Le Marron Inconnu:  

The statue located across from the National Palace is called Neg Mawon or Marron Inconnu and is by architect and sculptor Albert Mangones. It was done at about the time of the Bicentennial (1959). Mangones, still living, was one of the original members of the group of Haitian artists and intellectuals who wanted to found a center for the visual arts. With enthusiatic and skillful assistance from Dewitt Peters, in Haiti under the auspices of the US, they were able to get funds from US and the government of Haiti to create the now-famous Centre d'Art, still in operation in Port-au-Prince. Mangones may still be a member of their board of directors. An inquiry to Francine Murat at the Centre would probably yield a contact. Mangones was the architect for the present Mus"ee d'Art of the College St. Pierre, housing much of the important work done in Haiti 1954 to the present.

Mangoes are an important and growing export product for Haitian hillside producers. However, current production and postharvest practices employed by producers significantly reduce potential income from mango sales. Haiti has one of the highest postharvest loss rates for mangoes in the world, reducing potential income to small farmers producing this crop. Although impossible to put an accurate figure on overall losses, they are substantial when one considers the transport chain from tree to shipping container with some estimates of rejection rates from 60-70 percent. Losses are caused by a variety of factors ? many of which can be controlled with minimal investment and training.

Some losses are due to physical impact damage occurring when producers harvest the mangos in an immature state. Additional losses occur when producers or fournisseurs load fruit in woven straw baskets mounted on the backs of donkeys for transport down hillsides. The movement of the animals, coupled with the rough baskets used for mangoes, cause unacceptable damage to the skin of the fruit. Additional damage occurs when the fruit is exposed to sun and rain and also is transported over long distances over rough roads without the protection provided by transport bins. They usually end up on the bottom of pickup beds overlaid with other heavy cargo and people. Additional losses may occur as a result of the hot water treatment of immature fruit, which results in collapse of the pulp in the shoulder of the fruit and by jelly seed (soft nose), a disorder usually attributed to overly mature fruit.

Why is Haiti so poor?

The main political point made by the bourgeois "National Convergence"--like that of the racist white colonizers and imperialists--is that Haiti is wrenchingly poor because the slaves killed all their white masters to gain independence and liberty. Haiti has consequently remained poor and dependent and in need of U.S. resources and technology. Government corruption is also a fundamental part of the problem, they say.

But this grossly distorts reality. Haiti's poverty lies mainly in the centuries-long crime of slavery, which produced enormous wealth for France, followed by 200 years of economic, political and military aggression waged by the European and U.S. bourgeoisies against the first free Black republic. The only country in the world where slaves had liberated themselves by overthrowing their masters, Haiti was a powerful symbol of resistance and had to be punished.

The country's liberation was a beacon of hope for an end to slavery everywhere. It sent shock waves through the Americas and European capitals growing fabulously rich from the brutal trade in human Black cargo. Fearing the implications for their own slave-based economies, France joined forces with the U.S. and other European powers.

In fact, after the first rebellion in Haiti, U.S. President George Washington--a slave owner himself--directed his secretary of state, Thomas Jefferson--another slave owner--to give the white planters in Haiti $400,000 for arms and food to resist the uprising. The U.S. did not recognize Haitian independence until after its own Civil War ended slavery some 60 years later.

On Jan. 1, 1804, Haitian revolutionary hero Gen. Jean-Jacques Dessalines had declared the country's independence. His proclamation was the culmination of years of a national liberation struggle enacted by African slaves, who had freed themselves in a revolutionary upsurge that started at a Voodoo ceremony in 1791. Voodoo, as a result, has been turned into a pejorative term.

The twisted, sadistic form of colonial logic--where the white oppressors get compensated for their loss of the ability to cruelly exploit, while the Black victims are condemned to punishing poverty--was also applied in Jamaica under the British colonialists, and in the U.S. after slavery ended.

The foreign imperialists and their collaborators among Haiti's bourgeoisie have a daunting task ahead. It is one that will surely fail as the people--supported by a solidarity movement abroad--continue to draw on their long history of struggle and resistance against racist demonization, neo-liberal capitalist exploitation and imperialist plunder.

Why All Haitians Love Soccer?

Haiti was due to play Honduras in Port au Prince. But the stadium is structurally unsafe and there's not enough money to repair it. So Haiti chose the next best thing to a home-field advantage.

Haiti national team has not qualified for the World Cup since 1974 and has never made it to the Olympics. But soccer has always been the national pastime. On the other side of Hispaniola, Dominicans love baseball.

Why soccer? Haitians say it's the perfect sport for expressing their artistry and their freedom. ''We have a real cultural connection with Brazil in that we, too, love soccer, music and Carnival,'' said Jacques Theard, a local radio and TV commentator.

Soccer is the great unifier in the troubled country and for those who are homesick for it. ''When it comes to soccer, everyone mingles, regardless of your status or pigmentation,'' said Kerby Baton. ``When it comes to politics, it's something different.''