Haiti is the first Black colonized country to get their Independence in 1804 beating the French and Napolean. However, today, they are among the poorest country in the world with an installed government made up of former colonial masters. In fact, as we critical examine Caribbean Independence and mixed realities, Haiti provides an insight into how the Caribbean has remained dependent and vulnerable. Last week, Mr. John A. Castro, A US Presidential Candidate presented on American Politics and today, Mr. Brian Concannon, Executive Director of the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti presents on the Haitian crisis and his agency’s work to advocate on behalf of the Haitians for Justice, Democracy and true freedom. If you’re familiar with Former President of Haiti, Jean Bertrand Aristide, then you will understand how important Mr. Concannon is when talking about Haiti. Brian, an American lawyer who had been one of those helping Aristide restore democracy and law and order in Haiti back in 2001-2004 before he was kidnapped. Mr. Concannon continues to work with Haiti and several agencies with the issue of restitution and repaying the debt that Haiti had paid. He provides an update on the case, Former President Aristide and current issues in Haiti including, deportation, the PHTK installed gvernment, CARICOM and the question of intervention by force which the US, Canada and other governing countries were calling for. The class included several students from The Jamaica Theological Seminary.
Is there a Caribbean Identity today in terms of tomorrow?
The developing world discovers itself and speaks to itself through this voice (outwit). We know it is not a uniform world.
On Sunday October 19th 1983, Maurice Bishop, Former prime Minister of revolutionary Grenada was killed, alongside some of his comrades. At the other end of the soviet-automatic rifles were soldiers of the People’s Revolutionary Army, of which Bishop only days before had been the respected commander in chief. Days later on October 24, 1983, the United States (Navy SEALS) invaded Grenada… and following the bitter battle after three days, the PRA was defeated; this event marked the first Marxist regime in the anglophone Caribbean to take power insurrection. Long before the symbolic collapse of the Berlin Wall, the invasion of Panama to purportedly capture its President Noriega, and the Iraqi Conflict, the collapse of the Grenada Revolution and the US invasion marked the end of a particular variety of Caribbean Marxism and the demise of an entire notion of sovereignty and non-alignment (The Nation). Prior to this Jamaica itself struggled with carving out a future for itself based on its own sense of the nation and sovereignty and fought for political and economic independence by aligning itself with Cuba and the soviets. However, this was largely unsuccessful as Jamaica endured one of the darkest internal political strife as political leaders and their parties battled each other in the streets leading to a chronic crime problem that continues to plague Jamaica today. While the US invaded Grenada militaristically; Jamaica’s invasion was political and economic where the Americans provided financial benefits to one side who agreed to sell out Jamaica’s nationhood for economic gains that were promised albeit within the scope of what was at stake. European/American penetration in the world was either economic, financial or military means, where they propped up a few so as to quell any insurgency towards their ideology. Haiti provides another case study.
The course is offered at Jamaica Theological Seminary and is taught as a Face-to-Face online module via the Zoom platform. You may visit JTS at https://jts.edu.jm.
Creator/Host: Rev. Renaldo McKenzie, Adjunct Lecturer for the Course Caribbean Thought and Author of Neoliberalism, Globalization, Income Inequality, Poverty and Resistance. Content Creator The Neoliberal Corporation and The Neoliberal. Support us: https://anchor.fm/theneoliberal or at The Neoliberal.
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