Haiti is the most tragic place on earth and it pretty much always has been. If you've ever wondered just how much deprivation, hunger and terror the human spirit can withstand, there are few places as well suited to that investigation as is Haiti.After being won by the French from the Spanish in the Treaty of Ryswick in 1697, Haiti was established as a slave colony until the Haitian Revolution of 1791-1804. It remains the only nation in human history founded as a result of a slave revolt.
And that's when the country's problems really began. Being former slaves, the Haitians were almost uniformly illiterate and unable to manage much of anything, and Haiti quickly descended into chaos. The French attempted to reconquer the country in 1825 and withdrew only after exacting crushing reparations to recognize Haitian independence.
That would be inconvenient, but not overly damaging, if Haiti was able to engage in international trade. That was problematic in that the economic power closest to Haiti, the United States, was still rather enamoured with slavery and refused to recognize the former slave state at all, lest it send the wrong message to its own slaves. Haiti remained indentured to France until 1932.
Of course, no country's misery is complete without political strife. In it's 206 years of existence, Haiti has 32 coups. A country that cannot keep a stable government for more than seven years at a time isn't going to progress very far. Just as was the case in 1804, poverty and illiteracy is endemic in Haiti.
That was true before the January earthquake that killed a quarter of a million people and it will likely be true long afterward. It isn't going to take a mere genius to turn Haiti around, it will take a miracle worker.
Instead, they might very well end up with Wyclef Jean.
Here's all you need to know about 'Clef. He couldn't manage Lauryn Hill. Something tells me that won't be able to manage a country that's been on the verge of disaster since the second it was founded.
Next.
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