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News From Haiti
Port-au-Prince, 25th of October 2005
First of all, I'd like to applaud Cunina for offering us a means to exchange information.
While tropical storm Wilma rampages over Florida, it was tropical storm Alfa that paid us a visit. The rain was coming down in buckets, from 4am up until 2pm, for hours on end. In the light of other events, Haiti wasn't severely hit, yet many houses had to fight the flooding, many fields, houses and cattle were lost. Official figures indicate a dozen victims. This year breaks the record of tropical storms, all of the alphabet has passed over our heads by the way. Luckily, Haiti has been spared, and the worst of them haven't set foot on these shores. Which we could do without, frankly, considering our worries already.
Besides the storms, there is a status quo in the situation here. The streets again seem somewhat safer, yet word has it that the number of kidnappings has doubled over the last month. But none of this in the news, maybe because they're pressured? Or maybe because everybody has almost gotten used to it.
The election fever rises too, being the topic of many a street converstation. Apparently, some of the presidential candidates have double nationalities, and as such can no longer run for office, as stated by the constitution. A lot of ruckus over this subject, especially concerning a candidate with a very strong campaign: Dumarsais Simeus, the general director of a major foodcompany in Texas who is a born Haitian, but has an American passport.
One of the candidates even carries a Belgian passport, Paul Denis. All of these disputable candidates have until monday to prove their Haitian nationality.
Candidates that have already started their run for office, promise their followers everything you can dream of in Haiti. Meanwhile, the date for this election has been adjourned once again, without even determining a new official date. Probably midway December, or later.
For the rest, life goes on. Schools buzz with activity, although noticeably less students attend classes than last year. Many parents have sent their children off to their safer native villages, to attend school there, which is especially true at elementary level, because of the dangerousness of the capital. Some Cunina children have been sent on that path too.
Last Friday, we had a visitor in our provincial house: the new Belgian ambassador for Haiti and the rest of the Caribbean, alongside the consul.
This concludes my latest share of information. Yours sincerely,
P. Jan Hoet
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