Haiti still needs our help

First trip to Haiti, and it was one of the most memorable journeys I have ever taken. This trip marked my 140th country visited and was an unbelievable experience, because it reminded me of my first journey to Ghana’s slave dungeons at Cape Coast in 1989. The experience in Haiti gave me a new appreciation and perspective on the path we took from enslaved Africans to free black people in the so-called New World. 

While in Haiti, I travelled to the historic port city of Cap-Haitian and the Citadel, built by King Henri Christoff. These Haitian sites are tremendous testaments to the strength of black people to be liberated from their colonial masters just as the slave dungeons in Ghana serve as monuments to the enslavement of our people.

I also learned of an interesting history about Haiti’s early leaders who started the Haitian resistance against colonialism.

A man named Makhandal, started a revolt against the French slave owners in 1751. Forty years later another man, Boukman continued the process of the revolution. The next leader was Toussaint L’ouverture.

L’ouverture is widely known, but Makhandal and Bookman are not. Both of these men were Muslims, and the suppression of Muslims in Haiti is little known. These two Muslim brothers were the catalysts that started the movement towards Haiti becoming the first independent black republic where slaves overthrew their masters, drove them out, seized the country and declared the first independent black republic on January 1, 1804.

Our delegation arrived in post earthquake Port-au-Prince to assess the destruction and how the Haitian people were doing seven months after the tragic event. However, we could not leave Haiti without going to the Citadel. Located up the north coast of the country, the Citadel can only be reached by foot or horseback.

The Citadel is a large fortress, set atop a majestic hill and was constructed to keep the French from re-taking control of the island. This project was commissioned by King Christoff, and is a testimony to the strength and ingenuity of the black man. Before King Christoff built the Citadel, he erected a palace and a church at the foot of the mountain. With the massive dome and arched windows, the church resembles a large mosque.

Our delegation was touched by what we witnessed on Haiti’s northern coast in Cap-Haitian. In Port-au-Prince, tears filled the eyes of the group, seeing the quake damage that has yet to be cleared, thousands of tents and the Haitians who reside in them. On this journey, we met the Muslim community and discussed the history and future of Islam in Haiti.

Many of the brothers on this trip knew there was a growing Muslim community in Haiti. It was members of the Nation of Islam who came to Haiti and brought the teachings here. Minister Louis Farrakhan’s recorded messages were translated into Creole by Brother Rasin who made this possible using his own resources to spread the message in Haiti.

The nine million-plus people of Haiti are proud people who have suffered through many tragedies. When Makhandal started the revolution in 1751, there were earthquakes and some interpreted them as signaling a new beginning. Forty years later, subsequent to those earthquakes, Boukman began; then Toussaint L’ouverture emerged; then Dessalines, all of them struggling against the French. It culminated in Christoff, who became the first king.

During this time there emerged a northern and southern kingdom of Haiti that lasted until Christoff died. However, the division was deeply rooted among the haves – the mulattos – and the have nots – the blacks.

Though Haiti captured the world’s attention with the earthquake, it still needs the assistance of the outside world. Could the January 12, 2010 earthquake signal a new beginning for the Haitian people who have suffered for so long?

While we were in the country, Wyclef Jean, the humanitarian and entertainer and Haiti’s most famous son, declared from the capitol that he will run for president. The announcement attracted world attention to Haiti again, but there is still suffering in Haiti, and any organization, religious or political group that can help Haiti in this hour needs to step forward.

Muhammad is a top aide to Minister Louis Farrakhan.