January 12th 2010 - 14 years ago a more than deadly earthquake hit Ayiti. As a memorial to the day, we offer this episode to the memory and the miracles that happened not ever forgetting the instantaneous death that has haunted the streets of the capital for years and perhaps to this day as we will share these stories of our community with you.
To see the actual Discovery channel YouTube that I refer to and the damning evidence for the extreme level of death and destruction of "Goudougoudou" (Haitian's nickname for the earthquake) watch the video we watched even as we reeled from the effects in our own community and the psychological fall out of this event just a month afterwards.
Hear in full Mona singing and mournful howling out the anguish of this event in his song "Ayiti an Dèy" or "Haiti in Mourning" that our band performed at the French Institute about a year or so after the quake. Here are his poetic words:
"Haiti in mourning"
(poetry is difficult to translate all of the cultural meaning, but I believe the beautiful expression of the spiritual and hopeful feeling comes through)
When Ayiti was dancing
All her children were thinking
She was dancing a dance of hope
Their hearts had a folklore joy
Their lips had a galaxy smile
And their eyes contemplated another life
But in a very short time
Ayiti was beaten down on her knees
It was Mr. Catastrophe
Crushing, wiping out, killing
Haiti's in mourning
Her children are boiling leaves
So they don’t die
They are so traumatized
Haiti is sick
Please come and clothe her
She is trembling
She is biting her nails
She can’t any more
She saw too many children die
She’s going crazy
She calls out for help
With her father, the sun
Who always gives the best advice
And who said to her
She’s in trouble
The enemy is making war
With her mother who is the earth
The sun says my child I’ll give you light
To bring your mother out of her sadness
Now call your mother’s other children
To come help you and your children
Haiti did that
And they came in willing to help
They said, you are our family
We owe you love
Here, we’re helping you
To help yourselves
Because today it’s your turn
And tomorrow it may be ours
Your problem could be ours too
Haiti is remade
Because it understands Mother earth
Who smiled
Life isn’t over
Now it’s to work
Even the night gave the unemployed work
She did that
Because she’s behind
Haiti is pregnant
It’s the time she needs more strength
For her to give birth
To many children
She called Father Sun
Who always give her good advice
To ask for more energy
To replace those that were lost
On the earth, our dear mother