|
Journalist
speaks to CSULB about Haitian crisis
By
Katie Plourd
Online Forty-Niner
Staff Writer
Students,
faculty and members of the community gathered
last week to hear the courageous story of
a journalist who risked his life to bring
the truth of the ongoing crisis in Haiti
to America.
Students
filed into the Karl Anatol Center in the
East Library Wednesday night to hear the
Haiti Speaking Tour. The event at Cal State
Long Beach was the first of a four-night
tour in Southern California.
Sponsored
by the CSULB Campus Progressives, Los Angeles
International Action Center, Los Angeles
Coalition, La Raza, Topanga Peace Alliance,
CSULB History Association, Haiti Action
and the Haiti Information Project, the speaking
tour began with Campus Progressive Faculty
Advisor Reiland Rabaka giving an introduction
to the history of the Caribbean Island of
Haiti. Up next was a viewing of journalist
Kevin Pina's documentaries on the revolutions
in Haiti and an opportunity for people to
speak about the travesty that has been going
on in Haiti.
Rabaka
told the 200-year history of Haiti, first
referred to as Hispanola or "Little
Spain," in a powerful 15-minute lecture
that captured the attention of the 70 or
so onlookers.
Haiti
is the second oldest Republic in the western
hemisphere and was the first nation in history
to break the shackles of slavery according
to Rabaka. After the revolution the nation
succumbed to many dictators and military
overthrows through the years, including
the creation of the Haitian military by
the United States.
Rabaka
said this was the United States‘ attempt
to instill not only democracy but American
Imperialism in the former enslaved nation.
The Haitian military, which was backed by
the CIA, breached on human rights of the
people of Haiti. Although the nation had
gained independence, imperialism still existed
and was followed with 100 year's worth of
economic instability and a difficult and
bloody century.
Rabaka
compared the role that the United States
played in Haiti to what is going on currently
in Iraq.
"We
constantly pursue wanting to be the big
brother of the world," Rabaka said.
"We want to be the big brother but
we don't treat people like family."
Guests
were able to view Pina's first documentary,
"Haiti: Harvest of Hope." The
film gave a history of the nation as well
as documenting the first democratic elections
in 1990 and the coming of Jean-Bertrand
Aristide and his Lavalas movement.
Aristide,
who won the democratic election with a majority
vote of 67 percent, created the Lavalas
movement, which in Creole means "flash
flood." The campaign was an effort
to end corruption in the country. Aristide
made a commitment to his country and Lavalas
supporters ended poverty and human suffrage,
Pina said.
In
the five years that Pina was living in Haiti
he saw the many good things that Aristide
did for the poor peasants of Haiti. The
United States and international press did
not report on these positive aspects of
Aristide's service to Haiti.
According
to Pina, the United States government contributed
millions of dollars to non-governmental
organizations in Haiti that would oppose
Aristide. These groups were built up by
United States funding and created the huge
movement that people say in the press according
to Pina.
Pina
says that the American reporters who covered
the crisis in Haiti have a different frame
of reference than what was really going
on. American reporters, according to Pina,
were set to engage with the elites and usually
stayed only around the U.S. embassy.
"Don't
listen to [the press], it's nonsense,"
Pina said. "I was there, I know."
According
to Pina, a colleague of his showed him the
dishonest coverage by the International.
Pina showed his colleague the marvelous
progress that Aristide was making with the
peasants of Haiti by taking him to a village
in which Aristide had established a much-needed
school for Haitian children to learn to
read and write.
"I
asked my friend about the story. He said
he had e-mailed it to his editor four or
five times," Pina said. "His editor
said, and this is a direct quote, ‘We
are not interested in any stories that are
pro-Lavalas right now.'"
Pina
then showed a portion of the second documentary
that he is currently producing called "Haiti:
The Betrayal of Democracy".
"These
images are the images that the U.S. press
never showed us," Pina said.
The
images from the film included Haitians peacefully
showing support for Aristide, while the
opposition resorted to pipe bombings thrown
at families and drive
by shootings.
Pina,
who was born and raised in Oakland, California
has experienced all too well of the violence
that encompasses the nation. He has had
three assassination attempts on his life
since he has worked in Haiti. The first
in occurred in 1993 while Pina was interviewing
a senator in his home when someone called
his name in the street. Despite the advice
of his camera man, he went to see who it
was and was shot at numerous times.
Pina
was the journalist to break the story last
February of the coup of the Haitian government
and the kidnapping of President Aristide
by Unites States Marines.
After
a question and answer session, Pina received
a standing ovation from the audience, whom
he candidly answered every question of.
The
courageous journalist touched many students
who had came out to hear his experience
in Haiti.
Student
Candice D'Meza came to listen because of
her Haitian heritage and her knowledge to
find out the truth of what really went on
during the revolution.
"My
dad was actually there when it happened,"
D'Meza said. "He was telling me that
there was a revolution going on and people
were revolting and stuff, but the telephone
lines were really bad, I couldn't really
understand."
D'Meza
felt a sense of injustice when she heard
what Pina had to say about what really happened
during the crisis last year.
"The
truth, it hits you. A part of me is not
just upset that it is human rights being
violated, but that it's part of my family."
D'Meza said. "I feel like I'm not even
sure what the truth is and how it is being
covered up. I feel a great injustice from
America, it makes me want to dig further
for the truth and find out what we can do
about it."
The
crisis in Haiti is not over. The United
States are going to be disappointed when
they try to conduct elections that no one
will vote in because the party they voted
for was demolished, Pina said.
Pina
encouraged students to use their knowledge
of such events to stay active in such progressive
movements.
"We
must do this by defining our own moral values
and not letting others define it for us."
Pina said.
|
