It is easy for an American to be-little the way of life of the Haitian peasantry, to despair the poverty, and to dismiss the country as a fascist dictatorship. But most Haitians would dismiss the American dream with equal ease and with possibly more justification. For what, after all, is progress, when Americans flounder in their affluence and persist in the path of war, racism, and riot?
That the Haitian peasants can be proud of their life comes as a first surprise to an American. A second surprise is that they are loyal to Papa Doc.
Their loyalty, of course, has a basis in fear, the political fear of the vicious Tonton Macoute and the mystic fear that Duvalier's own voodoo practice has generated. He takes the name "Baron Samedi"--one of the manifestations of the voodoo deity--and in 1963, when he popularized the story that he had engineered Kennedy's assassination through voodoo, many Haitians believed him.
But the Haitian loyalty to Duvalier goes beyond fear. Papa Doc has been in power for ten and a half years, which is a major accomplishment in a land with a history of political upheaval and violence. That Duvalier does nothing for them troubles the people, but they have no tradition of democracy or people-oriented government, and by the standards of the past, Papa Doc is an honorable man. He has survived, he has brought a semblance of stability to the country, and in the minds of the people he has identified himself with Haiti by declaring himself with Haiti by declaring himself president for life. As they owe their lives to the republic, they feel they owe their loyalty to its president.
If there is to be progress in Haiti, it will have to come through private initiative; for the Haitian government has no interest in change, and Washington, although genuinely eager to help, has been unable to deal with the methods of development.
There is considerable missionary enthusiasm in the country. A Baptist mission settled in the hills above Port-au-Prince 20 years ago, and the Episcopal church now counts more than 30,000 Haitians among its members. In terms of education, health practices and agricultural skill, the missionary work is valuable. But missionaries have an ugly fondness for concentrating more on converting the people than on helping them. With what joy, they say, are the natives discovering that Baptism is right and voodoo is wrong, that the great god Yahweh does, in fact, exist!
The most impressive work now being done in Haiti is at the Albert Schweitzer Hospital in the mountains near Les Chapelles. The hospital was founded 11 years ago and continues to run largely on the money and personal commitment of Dr. and Mrs. Sydney Mellon, of the famous Mellon family.
The hospital has 90 beds, which are always full, and a talented staff of doctors and nurses, many of whom spend voluntary terms of six months or a year at the hospital. More important, however, is the hospital's efforts in community development. A serious program in health education and veterinary care is slowly bringing the people to the ways of change. Teams work in the fields with the Haitian peasants, teaching them irrigation, soil improvement and croprotation techniques. A school has been started for the children of the community, and construction at the hospital has given the people job opportunities and taught them building and carpentry skills.
Approaching Les Chapelles, one sees the difference immediately. The fields are greener, and there are men working them, which in Hiati is rare. The huts look sturdier, and the pigs and horses are healthier. These are tangible signs of progress that even Duvalier, a doctor himself, can understand and respect.
The hospital is a monument to what man can do, but it stands alone, dwarfed by the stunning poverty of the land, the fascism of Papa Doc, and the terrorism of the Tonton Macoute--more sobering monuments to what man actually does.