AMERICAN talk-show host, Rush Limbaugh, joined televangelist Pat Robertson, in emitting loads of nonsense regarding God's role in the destructive earthquake that struck Haiti last Tuesday. Lest we forget, Limbaugh had prayed for President Obama's failure. And Robertson is a de facto leader of a quasi-Christian clique seemingly dedicated to the preservation of the worst form of "selective Christianity" (a practice of cherry-picking and propagating what is favourable to a particular doctrine and then completely ignoring or denying what is unfavourable to their theorem).

I do not purport to be a religious scholar or to possessing special powers to know God's plans and intentions, but I have little tolerance for some Christian fundamentalists who pretend to know it all. They carry on ad nauseam to pit nations against nations and people against people by implying that Nature's blind eyes and fury are God's way of punishing certain people and races, although the victims of these disasters do not act differently from most other human beings. Perhaps Robertson and Limbaugh would happily deny a suffering child in Haiti a glass of water or a slice of bread on the basis of some warped or carnal interpretations of the scriptures and a blatant misreading of God's will for man.

While it is hard to make sense of most of what the two do and say, one thing is certain: it is rather easy to see the motivation behind their actions. To describe their assessment of the cause and specifics of the disaster in Haiti as foolish, would be tantamount to shielding the crudity and cruelty behind their abominable utterances. Luckily, the God they (we) claim to so fervently love, worship and tout is unlike them (us). For, if He was like man, he would delightfully and diligently use their own tongues to make bloody "knots" tight enough to pull a tonne of lead up a steep mountain.

That aside, there can be no joy in celebrating the aftermath of the 7.0-magnitude earthquake that struck Port-au-Prince and surrounding cities in Haiti. And whatever one's religious beliefs or non-scientific rationalisation for these exogenous circumstances, it is more than foolish to ascribe and advance mythology as the basis for what has transpired. We should stand in solidarity with the Haitian people and help them where feasible, instead of feeding them endless diatribes about morality.

Haiti, warts notwithstanding, is not any more depraved than, say, Jamaica, America, England, France, China, the African continent, Barbados or Russia. And despite all the negatives, such as the continued use of "restavecs" (child slaves), there are communities in Guyana, Cuba, Brazil, Jamaica, Louisiana, Birmingham, and Paris where witchcraft, voodoo, santaria, vodun, vodou, obeah and other forms of weird and frightening practices abound to this day.

Haiti's biggest problem rests in its struggles to overcome the negative stereotype that has dogged it since its independence from France in 1804. The country has been victimised, misunderstood and punished for being the first free black country. Former white colonists vowed not to do business with Haiti, an action that helped to push the country into social and political mayhem as the exploitative culture of the ruling class continued unabated, long after independence.

The impact of the embargo has been devastating, as Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. With a population of nine million, high mortality rates, poor infrastructure, several coups d'état, 80 per cent living below the poverty line and 53 per cent living in abject poverty, a 54 per cent literacy rate, wages of less that US$2 a day, and three million people living in the city of Port-au-Prince, which was built to accommodate 250,000, it's unimaginable to begin to assess the hardships the majority face.

But all is not lost. Even though Haiti's bitter history left it virtually without a civil polity and the elite and the army pillaged the country for their own benefit, in 2009 while 1680 people were murdered in Jamaica, over 2000 in Mexico and 453 in Chicago, preliminary figures from the United Nations indicate that only 487 people were murdered in Haiti. In fact, The United Nations Special Representative to the island, Hédi Annabi, in reviewing the past year, noted that "despite the difficult national and international economic and social situation, Haiti avoided the recession and showed gross domestic product growing 2.5 per cent with substantial agricultural production". According to some predictions, Haiti was on track to reach a 3.5 to 4 per cent GDP growth in 2010, but alas, the earthquake came.

I hardly get emotional, but I could not hold back the tears for long, for upon seeing footage of little children buried deep beneath tonnes of debris and piles of concrete buildings, some "stiff-stone" dead, while others bawled mercilessly amidst heavy plumes of dust - so thick, it covered the faces of desperate people and blocked the rays of hope. It is difficult to imagine the horror, pain and the sheer grief of the people, also of relatives of the vanquished. One guy, who works in my building, said: "Christopher, I have not heard from my wife, daughter or sister since Tuesday. I called every day, every hour...all I get is a recording from the telephone. It is tough." The otherwise jovial and playful senior then broke down in a sorrowful symphony of weeping that sounded like a requiem.

Many, many years have passed since I vacationed in Haiti. Yet, images from that visit remain indelibly fresh in my mind. So unforgettable were the experiences of riding in rickety-rackety "tap-taps", as they meandered through the narrow streets of Port-au-Prince. I still question the wisdom of risking limb and life on those treacherous journeys, just to get first-hand knowledge on the way of life of the Haitian people, which was literally an astonishing, jaw-dropping real-life experience, particularly upon seeing the trail of human devastation left by the infamous Tonton Macoutes.

However, my vacation was not all about cavalierly traversing the rough terrains of Haiti or delving into social and economic conditions of the citizens, I also had great fun visiting the presidential palace, the hills of Pétionville, Cap-Haitien, the National Park, Citadelle Laferrière, Wahoo Bay Beach and the Haitian Riviera. And, as with most vacations, I soaked up enough "Sisika Kremas" (Haitian rum cream) and ate far more mangoes than my stomach could hold. I will never forget when a frog that came out of nowhere jumped on the canopy that covered my bed while I slept and it "frightened the daylights out of me". But the mishaps were not enough to ruin my stay. I thoroughly enjoyed my time on the island. I like and admire the "African" warmth, friendliness and indomitable spirit of the Haitian people. My brother Haitians, you are strong; the earthquake, like the four hurricanes which swept across your land in 2008 will set you back, but it will make you stronger. I feel your pain, but I also celebrate your hope for brighter days.

Burnscg@aol.com

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