By Rebecca Park, Contributor
More than a month has passes and the catastrophe that hit Haiti at the beginning of this year has yet to leave the international consciousness. French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s historic visit to the island nation may well serve as the most impressive affirmation of this fact.
Last week on February 17, the European leader landed at 7 in the morning in Port-au-Prince for a four hour tour of the devastated country. Highlights of his brief stay included a helicopter survey of the damage the earthquake wrought, visits at a makeshift emergency hospital, and at the badly damaged French Embassy. Sarkozy’s announcement of the 326 million euros ($443 million) French aid program in a joint press conference with Haitian President René Préval culminated his trip.
For Haiti, the consequences of Sarkozy’s travels are fairly apparent. Along with 200 million euros (approximately $270 million) promised in aid, more significantly the proposed French relief package includes cancellation of 56 million euros ($76 million) in debt, to which the former colony has been beholden since 1825. Sarkozy also guaranteed the kind of help that can not be measured in dollar (or euro) signs: fire-fighting and emergency medicine equipment, hundreds of police cars, flood protection services, and education aid with the opening of 700 spots for Haitian students in French schools in the Caribbean.
Yet not all the Haitian population was happy with the much over-due Presidential tour. Outside the Presidential Palace where Sarkozy and Préval spoke, protestors had quite a bit to say that the mainstream media was ignoring. They want ex-President Jean-Bertrand Aristide to return from exile. They want access to the millions in international aid, the benefits of which they have yet to see. They want the “incompetent” Préval out of power. And with their most bitter slogans targeted towards the guest of honor, they want more of Sarkozy than words; they want true “restitution and reparation.” The press conference was intended as a means of reinforcing international support of Haitian independence and movement towards stability in the wake of the earthquake. But, suffice to say, more needs to be forgiven concerning the 1825 debt, which crippled Haitian economy and growth for over a hundred years, than the money that was owed.
Little discussed, though, in the international media, are the ramifications of this visit for the Hexagon. The difficult memory of colonization still haunts the Continent. What could have been a moment of reflection and reunion instead was widely derided as another publicity stop for the press-hungry president. Left-wing newspaper Libération’s damning indictment of “speedy Sarkozy,” summarized French frustration. Further exasperating an already tense relationship are concerns about where exactly the hundreds of millions of euros promised are coming from. Like almost all international bodies at the moment, France has been pressed for cash, and the dominant worry is that Haiti aid will come from the humanitarian relief normally budgeted for Africa. While the country’s population has vocally supported Haiti during this time of tragedy, politicians are also faced with balancing previous commitments and, more importantly, offering continued support to the countries close to the hearts of many in France’s expansive immigrant community.
As Sarkozy proclaimed during his brief stay, “the Haitian people have been wounded, the Haitian people have been exhausted, but the Haitian people are still standing.” The first step towards reconciliation has been made; the question now is what comes next. Can a four-hour visit truly start to erase 200 years of difficult history?
