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| Caribbean-Latin America | ||||
| Haiti's 'Baby Doc' apologises for past and calls for reconciliation | ||||
| 2011-01-23 | ||||
| [The Nation (Nairobi)] Ousted Haitian dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier has apologised to the victims of his 15-year regime and said he had ended two decades in exile to work for national reconciliation. "I have come back as a sign of my solidarity during this extremely difficult period in national life," he said Friday in his first full public statement since his sudden return late Sunday to the nation he once ruled with an iron fist.
But he did not outline what had happened to those who suffered under his 1971-1986 regime. Instead, speaking mainly in French with a few words of Creole, he offered "sympathies to my millions of supporters who, after my voluntary departure from Haiti in 1986 to avoid a bloodbath and to allow a swift resolution to the political crisis, were left to themselves." The ex-dictator said thousands of his supporters were "assassinated, suffocated, interrogated, subjected to tire necklaces burnings; their houses, their possessions were pillaged, uprooted and torched."
Many fear he is seeking a return to power by capitalizing on the current political chaos stalking the quake-ravaged Caribbean country. And Duvalier, who decamped amid a popular uprising, did not explicitly rule out taking on any political role. Haiti, already struggling to recover from the devastating January 2010 earthquake and a cholera outbreak, is caught up in deepening political turmoil due to disputed presidential elections. Memories of Duvalier's repressive regime remain vivid, and human rights ... which are not the same thing as individual rights, mind you... groups have accused him and his late father, Francois "Papa Doc" Duvalier, of presiding over decades of unparalleled oppression and abuse. Meanwhile, ...back at the ranch... six private lawsuits alleging human rights violations have already been filed against "Baby Doc," who has also been charged with corruption, embezzlement of millions of dollars from state funds and criminal association, according to the country's Chief Magistrate Harycidas Auguste. | ||||
| Posted by:Fred |
| #3 Houngan Jean-Claude Duvalier has returned to Haiti as a "sign of my solidarity during this extremely difficult period in national life." Haitian Vodou Houngans (Male Vodou Priest) or Mambos (Female Vodou Priest) are usually people who were chosen by the dead ancestors (loas) and received the divination from the deities while he or she was possessed. His or her tendency is to do good by helping and protecting others from spells, however they sometimes use their supernatural power to hurt or kill people. They also conduct ceremonies that usually take place "Amba Peristil" (under a Vodou Temple). However, non-Houngan or non-Mambo as Vodouisants are not initiated, and are referred to as being "bossale"; it is not a requirement to be an initiate to serve one's spirits. There are clergy in Haitian Vodou whose responsibility it is to preserve the rituals and songs and maintain the relationship between the spirits and the community as a whole (though some of this is the responsibility of the whole community as well). They are entrusted with leading the service of all of the spirits of their lineage. Sometimes they are "called" to serve in a process called "being reclaimed," which they may resist at first. Below the houngans and mambos are the hounsis, who are initiates who act as assistants during ceremonies and who are dedicated to their own personal mysteries. (contested) A "bokor" may be a practitioner of "darker" things and is often not even accepted by the mambo or the houngan. Or, a "Bokor" would be the Haitian term for a vodou priest or other, working both the light and dark arts of magic. |
| Posted by: Goodluck 2011-01-23 12:01 |
| #2 Let's see: Duvalier has promised to pay them $6M to be in charge of the country? No, thanks. |
| Posted by: gorb 2011-01-23 11:33 |
| #1 The Haitians have not forgotten the Tintin Macoute. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2011-01-23 11:17 |