Ezili Danto's Note:

Below is an article on a planned soccer game between Haiti and Brazil in mid-August. As I read the article the absurdities of the campaign it is purported to promote - that is, let Haitians forget their disenfranchisement and brutal oppression and play soccer. That plan evidences the profound childlike nature the imported Latortue and his Washington bosses believes is innate to the Haitian nation. Children need "wise men" to guide them. Children need games to make them forget they just got a painful lashing. The Haitian masses are those children. Thus, the entire Haitian nation was in need of the Andre Apaid/Guy Philippe civil war buttressed by U.N. SC resolution 1529 to save it from its childish voting choices! Thus, in the name of democracy, all Haitians were disenfranchised for their own good.

The unarmed So Ann, for instance, a 69-year old grandmother, mostly known to the Haitian people for organizing nutritional and cultural programs and supporting Lavalas' democratic mission, was arrested on May 10, 2004 during a mid-night raid, by U.S. Marines in a hail of grenade blasting her front gates and intimidating gunfire that killed two family dogs in the yard. So Ann (Annette Auguste) is charged with undermining Haiti's security and stability as well as with organizing against the "student opposition" demonstrations that took place at the University in the process of the Coup D'etat initiatives where an official got hurt.

But the absurdity of charging pro-democracy militants with undermining Haiti's stability and security is way over the head of those in the media and Noreiga State department intent on redefining reality. For, it is the U.S. Bush regime that has undermined Haitian security and stability by destabilizing and then forcing out the Constitutional government. They, who mostly help create and perpetuate Haiti's climate of impunity and then complained of human rights abuses. They, along with their Black opportunists, the morally repugnant business elites, who greatly help undermine Haitian security and stability by supporting, aiding and abetting, funding, training and sheltering death squads and ex-military officers then unleashing them from Gonaive and the Dominican Republic unto the innocent Haitian populace. But no. It is the honorable Prime Minister, Yvon Neptune, Interior Minister, Jocerlerme Privert, great women rights' advocate, So Ann and President Aristide who are billed as the criminals in Haiti. Meanwhile the U.S. media talks of the "charm" of the murderous Guy Philippe and the constitutional legitimacy of puppet Latortue and his power-grabbing gang of parasites.

When one lives in the twilight zone, all fantasies are possible. For instance, in Haiti, according to Colin Powell/Bush/Noreiga, a nation of laws may be founded on the violent overthrow of the Constitutional government. Death squad leaders may have their own U.S. embedded reporters and become icons, saints and saviors while the Haitian People's elected officials are thrown in jail and being "judged" by Gousse judges no Haitian electorate ever elected, sanctioned or approved. Yes, in the twilight zone of Bush regime change in Haiti, absurdities become possible. 3,000 Haitian dead in two months, houses burnt, hundreds of thousands of internal refugees can't go home. Yet the U.S. Marines, who came to demilitarized and establish security, instead terrorized, while cordoning off and setting a military perimeter outside of Mount St. Nicolas to establish perhaps their own permanent U.S. military base in Haiti to further their own occupation goals. Meanwhile, the buffoon Latortue, instead of arresting Guy Philippe and B. Metayer, offers the Haitian people a soccer match to help them forget their troubles and turn in their arms. (See, AP article below.)

Simply stated, US saboteurs in Haiti and their Black overseers are geniuses at reversing the realities. Substituting fantasies for FACTS. Deifying death squad leaders, cop-killers, sweatshop kingpins and contra-type drugdealers/mercenaries while demonizing and arresting the People's elected officials. The corporate media is the idol-making, image making tool used to define the reality the right-wing putschists wants established and gulp it down uncritically. Thus absurdities, like the Constitutional government is responsible for the mayhem and terror unleashed on Haiti by the opposition and their U.S.-trained and coddled death squad leaders, are repeated over and over again until the gullible in Haiti and the U.S. actually begins to believe the lies or starts to doubt history, experience - their own lived realities!

If the criminals are the victims and the victims the criminals, then the old morally repugnant status quo lives on in Haiti, undisturbed. Let's all play soccer now that reality has been turned on its head and accept the war waged on Haiti's mass electorate to save it. Accept Latortue, the puppet of our oppressors as our saint and savior. Yep, let's play ball! A Haiti-Brazil soccer match on August 18, 2004, will make the Haitian people forget, "alleviate the tensions." While we are at it, why not alleviate tensions altogether, drop on our knees to our oppressors like Latortue does every day and forget what our ancestors had decided on that immortalized August day of August 14, 1791. Forget the Haitian mass electorate's and Haiti's national philosophy and unwavering mission is "to live free or die."

Ezili Danto
June 30, 2004

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Brazil to play Haiti in soccer friendly
on troubled Carribbean island
AP Online
Jun 29, 2004

Brazil will play a friendly soccer match at Haiti in August, with spectators invited to swap firearms for tickets, Brazilian Sports Minister Agnelo Queiroz said Tuesday.

Queiroz said Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will attempt to clear his agenda to be able to attend the game. Queiroz said the match will most likely occur on August 18.

Brazilian troops traveled to Haiti in May as part of a United Nations peacekeeping force. Their first act was to distribute 1,000 soccer balls to Haitian children.

Brazilian Soccer Federation President Ricardo Teixeira said he expects "the entire Brazilian team" to take part in the match, including top stars such as Ronaldo.

"We are all interested in taking part in this humanitarian gesture," Teixeira said.

Teixeira said tickets will be handed out to the match in exchange for firearms as part of an effort at disarming rival factions in the country.

The idea of a Brazil-Haiti matchup was first floated by Haitian Prime Minister Gerard Latortue in an interview last month with Brazilian journalists. He said such a game would help "alleviate tensions" on the troubled island.

Copyright 2003 Associated Press