The Neoliberal Round Podcast

In part two of Lecture 8, Professor Renaldo McKenzie continues the discussions on the efficacy and completion of Caribbean Independence and Haitian freedoms in light of global capital power and new colonial structures. Discussion Points:1. Who Made the Haitian Revolution? Many textbooks emphasize: Toussaint Louverture. But Haiti's revolution was made by: Enslaved Africans Field workers Maroons Women Vodou leaders Communities Collective resistance History belongs to the people.2. Dutty Boukman Revolutionary Priest and Freedom Fighter Jamaican-born enslaved African Transported to Saint-Domingue Spiritual leader Led the famous Bois Caïman ceremony (1791)Inspired the beginning of the Haitian Revolution For many Haitians, Boukman represents African spiritual resistance. Image: Artistic depiction of Dutty Boukman 3. Cécile Fatiman The Forgotten Revolutionary Vodou priestess Remembered for: Bois Caïman ceremony Spiritual leadership African cosmology Mobilizing resistance Many European histories largely ignore her contribution.4. Jean-Jacques Dessalines Founder of Haiti Unlike Toussaint Louverture: Rejected compromise with France. Demanded complete independence. Declared Haiti independent in 1804. Regarded by many Haitians as the true founder of the nation. Freedom required complete separation from the empire. 5. Toussaint Louverture Reconsidered: C.L.R. James elevated Louverture as the central revolutionary figure. Yet Haiti's revolution was not the work of one man. It was also the work of: African spirituality Vodou Collective resistance Maroons Women Rural communities Reducing the revolution to Louverture alone risks repeating colonial habits.6. The Revolution Never Ended After independence Haiti experienced: Diplomatic isolation Economic sanctions Foreign debt Elite betrayal U.S. occupation International intervention Political instability Political independence did not guarantee sovereignty.7. Haiti in the Twenty-First Century: Pursuing independent paths have often encountered: Debt, sanctions, political pressure, regime destabilization, economic dependence, foreign intervention. Examples: Haiti, Cuba, Venezuela Jamaica9. Jamaica Under Michael Manley navigated between Capitalism and Socialism. Independence is an ongoing struggle over: Sovereignty Debt Race Identity Memory Global power Key TakeawaysHaiti transformed world history. Freedom was punished through debt.The Haitian Revolution was collective. African spirituality played a central role. Colonial narratives continue to shape Caribbean identity. Independence remains an unfinished struggle. Haiti remains central to understanding the Caribbean and global power.Recommended Readings The Black Jacobins — C. L. R. James Silencing the Past The Wretched of the Earth Neoliberalism, Globalization, Income Inequality, Poverty and ResistanceRenaldo McKenzie is Professor at Jamaica Theological Seminary of Caribbean Thought and Author of "Neoliberalism, Globalization, Income Inequality, Poverty and Resistance".Visit The Neoliberal at https://theneoliberal.com and https://renaldocmckenzie.comSubscribe on any stream.Visit Jamaica Theological Seminary at https://jts.edu.jmemail us at [email protected] and [email protected] us at 1-445-260-9198