Haiti and the era of Rafael Trujillo... (Part 1)

By : Herve Gilbert herve.gilbert@gmail.com
Available in Original French Version and  Spanish Version 

Haiti 1937 or memory of a massacre

In today's article we will present a brief description of what was once called in the Dominican Republic as "the  Trujillo era ,"the Dominican dictator who ordered the massacre of over 35,000 Haitians in 1937 in that country. We begin with a short biography of Trujillo and talk about the causes and consequences of that genocide; the shameful and brutal event that harmed his prestige in the entire world.

Brief biography of Rafael Leonidas Trujillo

Rafael Leonidas Trujillo

Rafael Leonidas Trujillo (1891-1961) was a soldier and politician who became Dominican President (1930-1938 , 1942-1952) and real head of state from 1930 to 1961 . We can say that President Rafael Leonidas Trujillo, became president after the military coup that overthrew President Horacio Vasquez after the popular uprising that took place in Santiago, February 23, 1930 , led by Rafael Estrella Ureña his ally and an opponent of Vasquez . Trujillo subtilized the political legacy of Rafael Estrella Ureña and became two months later the military and politician to take the reins of government.

At 39 years old , Rafael Leonidas Trujillo had thus become the president of the Dominican Republic August 16, 1930 , and suddenly had inherited the true heir of the American military intervention. The Dominican army was the mechanism by excellence of his repression and assassinations in order to keep the population under his yoke . He had a bad temper and his smile looked more like a grimace rarely imitated. Trujillo loved the good life, and not a friend of foreign  foods or foreign dishes, he preferred the Creole cuisine of the highest quality. He loved to dance to the sounds of folk music. He drank a lot and often getting drunk with his close friends .

Consequences - Haitian Massacre of 1937

Yes, it is true, it already sounds confusing and like a “déjà -vu” : a nationalist plan in which a race or a group should achieve by force or the extermination of ethnic cleansing , armed contingents , deportations , executions and at the end a small print referring to the impressive number of 35,000 dead in just two weeks epilogue.
The causes of the genocide committed by Trujillo October 2, 1937 have been explained in different ways by different historians , most of which alluded to border conflicts that have occurred in the past and yet apparently had ended on January 21, 1929 by the ratification of a treaty establishing conventional boundaries between the two countries .

For more than a century Haitians penetrated on abandoned farmland by the Dominicans during the time of the First Republic. Many efforts have been made in the nineteenth century to reach an agreement with Haiti . It has never been possible to clarify the issue of border limits. In the Treaty of 1874 , following negotiations , certain rights were granted to Haitians living on land previously claimed by the Dominicans. Meanwhile , in the early twentieth century , an attempt was made to reach a settlement on the limits of the border , which was finalized in 1929, under the government of Horacio Vásquez . But despite having signed on 21 January this year , the treaty on border limits did not include tens of thousands of Haitians who lived and worked as laborers in the sugar industry or as domestic servants in the homes of the family farmers and small traders in the south and in the north- west near the border .

These difficulties were added to other political causes: Dominican President Vasquez was overthrown in 1930, and in the Haitian side , the student revolt became a powerful movement was driven from power on 15 May of the same year President Louis Borno .
Among the various factors that led to the massacre of 1937 include a major aspiration of Trujillo " whitening border. He also wanted to destroy the opposition strongholds that he believed to be in the border areas and, according to him, also sought to invade the Dominican Republic.

President Stenio Vincent  and
President Trujillo in 1934.     

In November 1934 , Trujillo had visited Port -au- Prince, and in February 1935 , Vincent made ​​his visit to the Dominican Republic. During this last visit an agreement was reached in relation to these conflicts. In the same alliance with President Lescot, Trujillo had taken the decision not to publish or broadcast through Dominicans media in the country, any racist comments may offend Haiti and its government. Among other things, he was decided that the Dominican Republic would yield regions that Haitians had occupied for many years , and to consolidate the agreement was concluded that the way to solve this problem once and for all was to build an international highway which axis " will  be a demarcation between the two states. "

President Vincent accompanied by his Minister E. Lescot
 visit Trujillo in 1935.                                                      

However , Trujillo signed on March 9, 1935 another treaty with Haitian President Sténio Vincent in which some clauses in 1929 had been repealed . However, the agreements signed during this century , as in the past, did not prevent the penetration of Haitians in the Dominican Republic, where even their circulating currency , as in the Cibao and south of Azua . But there are those who want to believe that the Haitian Trujillo committed genocide in order to " purify" the Dominican race near the Dominican border.
However, there is good reason to believe that the causes were also due to his desire to put under his domination Haiti as evidenced by his attempt to bribe General Calixte , Commander of the National Guard of Haiti and then so the President Elie Lescot as well . But we must not forget another factor :the xenophobic impulse that was conveyed by the  Dominican extreme right activists who advocated hatred against Haitian immigrants and also wanted revenge for the occupation of the Dominican Republic by the Government of Boyer.

The massacre was formally started on the night of October 2, 1937 , when the tyrant came to Montecristi , where he was informed of a rumor that suggested that an imminent arrests and executions of its allies in Haiti would occur.  

Note that this genocide was known also under the name * Parsley, a phonetic term that murderers asked victims to decide whether they could pronounced the letter R with a Creole accent or a Dominican accent, a trick that would have been recommended by the Dominican President Rafael Trujillo himself. The latter ordered his troops to carry out the extermination of masses of people of Haitian descent living in the Dominican Republic , especially in farms located along the border between the Dominican Republic and Haiti . The massacre spread to Samana and to the western Cibao area and was carried out with knives, machetes specifically to give the impression that it was a riot between Haitians and Dominicans farmers. The act of Trujillo seemed inexplicable to observers, since he apparently maintained cordial relations with Haiti since 1933. Incidentally Trujillio facilitated European populations immigration in Dominican Republic white skin , especially Jewish immigrants one of his attempts to bleaching of the Dominican population , even by seeking to emigrate Dominican Blacks .

The genocide was carried out by the army with common criminals released for these purposes, began in the last days of September 1937 , and was pursued vigorously until October . For nearly two weeks, they had killed more than 30,000 people , men, women, elderly and children of all ages.

Trujillo and the 1938 elections

Rafael Trujillo's dictatorship is considered one of the

bloodiest in the Americas...                                     

However, the genocide committed against Haitians had received international condemnation prevented Trujillo stand as a candidate in the general election of 1938. The massacre of Haitians , popularly known as " cutting " caused an international scandal that forced Trujillo to negotiate an agreement by which the Dominican government undertook to pay the Haitian government compensation for victims with the government of Haiti . But this action also allowed the Trujillo regime to consolidate its hold on power with a government based on terror.

The tyrant has made ​​it clear when he resigned January 8, 1938 from office and could not be a candidate for president in 1938 , but maintained Jacinto B. Peynado and Manuel de Jesus Troncoso, respectively as president and vice president . And the Dominican Party corroborated this decision in the same direction after announcing to the public that during their party convention on February 28, 1938 they had chosen the binomial Peynado - Troncoso . The electoral farce was mounted and the Dominican Party , as expected got a second " overwhelming " victory. But in 1942 , he returned to power Trujillo and will remain until the date of 31 May 1961 , the day of his assassination committed with the participation directly or indirectly of the CIA, according to information that subsequently circulated in the media. The dictator became an embarrassment to the United States , especially after he orchestrated  the failed assassination of Venezuelan President Romulo Betancourt.

The consolidation of power

The massacre of Haitians , in economic terms, it is advantageous for the Dominican government , as it had pushed up prices of commodities in the country. Which had allowed Trujillo to a good supply of money to take important steps .

In 1946, he faced again with the oppostion movements led by the Socialist Party and the Democratic Youth, but these movements were crushed later with his usual methods of terror across the country. In July 1947 , Trujillo paid in the United States the amount of external debt amounting to the sum of $ 9. 271,855.55 cents. He then created the national currency bearing the effigies of the founders of Duarte, Sanchez and Mella nation.

Economic growth and monopolization


Trujillo welcoming the new President Magloire in
 Santo Domingo in February 1951.                      

The Trujillo dictatorship experienced economic growth due to policy changes in imports and the process of industrialization has increased after the Second World War with the establishment of food industries , cement , beverage and others.

The sugar industry was also developed under the acquired good prices since 1947 , prompting Trujillo to create with intelligence sugar factories in the country, such as: the central Catarey in Villa Altagracia in 1948, and four years later, in 1952 , bought the factory Edwin Kilbourne Monte Llano , Puerto Plata.

Trujillo has continued his policy of monopolization of sugar from foreign companies. In 1953 he bought the factory Ozama owned by Canadians, Amistad " owned by Puerto Ricans and " Porvenir " the Kelly family.

The situation in the Dominican Republic to the year 1954 was pretty good, exports rose and imports declined significantly. Indeed , imports had risen to 79 million, while exports were in the 112 million.

Trujillo has made his wishes in supporting almost all plants in 1955 when he acquired Barahona ( consuelo ) , Quisqueya , Boca Chica, Las Payas , and Santa Fe for a total of $ 39 million .

In 1947, when Trujillo paid the national debt and created the national currency, he was the richest man in the country . Own businesses, factories, farms and other businesses, the power of the Dominican population was complete. And it also accounted for the army of the nation. Never before in the history of the country - and the continent - a man had concentrated in his hands as much power as Trujillo.


Antonio Imbert is 90. Fifty years ago he was

 one of the seven men who ambushed and kil 

led Rafael Trujillo in May 30, 1961. And he  

said to the press by wearing his military uni-

form:                                                         

I shot the cruellest dictator in the Americas

He advocated the cult of his personality. The capital of the Republic took its name , as well as streets, roads , schools, warships , bridges, irrigation canals , Provinces, avenues and busts his image adorned all places public and government buildings. His egotism had grown limitless and it affubla securities chief, Benefactor and father of the new country.

The armed forces consist of the Army , Navy and Air , effective and disciplined force had increased significantly, and their ranks were built by young people from all social sectors of the country, but mainly young people from villages inside having finished their studies in high school.

To be continued ....

* The name Parsley given to this massacre  was to identify the Dominicans of Haitian origin or Haitians in the Dominican mulatto and black population in the border region where police Trujillo requested them to pronounce the name of the parsley plant Spanish ( Perejil ) . As the Creole language spoken by them did not consider the soft pronunciation of the letter "R" (in Haitian Creole parsley word translated " pèsil " and French " persey ") and the dominican police used this method apparently  to target  the Haitian victims for execution.

I have written this article by referring to several credible media sources from the Dominican Republic and with the help of Carl Gilbert in the editing.

This article may be shared, copied or reproduced in its entirety on your site, page or other social media available, but credit must be given in full to Haiti Connection Network, the author, the publisher with their names and emails as published at the bottom of the article.

Author : Herve Gilbert herve.gilbert@gmail.com

Dominicans Living And Working In Haiti

Jocelyne Frédéric-Gauthier - the first black elected to the City of Laval, Quebec

Another star ranking in the Haitian diaspora !!!

Par Max Dorismond mx20005@yahoo.ca

Original French Version

Jocelyne Frédéric-Gauthier

Taciturn, modest, nothing, at first sight, gave us a glimpse of her in politics. Yet, here we are, where nobody hoped,  at the Municipal Council of Laval. As the polling closed at 20:00 o’clock eastern time starts the counting of ballots. At 21:00, Jocelyne Frédéric, the only woman among the eight candidates of the District Auteuil has a lead already over her rivals, Michel Cantin, Pierre Michel Honey, André Desbiens, Daniel Doyon, Guy Garand, Rabih Habib, Vincent Viviani . She leads her way. For the seven contenders, the tension is palpable, the minute's tick too slowly, the word luck is more synonymous and time stretches with a taste of eternity. Midnight, the gap announced previously was maintained with a difference of more than 1500 votes at the expense of the nearest competitor for Frédéric. The die is cast, the whole room rushes to greet, embrace, and congratulate the amazing lady, as the new Municipal Council of Laval. Her score speaks in the statistics of her party, she ranked third among the twenty elected. For the history, she is the first black to occupy one of the 21 seats dedicated to this position to manage the second-larges city in Quebec after Montreal.
 What about Jocelyne Frédérique ?

Jocelyne Frédéric was born in Jeremie, Haiti and married to our friend Julio Gauthier. Mother of two sons, Jean-Marc and Jimmy. She holds a Bachelor of  Art at the University of Quebec and has a background in political science and public administration ENAP ( National School of Public Administration), she led a battle tirelessly within the Movement against Laval mayor Vaillancourt  who took, according to some media, the city in hostage. Frédérique has been an activist in this opposition movement since 2008. Followed the  dismissal of the mayor for corruption and the resignation of the CEO of the Movement, Lydia Aboulian, the party turned to a former candidate of the Parti Québécois, Marc Demers, to take the reins of the group. On November 3rd, after a fierce struggle between the eight competing parties, the Movement Laval wearing the eponymous town with Marc Demers as mayor and twenty advisors including Frédéric. Meanwhile, the new mayor promised to our friend Jocelyn, during a dinner where I was present, an official position in relation to her expertise and public service experiences that she accumulated since 1980 in the Québec to now.

Follow her passion to release and recreate.

Two reasons for my enthusiasm for the success of our friend Jocelyne or any Haitian who shines in other skies. As a natural optimist, I always look on the bright side of things. I never ceased to praise, encourage, help my vis-à-vis to perform, to follow their passion, because passion, as I have written already, is the music that makes life dance.

When a Haitian managed to transcend the boundaries of colonialism syndrome, I applaud with both hands because it is a message of hope for our future generation, a referenced gesture to destroy the complex little niggers hinders of our actions and prevents us to rush to the future that emerges naturally for us to host. Stuck, cramped or dirty on a daily uphill struggle color, class, power that stultified, the Haitian being inherits an unspeakable evil that prevents him from opening to another, enjoying himself. Far from his native land, when he manages to transcend this defect, to discover that he is primarily a colorless human among humans evolving in an environment free from coercion and physical or psychological violence, he performs and recreated beyond all expectations. The evidence is there.

However, in a foreign land, if we live with the unhealthy memories that had haunted us for a part of our existence on the homeland, we will not be useful to our adopted country which really needs our person. Without hypocrisy, our new haven relies heavily on our contribution to its development. Which reminds me of the speech delivered in 2007 by the Prime Minister of Quebec, the Honourable Jean Charest, as an official guest at a dinner of the Young Haitian Chamber of Commerce (JCCH), an organization that recognizes almost every year, the outstanding achievements of young professionals and entrepreneurs Quebec Haitian origin working in all areas of activity of Quebec society and who have distinguished themselves by their outstanding extraordinary journey and their political and social commitment. The motivational words of the Prime Minister, during  this audience of 85% Haitians still echo in my head like a magic formula, a haunting refrain... And I quote: '' Tomorrow belongs to you, the country belongs to you, do not hesitate a moment to take your places. The future is now! ''.

Indeed, it was not a wishful thinking or a demagogic speech. Thousands of our fellows had boarded the train. The dream had become a reality for many of our fellow citizens as well as… Such as the case of Mrs. Frédéric who, without hesitation, took her place to assert her ideas, her beliefs in favor of her adopted city where its citizens have trusted her fully. We wish her all the success in the world in her new career.

Max Dorismond mx20005@yahoo.ca

Laval 5 Nov. 2013

       

The celebration of Guédés versus the Halloween.

Available in : Original French Version
By:Herve Gilbert herve.gilbert@gmail.com

The celebration of «Guédés » (also spelled Gede or Ghede), commemorated on November 1st and 2nd, inHaiti and in the diaspora ,is symbolic of the voodoo religion in Haiti. In the mythology of voodoo, the Guédés represent the spirits of death and resurrection. On this occasion, the vodouists  hold ceremonies to celebrate their gods represented by different « Barons»  as «Baron Saturday» , «Baron Cemetery», «Baron Lacroix», « Baron Criminal »and « Grann Brigite »  «Bride of Baron » (first woman buried in the cemetery). 

Vodouists believe in a distant and unknowable creator god, «Bondye» . As Bondye does not intercede in human affairs, direct their worship toward spirits subservient to Bondye, called  « lwa » . Every « lwa »is responsible for a particular aspect of life, with the dynamic and changing personalities of each lwa reflecting the many possibilities inherent to the aspects of life over which they preside. In order to navigate daily life, vodouists cultivate personal relationships with the loa through the presentation of offerings, the creation of personal altars and devotion nal objects, and participation in elaborate ceremonies of music, dance, and spirit possession.

There is a diversity of practice in Voodoo across the country of Haiti and the Haitian diaspora. For instance, in the north of Haiti, the  « lave tèt » (head washing) or « kanzwe » may be the only initiation, as it is in the Dominican Republic and Cuba, where as in Port-au-Prince and the south they practice the kanzo rites with three grades of initiation – « kanzo senp, si pwen, and asogwe  » – and the latter is the most familiar mode of practice outside Haiti.

The overall tendency in Voodoo is conservative in accord with its African roots, there is no singular, definitive form, only what is right in a particular house or lineage. Small details of service and the spirits served vary from house to house, and information in books or on the internet therefore may seem contradictory.

A goat is sacrificed for the ceremony

There is no central authority or « pope » in Haitian Voodoo, since  every mambo and houngan is the head of their own house", as a popular saying in Haiti goes. Another consideration in terms of Haitian diversity are the many sects besides the « Sèvi Ginen » in Haiti such as the Makaya, Rara, and other secret societies, each of which has its own distinct pantheon of spirits.

Voodoo originated in the French slave colony of Saint-Domingue in the 18th century, when African religious practice was actively suppressed, and enslaved Africans were forced to convert to Christianity. Religious practices of contemporary Vodou are descended from, and closely related to, West African Vodun as practiced by the Fon and Ewe. Voodoo also incorporates elements and symbolism from other African peoples including the Yorùbá and Bakongo; as well as Taíno religious beliefs, and European spirituality including Roman Catholic Christianity, European mysticism, Freemasonry, and other influences.

So, what is Voodoo? let's take a look ...

            

This traditional celebration leads to  moments of tremendous excitement.In the street, the vodouists engage in a dance with erotic gestures bordering with indecency, drink vinegar, eat chili pepper and  launch without reluctance  coarses and obscene words Many reactions that characterize the behavior of Guede. In the pantheon of voodoo, this is one of the gods inherited from the pre-Columbian preriod, according to Haitian ethnologists.

Max Beauvoir, the headquater of the
Voodoo in Haiti.                           

The colors in voodoo embellish the scene set for the conduct of events Guédés. The traditional colors are black and purple. The costume Guede Nibo is composed of three colors: black, purple and white. The « Gede Nibo » is recognized as the protector of the living dead.

A Haitian Voodoo temple is called an « Hounfour » . After a day or two of preparation setting up altars at an Hounfour, ritually preparing and cooking fowl and other foods, etc., a Haitian Vodou service begins with a series of prayers and songs in French, then a litany in Kreyòl and African "langaj" that goes through all the European and African saints and loa honored by the house, and then a series of verses for all the main spirits of the house. This is called the "Priyè Gine" or the African Prayer. After more introductory songs, beginning with saluting Hounto, the spirit of the drums, the songs for all the individual spirits are sung, starting with the « Legba » family through all the Rada spirits, then there is a break and the Petwo part of the service begins, which ends with the songs for the « Gede » family.

A priestess of voodoo drawing a vèvè of "Gran Brigit"

The Vévé or Vèvè  is a symbolic graphic that priests or priestesses of voodoo draw around the (poteau-mitan) post-midlife  with all kinds of powder, flour, ashes, chalk powder or herbs.Once drawn on the ground, they become a complex and harmonious patterns graphics, mysterious geometric figures which only insiders know the meaning. The « Vévé » is an ephemeral art and fades away during the offerings and the ritual dances.

The Vèvè »represent a LOA, and meets every stylized symbols that can represent it. For example:

Damballah Wèdo: it is symbolized by two snakes in a triangle around a cross.

Ogou Legba: it is symbolized by a sword in the middle of a triangle with its base.

Papa Legba: it is symbolized by a cross decorated with a cane.

Baron Samdi: it is symbolized by a cross on an altar or a tomb, surrounded by two coffins

So, the type of the "Vèvè" displayed on the ground shows the relationship of the Voodoo. Yet, this sacred script has no illustrative purpose, it is ephemeral nature and must erase throughout offerings and ritual dances.

A woman into a trance during the ceremony

As the songs are sung, participants believe that spirits come to visit the ceremony, by taking possession of individuals and speaking and acting through them. When a ceremony is made, only the family of those possessed is benefited. At this time it is believed that devious mambo or houngan can take away the luck of the worshippers through particular actions. For instance, if a priest asks for a drink of champagne, a wise participant refuses. Sometimes these ceremonies may include dispute among the singers as to how a hymn is to be sung. In Haiti, these Vodou ceremonies, depending on the Priest or Priestess, may be more organized. But in the United States, many vodouists and clergy take it as a sort of non-serious party or "folly".

The drum is one of the catalysts that boost the participants

In a serious rite, each spirit is saluted and greeted by the initiates present and gives readings, advice, and cures to those who ask for help. Many hours later, as morning dawns, the last song is sung, the guests leave, and the exhausted hounsis, houngans, and mambos can go to sleep.

Participants in the event of Guédés are from more the poor disadvantaged classes than the middle classes. Some practitioners who live abroad do not intend to negotiate this appointment.

However, it seems difficult to confirm the open participation of the Haitian bourgeoisie in such events. A segment of this class simply commemorateAll Saints in strict compliance with the standards Catholics.

By Herve Gilbert

To be continued...

Note : Lwa: gods in voodoo pantheon