Haiti: The cry of a hurting humanity

In 1988, calypsonian David Rudder of Trinidad & Tobago wrote a song called 'Haiti I'm Sorry'.  A strange topic for that time since Haiti did not become a full member of CARICOM until 1999, and final accession was only ratified by the Haitian Parliament on 13 May 2002. Then - President Aristide signed the revised Chaguaramas Treaty on 4 July 2003, and trade between Haiti and the other countries of the region officially began on 1 January 2004, only to be suspended that year and reinstated in 2006. But nevertheless Rudder the chantuelle proved to be a  prophet for our times...

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I give you a poignant verse and chorus:

When there is anguish in Port au Prince
It's still Africa crying
We are outing fires in far away places
When our neighbours are just burning.
They say the Middle Passage is gone
So how come overcrowded boats still haunt our lives
I refuse to believe that we good people
Will forever turn our hearts
And our eyes...away...

Chorus:
Haiti, I'm sorry
We misunderstood you
One day we'll turn our heads
And look inside you
Haiti, I'm sorry. Haiti, I'm sorry
One day we'll turn our heads
Restore your glory.
Haiti, I'm sorry, sorry...

It's been almost 6 weeks since the devastating earthquake struck Haiti and left over 200,000 dead and millions homeless. I have not met a member of our haitian community in South Florida who was not personally affected by the loss of  loved ones: family or friends, and from that community both here and in their homeland comes a collective wail from deep within: the cry of a hurting humanity.  And it is a cry heard around the earth, which has brought such a response of compassion, of sympathy and empathy. We can become jaded by what we see as the worst of humankind; war, terrorism, inequality, hate, prejudice and discrimination and all the other evils and ills that came out of 'Pandora's Box'  of Greek mythology, but we must never forget that HOPE also lay at the very bottom of the box.

It is our duty as Christian people to sustain the HOPE of the people of Haiti who have now seemingly lost everything of the very little they had except what matters most: FAITH. We can only do so by reaching out with LOVE. Let's put aside prejudices, stereotypes, preconcieved notions and rash judgements to our brrothers and sisters in humanity and in Christ.

A word of caution. This has only been weeks since the devastation for Haiti, recovery will take years. It will require a patient, consistent effort on all involved. It must continue after CNN cameras leave. This will be a marathon, not a sprint. We cannot afford to lose focus or determination or get sidetracked by some new cause.

Haiti, I'm sorry. Haiti, I'm sorry
One day we'll turn our heads
Restore your glory.