Confronted by the tragic earthquake that shook the ancestral destitution of the suffering Haitian people, a lot of debris has come to light: on the one hand, the reality of a country, which has been pillaged, exploited and oppressed; punished for its heroism, for being the first place to abolish slavery, for its feats against Napoleon’s army, for the colour of its mahogany skin, and for its dignified stance on wanting to be free has been demonstrated dramatically.
On the other hand, it has also been demonstrated to the world that the alleged interest of the powerful countries to end poverty is a contradiction. In Haiti, misery has not been decreasing but increasing exponentially. While the powers discuss how to fulfil their promise of ending poverty, nature takes charge of ending it her way.
The human value of sympathy has also been demonstrated, the greatest sympathy from people around the world, from the Haitians themselves and most certainly from the Dominicans, who set out neighbourhood by neighbourhood, street by street seeking help which in return flowed like a torrent, overflowing in the capacity for sharing out the tasks. It has demonstrated that there are no enemies, that there is no resentment, that there are two brothers divided by a line drawn by a small few: the victors of war.
It has been demonstrated that the powers continue believing themselves to be masters of human destiny, they believe themselves authorized to exploit the territory of a free country, to exploit its institutions, to overshadow or rescind governments and their institutions.
It has been extremely obvious before the eyes of the world that it is possible to build a better and more just and humane society, with the help of us, the people, without interference, without trauma, without interventions, merely with the compassionate, frank, and open will of many good people around the world. Therefore it has been shown that it is possible to build a new world, where life is not a miracle, nor a gift, and much less the privilege of a chosen few.
We, the Dominican people, did and will do everything that we should do in this painful and torturous time for the Haitian people and we demand for them, for ourselves and for all the people of the world: respect for their sovereignty, for their institutions, and for their independence. These principles are not for sale, nor are they a game, yet and very much in spite of the thousands of bodies that are still lying everywhere: “Together: we the people will continue dreaming of the legitimate right to a better world”.
Miguel Gil. Dominican Republic
*translation: Rhona Desmond*
