Can I please be this hot at 60????? My daily prayer to the gods of Hotness!!! LOL....

Grace Jones in V Magazine spread last year.

Grace Jones will be performing at Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on it's first night Friday April 16 2010. The show takes place at Empire Polo club in Indio California and features Rock and Indie Bands.

GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands - A 5.8-magnitude earthquake shook the Cayman Islands on Tuesday, US geologists said, but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

Frantic locals poured out of buildings into the streets after homes and office buildings took a solid jolt.

"It really shook me right through to the soul of my body," one government employee told AFP. Tremors were felt across most of the island.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) said the quake, with a depth of some 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) struck the Caribbean island at 1423 GMT.

McClearly Frederick with Hazard Management Cayman Islands said however the worst of the earthquake was over and that it was not considered a major temblor.

A 6.8 magnitude earthquake was the last quake Cayman experienced back in December 2004.

The USGS said the quake, one of several to hit South America and the Caribbean in recent days, struck some 52 kilometers (32 miles) east-southeast of Bodden Town on Gran Cayman.

It struck one week after a massive 7.0-magnitude quake hit Haiti, leveling the capital city of Port-au-Prince and surrounding towns and villages, killing as many as 200,000 people according to some preliminary estimates.

Source

Since the late December launch of Etana's music video competition on RE TV, tons of votes have poured in from fans. The buzz has been incredible so far and the massive still have a chance to cast their vote for their favorite video and be entered into a drawing for fantastic prizes.
The music video competition, which features Etana's three new, red-hot videos "August Town," "Free" and "Happy Heart," has been heating up RE TV and the Reggae music industry. Not only is this the first time a contest of this sort has aired on RE TV -- notably, it's also the first time a Reggae artist has released three music videos at one time. To make Etana's simultaneous video releases even more special, each video boasts impeccable production and quality.

Over the past few weeks, viewers have been able to avidly detail why they selected a particular video as their favorite. Leaning on reasons such as theme, message, costumes, set and scenery, the viewing audience stands by their picks. "This is a great feeling," says Etana humbly. "All of these videos are my babies....but I need to hear what the fans like and why."

"August Town," "Free," and "Happy Heart" were produced by top Reggae music video directors Winston "Tyson" Mayhew, Jay Will and Scorpio 21 respectively. Leaders in this genre, each of the directors injected raw talent and style into their efforts. Capturing three of Etana's many sides, these new videos/singles provide all with a glimpse at the musical diversity slated for Etana's sophomore album release.

"These videos provide us with the perfect opportunity to introduce Reggae music fans to the eclectic, multi-talented artist known as Etana," says Etana's manager Garfield "Chin" Bourne of Irish and Chin, Inc. "There is no doubt in my mind that the diversity of the new videos/singles will expand Etana's fanbase and popularity."

The live broadcast of the music competition finale will feature Etana announcing and calling the selected first (mac laptop), second (blackberry) and third (Ipod - loaded with Etana's music) prize winners on air.

In addition to an overwhelming voting response, the tv media outlets have been aggressively seeking to incorporate the videos into rotation. To date, numerous tv outlets through out the Caribbean, Europe and the U.S. have inquired. By the day, the fanfare increases. Etana is truly one of Reggae music's most talented singers. Boldly, bearing the title of "Strong One," the soulful chanteuse never fails to entertain the massive with thought-invoked, quality music

I came accross this site while doing my usual sleuthing online....It has some seriously heart wrenching pics on site....and more importantly, the organization is doing its part in helping those affected by the earthquake...

People leaving the city.

Crowding at gas station

Visit Real Hope For Haiti site HERE.

Jean-Claude Duvalier, known as “Baby Doc”, who lives in exile in Paris, emailed a reporter to say he wanted to donate money.

He said that he would officially ask the Foundation set up in the name of his late mother, Simone Ovide Duvalier, to transfer the $8 million (£5 million) to the American Red Cross for relief work.




Mr duvalier, whose regime was a byword for brutality and corruption, said: “It is with great horror and a profound emotion, but also with a very great concern, that I have monitored the murderous and devastating consequences of the terrible earthquake that has so piteously struck our country.

Source

Umm so that's what it takes for him to do right by Haiti????

Thousands of individuals, corporations, government agencies and charities have gone to bat for earthquake raveged Haiti, giving help in the form of text donations, food and physical help on the ground. I just want to mention some other positive AID that is forthcoming:

Photo source

FRANCE SPEEDS UP HAITI'S DEBT CANCELLATION

France’s Finance Minister says she has asked creditors of earthquake-ravaged Haiti to speed up plans to cancel its debt.
Christine Lagarde says she “made contact with all Paris Club members so we accelerate the cancellation of the government of Haiti’s debt”.
France is president of the Paris Club of creditor nations, an informal group of industrialised countries.
Lagarde said Friday she is also asking non-members Venezuela and Taiwan, who are owed significant amounts by Haiti, to help in debt reduction.
France was owed €58 million (US$84 million), of which €4 million was already cancelled. France was owed €58 million (US$84 million), of which €4 million was already cancelled. The rest was due to be cancelled in stages over several years until 2014. This will now be sped up

COUNTRIES RELAX IMMIGRATION RESTRICTIONS ON HAITIANS

Caribbean
Two Caribbean countries Friday relaxed the visa requirements for Haitians entering their countries as the region continued to react to the powerful earthquake that hit the French speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country on Tuesday.
National Security and Immigration, Charles Savarin announced Thursday that government had taken a decision to extend the stay of all Haitians already on island by an additional six months until the situation in Haiti stabilizes.

Read more HERE

United States
The Obama administration extended a special immigration status on Friday to Haitians living illegally in the United States that protects them from deportation for 18 months and allows them to work here.

Read more about it HERE

Canada

The government is fast-tracking an estimated 5,000 immigration applications to reunite families in Canada with relatives "directly and significantly affected by the earthquake in Haiti."
The move is part of a special program in the wake of the disaster that's gripping the Caribbean nation.
It was announced on Saturday at a news conference in Ottawa attended by Prime Minister Stephen Harper and numerous government ministers, including Immigration Minister Jason Kenney.
The government also announced that deportation orders against about 1,500 failed Haitian refugee claimants remain suspended. And extensions, without fees, will be granted to several hundred Haitians in Canada on temporary student, visitor, work or tourists visas.


Read more: HERE

It's enough having to worry about your loved ones at this time. So it is a relief that at least immigration problems can be put on hold for a moment at least.

37-year od Haitian-born rapper Wyclef Jean spoke out Saturday in defense of his foundation Yele Haiti after charity screening groups raised concerns about its accounting practices. According to audits of tax returns, the foundations has paid several of his businesses for services.

Having recently returned stateside from Haiti where he was on the ground helping in the relief efforts, Jean said he is "disgusted" by attacks "on my integrity and my foundation." He says he will be going to Haiti every three or four days. I think that Wyclef is being sincere and he makes sense. He basically mentions cost of production for show as comprising some of his expenses. In fact he has donated a million of his own money to Haiti.


The foundation, also known as Yele Haiti, intends to airlift medical supplies, water and Clif Bars to Haiti using a FedEx plane early next week, according to foundation president Hugh Locke.
If you still want to support Yele, you can text "Yele" to 501501 to make a $5 donation.

The information below was released by The Smoking Gun. Basically accusing Wyclef Jean of misappropriating funds used by Yele Haiti. By paying himself for services rendered to said organization.

Photo source

The Haiti earthquake has already triggered hundreds of thousands of donations to musician Wyclef Jean's charitable foundation, which expects to raise upwards of $1 million a day in the disaster's wake. However, Internal Revenue Service records show the group has a lackluster history of accounting for its finances, and that the organization has paid the performer and his business partner at least $410,000 for rent, production services, and Jean's appearance at a benefit concert. Though the Wyclef Jean Foundation, which does business as Yele Haiti Foundation, was incorporated 12 years ago--and has been active since that time--the group only first filed tax returns in August 2009. That month, the foundation provided the IRS with returns covering calendar years 2005, 2006, and 2007--the only periods for which it has publicly provided a glimpse at its financial affairs. In 2006, Jean's charity reported contributions of $1 million, the bulk of which came from People magazine in exchange for the first photos of a pregnant Angelina Jolie (the actress reportedly directed that the publication's payment go to Jean's charity, not her personally). As seen on the following pages from the foundation's 2006 tax return, the group paid $31,200 in rent to Platinum Sound, a Manhattan recording studio owned by Jean and Jerry Duplessis, who, like Jean, is a foundation board member. A $31,200 rent payment was also made in 2007 to Platinum Sound. The rent, tax returns assure, "is priced below market value." The recording studio also was paid $100,000 in 2006 for the "musical performance services of Wyclef Jean at a benefit concert." That six-figure payout, the tax return noted, "was substantially less than market value." The return, of course, does not address why Jean needed to be paid to perform at his own charity's fundraiser. But the largest 2006 payout--a whopping $250,000--went to Telemax, S.A., a for-profit Haiti company in which Jean and Duplessis were said to "own a controlling interest." The money covered "pre-purchased...TV airtime and production services" that were part of the foundation's "outreach efforts" in Haiti.

See more from the Smoking Gun HERE


I think that there is a thin line to be drawn when you run a charity and you supply services to that charity. If Wyclef has a studio and is recording ads or songs to promote the charity and "below market value" then is that really so bad??? But what is market value??? A person won't charge Rihanna the same price to record as someone trying to make a demo-it's two different 'markets' here.... Personally this is bad timing for this type of release. People have already started saying they regret giving to Yele Haiti, but come on... How many heads of Charities like Red Cross pay themselves six figures??? Do some research. This is not new. I think overall Wyclef is a good guy and no other Haitian entertainer put Haiti on the map like he has done. I think he will have to address this to assure people that the money is going where it needs to go,but that will have to wait till this current situation calms down. I am sure he is in no frame of mind to do that right now.

"We coming to mash up everything, De Beast Let Go"...and the place ceratinly 'get mash up' when Pyramid Entertainment soca artiste Skinny Fabulous launched the video for 'De Beast Let Go' at a press conference yesterday in St. Vincent.



The first video for the two-time Vincy soca monarch makes its television debut this Friday, January 16, at 8pm in his homeland on both SVG TV and Island Concepts TV. The energetic artist also revealed that the video will be launched in Trinidad today.

When asked about the video's concept, Skinny Fabulous describes it as having a dark 'Thrilleresque' feel. It features a bright, flashy side as well as a dark side. It shows the emergence of the soca beast from an unassuming yet very inquisitive lead character."

The video, recently shot in Jamaica and directed by Jay Will of 'Game Over' fame, is the ninth video that the director has shot for Pyramid Entertainment.

"It's always a pleasure working with the Pyramid team. They have very talented artists including Timeka Marshall, Lil' Rick, Peter Ram, Biggie Irie and Mr. Dale," said the noted director. "This is my first time working with Skinny Fabulous and it was a very, very interesting video shoot. It was my last video for the year 2009 and definitely a good close to a decade."

Skinny Fabulous has been gaining regional and international acclaim with his 2008 and 2009 title winning songs, 'Head Bad' and 'De Beast Let Go' respectively. Three new releases from the young artiste, ompetition 'Fetting On' featuring Machel Montano, 'Badder Than Everybody' and 'Summer Body', are currently heating things up in Trinidad as they get ready for Carnival. The release of this video is timely and adds to Skinny Fabulous' preparations for the International Soca Monarch competition 2010 in Trinidad where I am sure he will let go his beast.

Vybz Kartel will not be performing at The Cove (in Canefield Dominica) come Jan. 29th as previously mentioned on this site....Wow..and I just posted the flyer... According to event organizers this is due to personal reasons.


Photo source

He agreed to have the show sometime after March so I'm speculating sometime around Easter. I hear he get back his US visa. Hope he not pulling out to do a big show stateside... Yes it makes financial sense.. but dude is building a reputation for stiffing promototers...I'm just saying...

Still luv Kartel...he go hard man....have to respect de talent.

Thursday, January 14, 2010 -Miami, FL-Julian Marley and his brother Kymani Marley are confirmed to be the featured performers at MIAMI FOR HAITI , a fundraiser in benefit of the Haitian relief effort being held this Friday, January 15, 2010 at Cafeina in Miami, Florida. Co-hosts of the event include: An Easy Production, Carma Foundation, Cassandra Theramene, Cathy Goodall, Cedella Marley, Corey Ciorciari, Crystal Connor, Hillary Hecktman, Jose Ortiz, Ivette Naranjo, Love Over All Foundation, Marlon Hill, Melky Jean, Todd Michaels and The Workshop.

Juian and Ky-Mani Marley

Photo source



MIAMI FOR HAITI begins at 7pm and a minimum donation of $20 is required. Each guest will receive a complimentary cocktail courtesy of Gran Sierpe Pisco. 100 percent of the proceeds and donations from the evening will be split between PROJECT MEDISHARE FOR HAITI and THE CARMA FOUNDATION. The venue and all participating artists have agreed to donate their proceeds directly to the foundations. Guests who prefer to make a donation before-hand can do so online and bring their receipt to the door. Guests are also encouraged to bring items such as blankets and clothing to the event as non-perishable donations will also be collected at the venue.



Julian Marley urges, "The devastation that has occurred in Haiti is unimaginable. We must rise to the occasion to help our brothers and sisters in every way possible."



PROJECT MEDISHARE FOR HAITI is dedicated to sharing its human and technical resources with its Haitian partners in the quest to achieve quality healthcare and development services for all. The organization is currently sending doctors and medical supplies to Haiti to help aid the crisis.



THE CARMA FOUNDATION helps to improve the health of the poor and vulnerable women and children of Haiti. The foundation charters boats that bring supplies directly to their teams that are established on the ground in Haiti.



Those who cannot attend MIAMI FOR HAITI but are interested in helping can make donations online at www.carmafoundation.org and www.projectmedishare.org.



Cafeina Lounge is located at 297 NW 23rd street in the Miami Design District, at the corner of 23rd Street and NW 2nd Avenue.



For more information on Julian Marley please visit www.myspace.com/royalmarley and www.ghettoyouths.com . For more information on Kymani Marley please visit www.kymani-marley.com.



For publicity information contact Diane Podolak, Publicist at dianepodolak@gmail.com.

MIAMI for HAITI event TONIGHT!

Jamaica's Youth View Awards 2010 nominated Favourite New Artiste of 2009, DENYQUE is fresh and out with a new single produced by Equiknoxx Music on their Kamera Trick Riddim entitled "Oh So Good" which was released on January 10, 2010.

Denyque

From overwhelming reviews thus far, the song is doing "OH SO GOOD". The dancehall soca / pop flavored song is already in heavy rotation globally, yes to as far as Ethiopia they are saying that DENYQUE sounds "Oh So Good". Just in time for the Carnival 2010 season in Trinidad & Jamaica, we are expecting this single to do very well.


"Oh So Good" being just her third (3) single in less than a year since her debut release "CAN'T BREATHE" in March of 2009 and then the Don Corleon (Sean Paul ft. Keyshia Cole - Give It Up To Me) produced "PIECES" later in the year, DENYQUE has already graced the stages of some of Jamaica's high profiled events such as Jamaica's Ministry of Health's World AIDS Day concert, Usain Bolt's Celebrity Party Reception, Asafa Powell Foundation's Night On The Track Concert and STING 2009 to name a few. To everyone's amazement, DENYQUE's Sting 2009 Performance video on Youtube had reached 14,960 views in less than three (3) days.

With her momentum growing progressively, DENYQUE goes on a month long tour of the United States in March of 2010 and on her return, expect to see her on event stages all over the world. Local media and fans are touting the 20 year old DENYQUE as the next big Caribbean export since Rihanna.

Denyque perfoms at Usain Bolt's 9.58 Party last month!

To learn more about Denyque and listen to her music check out her Facebook, MySpace and YouTube pages!

I can hear the emotion in Clef's voice. He is asking for help for his people from the world...Please guys in the US text "yele" to 501501 to make a $5.00 contribution.

I've been watching spoofs of Pat Robertsons comments about Haitian's calling this earthquake on themselves because they made a deal with the devil to get their freedom. (I guess he is referring to the Voodoo ceremony that signaled the start of the revolt). If there was a Santeria ceremony when Castro took over Cuba, would it justify the embargo???
Here's what he said:



It got me thinking about a paper I did on the Haitian Revolution. I just want to share it as there may be some who are not aware of the magnitude of it's impact on world history.

The Haitian Revolution has given to the modern world notions of freedom, sovereignty, and justice that were epoch making in human relationship and the development of modern civilization. Critically discuss.


“The unfitness of the Haitian people to govern themselves has been the subject of propaganda for the last century,” wrote James Weldon Johnson in 1920, over a hundred years after the revolt that resulted in Haiti becoming the first Independent nation in the New World, a feat not even the American colonies had accomplished. Once lauded as a jewel in the crown of France, St. Domingue was the envy of other West Indian colonies that, combined, could not match her production of sugar. Other Imperial nations such as Spain and Britain had their eyes on the colony as well; waiting for an opportunity to seize her riches. After a fifteen year struggle for Independence from white slave holders and the French crown, Haiti, as the newly independent country became known; became and still is the poorest nation in the western hemisphere. The Revolution was the topic of modern debates on race, abolition, and equality; inspiring books, poems, songs, and plays. The achievements of the revolting slaves were never duplicated in any colony, making the Haitian experience a turning point in history that affected not only its inhabitants but also major events like the Louisiana Purchase, the American Civil War as well as the way the world viewed concepts such as freedom, justice and sovereignty.

The term modern can find its roots in the fifth century when it was used to distinguish the Christian from the pagan era. Typically modernity refers to a post traditional or post-medieval period characterized by increases industrialism, capitalism, and secularization. The definition may vary in different contexts but for the purposes of this passage we will state that it is a period or time of consciousness defining the present in relation to the past. Since the Haitian Revolution is seen as a turning point, it is implied that what became was not the same as what was. That momentous event that was the Haitian Revolution signified a change in tide that became a wave that washed over the consciousness of the world at large. Ideologies, theories, stereotypes, all had to change or at the very least were challenged by the results of the uprising. Concepts that once seemed certain, such as the natural order of the world, the categorization of the races, equality of the races, the justification for slavery, colonialism and imperialism now were shaky. The world was open to transformation.

On August 22 1791, the slaves of St. Domingue waited for the fall of night to unleash their fury on the white planters that had captured, overworked and dehumanized them for so long. This rage was prompted by the planter’s greed and fear, which pushed them to overwork the slaves; knowing that replacements from Africa were readily available. Overworking the slaves was also a means to prevent and suppress thoughts of rebellion. The slaves were at the bottom of a rigid caste system in St. Domingue with Gens de Couleurs (mulattoes) above them. The latter were the children of mixed race, usually offspring of a white master and black slave mother. They worked as artisans, overseers or domestics. Above them in rank were the Petits Blancs who themselves were also artisans, overseers and served too as shopkeepers and slave dealers. The Grands Blancs at the top included Planters and aristocrats. Haiti in 1789 was a nation rife with tensions. Class divisions between whites, Creoles, and slaves; northern, southern and western territories; as well as conflicts between proponents of independence with French, Spanish and British allies meant the country was headed for unrest of some sort. Creoles had been agitating for equality with whites, and spurred on by the 1789 “Declaration on the rights of Men” by the French National Assembly confronted the whites head on with their request to vote. The tensions between Creoles and Whites had exploded into civil war, which resulted in the Planters being rather distracted, and loosening their grip on the slaves. Apart from their master’s distractedness, of great importance to the Revolution was the significant increase in population of imported slaves between 1789 and 1791. These new Negroes were not as docile as their counterparts who had been broken by the whip of the white master. Thus they were pivotal in the success of the uprising. Many key figures emerged on the side of the Negroes but none as important as Toussaint L’Overture who was a charismatic, inspiring and diligent leader. He fought the white planters, the French Army, the Spanish, British and finally Napoleons army. Though captured and imprisoned in 1802, the slaves soldiered on with Toussaint’s successor Dessalines declaring independence for Haiti on January 1^st 1804.

According to C.L.R James author of The Black Jacobins, Abbe Raynal’s Philosophical and Political history of the establishments and commerce of the Europeans in the Two Indies defines “Natural Liberty [as] the right which nature has given to everyone to dispose of himself according to his will.” Everyone in Haiti wanted to be free. The Blacks wanted freedom from slavery, the Creoles wanted freedom from restrictions on their rights, the White Planters wanted freedom from an Imperial Nation that dictated to them from across the globe. Even in France the cry of freedom was ringing and came to pass with the French Revolution. The Creoles did get some measure of freedom in March of 1792 when the French legislative assembly granted civil and political rights to free men of color in the West Indian colonies. As for the slaves, though Haiti was declared an independent nation in 1804,yet it took 44 years for France to end slavery in its other colonies. This is because the Haitian revolution was a wake up call for the plantation owners. The unthinkable had just happened. Thousands of slaves had taken control of a nation and no longer answered to their masters. Freedom seemed less elusive now, and the colonists knew that slaves would be inspired to revolt. They could not afford to let them taste freedom, lest they become enamored with the notion. Plantation owners in the southern states in response to the events in Haiti restricted further the freedoms of their slaves. This is a history of ironies as with the Louisiana Purchase American colonists became more free, yet their slaves and even freed blacks were more repressed than ever before. Laws were passed to restrict movements, and contact between free blacks and slaves. This led to polarization between North and south in the years leading up to the civil war.

With the loss of over 100 thousand slaves and 24000 whites in the Revolution, and the decimation of the Haitian economy was this freedom worth these casualties? The freedom for which they fought would over time be erased by a string of dictators. For Toussaint the fight for freedom was not just for blacks but for the “unequivocal adoption of the principle that no man, whether he be born red, black or white, can become the property of his fellowmen.” This notion is in contradiction to Aristotle concept that the whole is of necessity prior to the part, thus implying that slavery is in keeping with the natural order of life. It showed that even though they were uneducated they still had the right to choose what life they wanted to live.They were free to call Haiti by its indiginous name, free to choose what was in their best interest, free to switch alliance once it was in their best interest.

In Haiti, race was a key determinant in the doling out of justice or fair and equitable treatment. For the most part the planters/ whites/aristocracy did not see blacks or Creoles as their equal and treated them as such. Many gave in to the Aristotelian notion that some are marked for subjugation from the hour of birth (Aristotle 82) and must be ruled by the superior class. According to CLR James, “No small white was a servant, no white man did any work that he could get a Negro to do for him.” Even members of the clergy turned a blind eye to the atrocities in Haiti prior to the revolution. Friendship between slave and master as Aristotle proposed in Politics was an anomaly. As cited in The Black Jacobins a memoir published in 1789 calling “The Negroes “unjust, cruel, barbarous, half-human, treacherous, deceitful, thieves, drunkards, proud, lazy, unclean, shameless, jealous to fury and cowards, reflected the general view at the time. Toussaint L’Ouverture’s life challenged the notions that blacks were “naturally inferior to the whites.” (Hume). He was educated, able to fight with agility (which was expected of a slave) but mental prowess as well. L’Ouverture was a diplomat, a reader of humankind even managing to get white fighters to defect and join his cause. Even for the average slave who was not educated, they still had an “intelligence, which refused to be crushed.” (James) The slaves knew what was right and wrong what was fair and unfair. For example, when the slaves had heard of the revolution they imagined white slaves rising up against their masters, in a sense they were incorrect, but they were intelligent to derive meaning from that event.

The Haitian Revolution also challenged the hierarchical system of race and social classification. For example when blacks and whites in the French army fought against the British and Spanish, for a moment several barriers were broken down. Even America was impacted as mulatto Haitians traveled to Louisiana with their slaves, changing the social dynamics of the area. Many whites gained from the oppression of blacks and it was economically viable to maintain that role. For example, at the time of the Louisiana Purchase there was a boom in the demand for cotton, which meant freeing slaves, would negatively impact their economic standing. The southern states still wanted to continue the slave trade whereas the northern states did not.

The end of the Haitian Revolution in 1804 and the colonialism and slavery of its time was outlived by the social conflict and racial prejudice that had been cultivated under slavery. The racial contract persisted: All whites are beneficiaries of the contract, though some whites are not signatories to it. The blacks were still at the bottom of the social pyramid but this time, many of them were part of a large army. The Creoles who now were the elites, dominated politics and economics and still looked down on the Blacks. Despite this, African Americans used the history of this revolution to further the cause of American Civil Liberties beyond American soil, a symbol of black possibility and hope, and black solidarity. It is ironic since to date Haiti is embroiled in race and class conflict. In Marxist lens, the power in any state is controlled by those who control the means of production. According to him they determine the ideologies shared within a state. What if the ideologies are immoral or moral but not enforced? For example, the Code Noir of 1685 which dictated the treatment of slaves limited whipping to 50 lashes. That was considered just but was it really? The planters who benefited from the status quo would agree that it was. As Ebenstein notes, “those who benefit from the status quo prefer to see it as universal truth and justice.” (12). The Haitian Revolution thus sought to challenge the French notions of liberty, equality and fraternity. How could this be their war cry in the homeland yet these same people accept exploitation of human beings just because of the colour of their skin? The tenets of Enlightenment thus were not meant to be applied in the region, but the success of the Haitian Revolution brought the irony of its application to the world stage.

The French Revolution was about social justice in France, The American Revolution sought to end colonial rule in America and the Haitian Revolution sought to end human slavery, thus it was not limited by its borders or the conflicts within it. This aim was achieved however, it is still plagued by social and class inequalities that are further exacerbated by comments from people such as William Jennings, American Secretary of state who in 1915 was dumfounded at the thought of 'Niggers speaking French!'

The Haitian Revolution was the first such revolution that went from and anti-slavery revolution to a national liberation revolution. The slaves not only wanted to assert their freedom, they wanted to assert their Haitianness. Napoleon wanted to expand the French empire and Haiti was key as he had plans of building a military base there. Despite Toussaint’s capture, Napoleon was defeated, and his coffers were drained, thus he sold Louisiana and abandoned thoughts of re-colonizing Haiti. The purchase of Louisiana meant that the American colonies had doubled in size and also no longer had the threat of another nation laying claim to their territory. They now focused on themselves and the development of America by Americans. They owned it fair and square. Dessalines claimed Haiti for its people as well, by giving her an Arawak name in honor of its first inhabitants. He declared everyone be black including non-blacks. Based on Aristotle’s concepts, Haiti had moral and legal superiority over its citizens who were now free to create their own national emblems, song, pledge, constitution, for example.

Now that it was an independent nation, Haiti agreed to make reparations to French slave holders in 1825 in the amount of 150 million francs, reduced in 1838 to 60 million francs, in exchange for French recognition of its independence and to achieve freedom from French aggression. Unfortunarely, this bankrupted the conomy and to this day the country is feeling the effects. Haiti was officially reconized as inpendent in 1834 and the US did the same in 1862-more than a half-century after Dessalines declared independence. In the interim Haiti faced an embargo which also negatively impacted her economy. Haiti’s government was also ignored by countries she reached out to. Despite the hardships, Haitians know that their revolution was bringing about a change this side of the hemisphere had never seen. Some critics site the fact taht Toussaint declared himself governor for life and Dessalines declared himself emperor of Haiti as sure signs of the decline of society and regression to colonialism. Haiti has had several dictators, yet the revolutionary spirit of its people still lives on and unites the people.

Haiti was the first independent nation in Latin America, the first post-colonial independent black-led nation in the world, and the only nation whose independence was gained as part of a successful slave rebellion. Even of greater significance, the Haitian Revolution was a turning point in history, the repercussions of which extended far beyond the small island nation. In the neighboring United States, Haiti's slave revolt figured directly in two of the most significant events in United States history: the Louisiana Purchase and the American Civil War. Though the country was crippled by years of war, its agriculture devastated, its formal commerce nonexistent, and the people uneducated and mostly unskilled, significant strides were made during the uprising: it strenghtened he notions that all men have the right to freedom, challenged the social and racial hierarchy of 18th century Haitian society. It also put to test the Enlightenmenght theory and its application throughout theworld. The Haitian Revolution is withouth doubt a definite moment in the history of blacks in the West Indies. It is from this revolution that the West Indian identity was forged, it is from this revolution that inependence of the colonies was strengthened. It was only after the events between 1791 and 1804 the whites realized that the treat of a successful slave uprising could become real. Unfortunately that ment more restrictions on people of colour by the powers that be, but they too were challenged by those who believed in the universal dream of Freedom, justice and sovereignty for all regardless of race making this Revolution a worthy cause.

So if Haiti made a deal with the devil, well Pat Robertson you can tell them thanks alot.

Did you know that Pepa from Salt-N-Pepa was born in Kingston Jamaica? Well she was. Anyways here is a pic of her along with her co-stars from her reality series Let's Talk About Pep, visiting the Wendy Williams Show!.


Photo source

Click HERE to see more stars out and about!