By Courtney Cox
The quote,
“The sins of the father are to be laid upon the children” is an apt description
of the Duvalier reign in Haiti. The Duvaliers (‘Papa Doc’ and later ‘Baby Doc’)
presided over one of the most oppressive governments in the Western Hemisphere.
Historically,
Haiti was the ‘Pearl of the Antilles,’ largely deriving its
wealth for the métropole from sugar cane production, an industry governed by
black codes and accomplished by slave labor. After over a century of French
colonial exploitation, the power shifted to the oppressed. In 1804, a
successful slave revolution culminated in the first black republic. One can
only imagine the degree of deliverance and optimism that permeated the new
island nation.
The joy that accompanied this unprecedented victory was
short lived, however. The world’s first black republic has been subsequently
plagued by post-colonial exploitation and ruthless dictators (often serving as
Western controlled puppets). With the recent death of one of these tyrants,
Baby Doc, an assessment of his human rights legacy in Haiti seems timely.
