A fisherman applies resin to his boat in Cité Soleil.
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March 21, 2007
March 19, 2007
Net Repair
Johnny, the President of OPEC, repairs a fishing net as the day winds down. OPEC organizes fishermen in the Cité Soleil community.
A Telling Sign
A telling sign of the situation in Cité Soleil.
March 16, 2007
Manifestations
Demonstrations in Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, often take on myriad fronts. On Monday, March 12, demonstrators assembled in front of the international airport in anticipation of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's visit to the country. But they didn't only express jubilation at the Venezuelan head of state's visit.
Demonstrators expressed anger and resentment with United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) and alleged abuses committed by them, namely, in Haiti's largest slum, Cité Soleil.
And, as always, calls for Aristide's return from exile were in vogue. Some yelled, "Five years!", a popular slogan in 2004, during the height of the rebellion, or depending on political orientation, coup d'etat, that forced Aristide from power, meaning that Aristide should serve his entire term in office, lasting five years.
A point of much contention is over the amount of people turning out for these demonstrations, as it usually turns into a debate about how much support the deposed president still retains. And getting into the nitty-gritty, what neighborhood are the demonstrators from and what percentage of the population do they represent?
In Haiti, a demonstration with 10,000 in attendance can easily turn into 100,000 with a photograph and text purporting one point of view. And a demonstration with the main goal of welcoming Hugo Chavez can have two or three other demands.
March 13, 2007
Venezuela's Hugo Chavez Received By Thousands
PORT-AU-PRINCE. HAITI — Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez was greeted by thousands of cheering supporters on Monday, March 12, as he met with Haitian President Rene Preval to promote aid and development packages in the Haitian capital.
(In the above photo, Haitian President Rene Preval and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez stand on the fence in front of the National Palace in Port-au-Prince, while waving to thousands of cheering supporters.)
Supporters met Chavez at the airport and ran with his convoy to the National Palace. Demonstrators waved Venezuelan flags, wore necklaces with photos of Chavez and Che Guevara, and tee-shirts of the former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide while chanting "Long live Chavez! Down with Bush!"
Near the airport, a handful of demonstrators blocked a UN jeep from passing while banging on the vehicle and yelling "Down with MINUSTAH", referring to the UN mission by its French acronym.
The demonstration was rife with anti-Bush rhetoric, something Chavez capitalized on as he counters US President George Bush's Latin American tour. At one point, as Chavez's supporters yelled "Down with Bush!", Chavez made a fist and punched his hand, sending the crowd cheering uproariously.
Bush's Latin America tour has been all but outdone by Chavez's countertour. Anti-Bush demonstrations fueled by the two leader's simultaneous tours, also took place in Bolivia, Nicaragua, and Guatemala.
In Port-au-Prince, Chavez's charisma stoked the poor masses who came out in throngs to greet him. His left-leaning stance and strident anti-Bush rhetoric, is well received by the poor who believe that Bush was the main architect in deposing former president Jean Bertrand Aristide in 2004. Aristide still retains strong support in the capital's poor neighborhoods.
The Venezuelan President met with Preval to discuss a $20 million aid package. Venezuelan soldiers are also in the capital to help construct a road financed by the country.
Chavez seems to be making inroads in a country the United States is heavily involved in; making Washington evermore weary of its foe to the south. Haiti is currently participating in Venezuela's Petrocaribe program, which allows the country to buy oil through Venezuela's state run oil company on preferential terms.
Haiti may be a new battleground for Bush and Chavez to duke it out ideologically in the war for hearts and minds.
Chavez - 1. Bush - 0.
March 01, 2007
Bwa Neuf: MINUSTAH Takes Two New Positions
A child plays soccer in front of a mural at Dred Wilmer's old base as UN soldiers take control of the area on February 28, 2007. A community leader in the Bwa Neuf zone of Cité Soleil, Wilmer was killed under disputed circumstances in 2005. The section of Route 9 Soleil that runs through Bwa Neuf was renamed Boulevard Dred Wilmer in his honor.
(In the above photo, Dred Wilmer smokes marijuana in his underwear, as seen on the mural at his former base.)
MINUSTAH (The United Nations Stabilizaton Mission in Haiti) took two new positions in the Bwa Neuf zone on the 28th, and now occupy Bélony's home, the former leader of the zone and Wilmer's successor. No shots were fired. MINUSTAH is now fully entrenched in Cité Soleil which leads many to believe large scale social programs can begin unhindered by the type of violence once common in the bidonville only weeks ago.
Since the beginning of February, MINUSTAH has taken a half dozen new bases in the slum, some of which were schools, angering residents whose childern are no longer able to go to school. The schools in the area are often the highest structures around, which gives UN soldiers an advantage as they can see the surrounding area. But according to the UN, the buildings were being used by the gangs to fire on UN soldiers.
Bélony, who was targeted by the UN, is rumored to be in the Saint-Michel area currently with 100 armed men, raising new fears.
Resistance to the UN in Cité Soleil from armed gangs is said to be finished. However, demonstrations from human rights and civic groups will continue. The leaders of the gangs are underground and their weapons hidden, but available.
The UN mission has an opportunity in Cité Soleil to gain the residents trust, something they have been unable to garner since the outset of the mission, which began two months after the former President Jean Bertrand Aristide was forced from power on February 29, 2004. Historically, the UN has blown opportunites such as this.
In September and October 2006, Cité Soleil was at a relative calm. On Thursday, October 19, UN soldiers and engineers began demolishing abondoned homes in order to connect a narrow road that runs parallel to Strong-Point 16, a UN base, with Route 9 Soleil. They did so without consulting community leaders or offering residents compensation. The ensuing gun battle between the gangs and the UN left two school girls and an older man dead, which resulted in months of fighting that has only just ended.