March 17,2007: It is easy to look at impoverished
Haiti and forget the pivotal role the great people of that
island played in the entire region. Today the hard working
people climb aboard boats to escape their poverty and are
often intercepted and shipped back.
History
The inhabitants of Haiti were the first to defeat
European powers in the Caribbean and claim independence for
their nation in 1804, a grand achievement for Africans in
the "New World" that may have indeed been the primary cause
of their subsequent isolation. The newly
independent Haiti under the rule of president Alexandre
Petion also lent support in the form of weapons, men and
resources to freedom fighters in Venezuela, assisting that
country to declare its independence from Spain in 1817.
Haitian President Alexandre Petion, is revered as
the father of the Panamerican movement, for helping Simon
Bolivar to liberate South American countries such as
Venezuela and Colombia.Saying Thank you
In a move obviously stacked with more global political
overtones, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has
promised Haiti aid amounting to just under S$100 million to
boost social and economic programmes.
Particularly noteworthy was Chavez's assignment of the aid
as a partial thank-you gift linked to their shared history.
"By helping Haiti today, we are only giving back a small
part of what we owe to this country," said Chavez. "It's
just a start," he stated.
The question?
How many Nations have public conscience enough to
acknowledge owed debt in the form of labor and resources to
the Africans of the new world?
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