The original sin of Haiti on the world stage is...

The original sin of Haiti on the world stage is its liberation. Haitians committed the unacceptable in 1804: a treasonous crime for a troubled world. The West was then a world of colonialism, slavery and racism that based its wealth on the exploitation of conquered lands. So the Haitian revolutionary model scared the superpowers. The United States did not recognize Haiti’s independence until 1865. And France required the payment of a ransom to accept this liberation. From the beginning, its independence was compromised and the development of the country obstructed. The world has never known how to deal with Haiti, so it ended up ignoring it. Thus began 200 years of solitude on the international stage.

Speaking Truth to Power: Ricardo Seitenfus, the OAS and Haiti (via so-treu)

True. “The West” remains a world of colonialism and racism with wealth based on exploitation. But “the West” is not “the world”. I’d actually flip that: Haiti is the world and the colonial powers are an unruly minority to be quelled in the wake of extended misbehavior.

(via zuky

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Quellin’ Time’s a’comin!

(via nezua)

A history re-thought.