Haiti under Francois Duvalier
In its 200 year history, Haiti has suffered thirty-two coups. Since its independence from France in 1804, national authority has continually been disputed by factions of the army, the elite class, and the growing commercial class which is made up of immigrant businessmen. The instability of government and society has impacted all aspects of Haitian life: environmental, agricultural, economic, health, and society. Haiti, once called “the Pearl of the Antilles” for its beautiful forests and pristine landscape, enters once again another dictatorship lead by Francois Duvalier also known as “Papa Doc.” The Duvalier regime is said to be one of the worst administration in Haiti, killing more than 2,000 Haitians and driven …show more content…
On the other hand, the Duvalier years were particularly awful. Countless individuals died or vanished. Many thousands more felt compelled to escape their country and look for a more secure life somewhere else. Almost everybody in the nation felt the dread of the Duvaliers and their Tonton Macoute. Violence was another key factor of the dictatorial regime of Francois Duvalier. He killed ruthlessly with indifference with his hoodlums with their guns held high. The film, The Comedians by Peter Glenville showed the cruelty in Haiti. The Tonton Macoute made law and order. Tonton kills a doctor (Doctor Marcel) in front of his patience while doing surgery; people are executed by the order of Duvalier in front of everyone to see as an example to others. Even movies are made of it and every citizen of Haitians has to watch, but a school teacher is arrested for not taking his family to see an execution. In the movie, there is a sign that writes, “I am the Haitians flag and one indivisible.” Any person that was against him was thrown in prison or killed and even in death they are not allow to be buried in a cemetery. For instance, Mr. Filippo is not allowed to be buried in the cemetery because the president thinks that he is still a threat to him even after death, and his corpse is taken away from his family. To clarify, in the documentary the Whicker’s World, Francois Duvalier’s presence is heard in the silence of his …show more content…
Ironically, one often hears that voodoo is the major cause of Haiti's misery because it a satanic practice. The fact is that voodoo is an African spirit religion used to maintain order and help with moral sin daily lives. During Duvalier regime, voodoo was the center of worship, his unyielding belief of African superiority pushed him to support and practice voodoo. “He studied voodoo practices and beliefs and was rumored to be a houngan. He related effectively to houngan and bokò (voodoo sorcerers) throughout the country and incorporated many of them into his intelligence network and the ranks of the Tonton Makouts” (“Duvalier Dynasty”). This gave him prestige among the populace. People were not also afraid of his secret police, but also thought he had supernatural power that he used to control the people through fear. Even in the film The Comedians, voodoo was a big belief that people believed that their ancestors would intervene and give them strength to fight against Duvalier and his