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".....Drèd Wilme represent(ed) Haiti's manhood, its
courage and commitment to liberty. He stood, as a lone fighter,
a father to the Haitians in Site Soley without defenders against
the most powerfully armed nations on earth.
Wilme lasted without resources for more than 16months evading
the biggest manhunt in the Western Hemisphere led against Haitian
self-determination by the alien and foreign occupying forces.
But because Dred Wilme could not, like Guy Phillipe be bought
off by a U.S. dollar, he was a "terrorist" for the aims
of U.S. Ambassador Foley and right wing Cuban-American hater of
indigenous self-rule, Roger Noreiga.
Haitians throughout Haiti and the Diaspora embrace Wilmè
as they do Kapwa Lamò and Charlemagne Peralte. None of
those calling Drèd Wilmè "bandit" have
ever shown he traveled outside his community to attack either
the foreigner who came to kill him in his own home, nor the morally
repugnant Haitian bourgeoisie who paid assassins to destroy his
community, his nation.
In contrast to the bi-centennial Coup D'etat traitors, Drèd
Wilmè, is known to the people in his community as a defender
of the defenseless and poor. Again, we say, as we did last April,
Wilmè covered himself in glory because he added value in
his own community, and if, in fact, he lives no more, he joins
the line going back to that first Neg and Negès Ginen who
can only - depi lan Guinen - live free or die. That unborn spirit,
that Haitian soul, cannot die. It's rising." (Excerpted
from Emmanuel
Dread Wilme Reported killled by UN troops July 6, 2005
by Èzili Dantò, Li led li la, July 8, 2005
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Drèd
Wilmè speaks - an interview on April 4, 2005 with Emmanuel
"Drèd Wilmè (English and Kreyol)-
Audio
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Celebrating
the Life of Emmanuel "Drèd" Wilmè
by Frantz Jerome, Ezili Danto Witness Project,
Haitian Perspectives, July 1, 2006
Inspired by Ezili, I write these simple words to celebrate the
life of a
simple man. One who took a stand reminiscent of those mythical
characters of
a Malreaux novel; defining by action Camus’ true rebel;
but most important,
less we forget, gave up his life so a little boy or little girl
can live… a
life different than his own.
I’ve asked but no one knows. Or maybe I have not yet met
one who knows where
Drèd came from. He was one of Lafanmi Selavi
children, I was told. Thus he
may have been born on a street of Port-au-Prince. His mother may
have been a
“machann” or a “bòn.” I don't know.
But, a bit more than twenty-eight years
ago Drèd Wilmè entered the world and ended up an
orphan on the streets of
Port-au-Prince. How many days without food, shelter, protection
and how many
sunups and sundowns being a defenseless child, prey to his society’s
more
powerful predators?
What
manners of deprivation are Haiti’s street children not forced
to suffer... especially as they were also hunted down like dogs
under Duvalier's regime? But somehow Drèd Wilmè
survived starvation and a dangerous early life. Probably with
the help of his mothers, the many community Makòmè
yo who raise each other’s children, or, perhaps his own
poor mother or grandmother who nonetheless could not give him
permanent shelter from life's storms. For, the love Emmanuel "Drèd"
Wilmè naturally expressed towards others can only be learned
from a mother.
He must have been tough as a child, fast and determined. He must
have more
than once beaten the multitudes of others like him to a car windshield
to be
cleaned for a few cents. He must have learned to run, hide, dodge
a bullet, roll with the punches and get up and fight some more,
in order to have lasted long enough for Lafanmi Selavi to be created.
He could have been one of those boys who walked by my house at
rue Bonne Foi.
The bambinos with the charming smiles who instinctively knew how
to tilt
their head when trying to soften my sisters’ hearts enough
to get a few
cents… maybe their day’s only meal. I can’t
recreate a true image. But he
must have looked like many of them. He must have looked like any
of them.
Forgettable faces to those who want to forget.
When Lafanmi
Selavi, President Aristide’s home for street
children and
orphans, was created, Drèd Wilmè had not yet reached
his teens. No one can
tell me whether or not he was of the original group. But then
again, are
there any original members or staffers left to answer my question?
For
aggression did not stop seeking the bunch, just because they thought
they had
found a new life… a family.
On the eve of their benefactor’s inauguration as president
of the country in
1991, cowards too shy to attempt to harm the priest-president,
settled for
the children. Arsonists set fire to Lafanmi
Selavi, killing four of the
children. Unfortunately, they did not stop there, for when nine
months later
the military staged a coup against President Jean-Bertrand Aristide,
soldiers
assaulted Lafanmi
Selavi - the home for children - again. As his rite
of
passage into teenage years, young Drèd would have found
himself again running
for his life, dodging bullets, Cedras' FRAPH mercenaries, hiding,
running,
hiding… to live and fight another day.
That day came again, - the hunting of Aristide’s orphans
from LaFanmi SeLavi
came again - in the second coup d’etat against President
Aristide.
To fight to protect those children, their mothers, fathers and
aunts, he knew
so well, to fight to protect his Site Soley community relentlessly
came again
for Drèd Wilmè, the adult now, in 2004, when “assailants,”
as the Haitian
people like to call them, were let loose on the inhabitants of
popular
neighborhoods. They attacked the poor, they attacked the children
again, many
now grown men, like Drèd. They attacked Drèd Wilmè’s
family again, in 2004.
They killed for political reasons. They killed to make a point.
They killed
to wreak havoc. They killed to instill fear. They killed to bring
the people
to submission. This is the stage onto which our man-child chose
to step into
history.
Facing overwhelming odds, Emmanuel "Drèd" Wilmè
did what all his life he knew
he had to do to live, to preserve the life of his friends, brothers,
sisters,
family: fight.
How can I, a pacifist, celebrate a life that has only known fight?
Simple.
Pacifists believe in a demilitarized society. Pacifists believe
violent conflicts ought to be avoided. Nonetheless, there are
a few other things that pacifists believe strongly about and among
them are the right to self-defense and the concept of fairness
and justice.
Drèd Wilmè may have learned to defend himself and
his community using tools that many frown on. I will refrain from
placing a value judgment on actions stemming form a context that
I can only imagine… no mater how romantic an image I create.
But certainty I do have. I know I heard the people of Site Solèy
say, over and over again, in multiple interviews from a cross-section
of journalists, that they would never betray Drèd Wilmè
because he was the only one willing to bleed for them.
He said: “I will die so that others may live,” to
which the people responded:
“We will die so that Drèd may live!”
Though many avid dilettantes of existential philosophy fail to
recognize Drèd
Wilmè in their literature, as a student of Camus, as a
student of Malreaux,
as a student of Fanon, Sartre or any other existential philosopher
who
confronted man-child-me with hypothetical action, I ought to at
least once
recognize authentic heroism and bear witness to real-action rather
than
symbolic-action.
Unfortunately or fortunately, you decide, my path took me on a
different
journey. One still filled with sorrow, for I am Haitian…
Ayisyen. Of those
who dared to put a stop to slavery. Of those that the “civilized
ones” still
want to teach a lesson, because they dared to be free.
My path often takes me to the realm of abstractions, the paralysis
of
analysis. But this path also leads to the realm of language as
symbolic
action. Thus this past year, through the Ezili
Danto Witness Project, I lent
my language skills to those in Haiti they want quiet.
I have given voice to these dead
babies or those sixteen-years-old pregnant
teen girls, hacked to death by machete wielding “police
attaches,” called
“Lame Ti Manchete.” Today, I lend my voice in memory
of Drèd Wilmè, as the
pacifist I believe him to be. I ask for a thorough investigation
around the
circumstances that got Drèd declared "bandit"
with not one iota of evidence
provided. I further call on the sense of fairness and justice
of all pacifist
to recognize and uphold the right to self-defense for all.
No more political assassinations under the guise of law and order.
No more incrimination of the poor just because rich people call
them
"bandit."
Today, remembering how Drèd Wilmè was systematically
hunted down and
slaughtered by the "civilized ones," I bear witness
and celebrate Drèd
Wilmè's real-action, self-defense, ultimate sacrifice and
authentic heroism.
Franz Jerome
Èzili Dantò Witness Project
July 1, 2006
Drèd
Wilmè speaks - an interview on April 4, 2005 with Emmanuel
"Drèd Wilmè (English and Kreyol)
-
Audio
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Expose the Lies of the International Community
about Haiti, its people and resources
Expose how under the cover of "Aristide-is-corrupt-refrain,"
with this weapon
of mass distraction and Bush “regime change to bring Haiti
justice and democracy," the powerful countries of France,
Canada and US, with UN soldiers as their corporate army, have
turned Haiti into a penal colony for the Haitians masses and are
tying Haiti to endless IMF/World Bank debts while looting and
plundering Haitian assets and resources. Demand
the International coup d'etat supporing countries and enforcers,
not Rene Preval, set the political prisoners free,end the UN occupation,
return Haitian assets to the people of Haiti by Marguerite Laurent,
June 26, 2006, Haitian Perspectives
http://www.margueritelaurent.com/pressclips/expose.html
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KREYOL: HLLN
Apèl pou
Aksyon
- Mande pou solda Nasyonzini yo sispann
touye inosan nan popilasyon sivil la e sispann ak lòt zak
maspinay yo ap
fè sou pèp Ayisyen. Mande Pou Okipasyon ak Represyon
Nasyonzini an
Sispann
ENGLISH: HLLN
Action Alert -Demand
UN soldiers stop killing innocent
Haitian civilians and brutalizing the Haitian public. End the
UN occupation of
Haiti.
***********************
Expose the Lies of the International Community about Haiti, its
people and resources
Demand
the International coup d'etat supporing countries and enforcers,
not Rene Preval, set all the political prisoners free, end the
UN occupation, return Haitian assets to the people of Haiti by
Èzili Dantò,
June 26, 2006, Haitian Perspectives
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HLLN
Recommended Links to honor Dred Wilmè on July 6, 2007,
Haitian
Perspectives, June 6, 2007 (July
6, 2007 sponsored by HLLN's
FreeHaitiMovement
- Dessaline
is Rising Worldwide)
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Ezili
Danto Spoken Word Dance Theater
The
Premier Performance, Poetry, West African and Haitian Dance Company
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