis for deeper and faster integration in order to enrich these nations (something they are desperately seeking) but also to ensure that the Haitian culture and revolutionary spirit, and the Cuban revolution with all their accomplishments are not washed away as the revolutionary achievements of the other Caribbean nations have due to deep American and European cultural infiltration. The spirit of self-confidence, of knowing and being grounded in one’s history, using the material surroundings to build yourself up and make beautiful things, these are what we in CARICOM need and this is what Haiti and Cuba offer among other things.
Haiti and Cuba who have suffered so much and continue to suffer on our behalf, if we use a biblical metaphor dying on the cross so we may live, are owed everything we have to maintain their independence in the one case and to remove the comprador leaders in the other. This, condemnation of the imperial nations abusing our neighbours, and the integration of them in CARICOM and global south trade is needed, anything else is doing them an injustice and spitting on our legacy.
jamaicachange 