Amidst the carnage of Haiti, a quiet little drama is playing itself out. Baptist missionaries from the USA were arrested trying to take 33 “orphans” out of the wrecked country, ostensibly to a better life in an orphanage in the neighbouring Dominican Republic.
Except that many of the children were not orphans at all, and none of the necessary papers had been filed to allow them to leave the country. The 10 Americans have now been charged with kidnapping and criminal association. The Haiti government suspects them of being involved in child trafficking.
The do-gooders protest their innocence, saying they were doing “God’s work” and “God will free us.” They claim they only came to help a devastated country after its recent earthquake. They thought they were taking poor orphans to a better life.
This little sideshow, on the fringes on the mass tragedy of the Haiti disaster, reveals so much about the state of our world that I scarcely know where to begin. I won’t comment on the case at hand – that is for the courts to decide (there were indications at the time of writing that the Americans would be released). But I do know that this drama reflects badly on the world we live in.
For one thing, what is all this do-gooding in the name of God? People doing the most misguided things on this planet will confidently assert they are agents of divinity. This includes mass murder and needless warfare. There were two reactions from the God-squads after Haiti broke: one, a wringing of hands and loud lamentations about needing to help the wretched. Two, a wrathful instant judgement which decrees that the Haitians brought misfortune on themselves because of their past sins.
Both are lamentable. To place yourself in an imagined divine mission is the height of pretentiousness. To condemn so casually is just as malign. What “sins” are little children paying for, crushed beneath the rubble? And what makes those casting stones so holy? Indeed, US newspapers revealed that the missionaries’ leader has a history of failing to pay debts and employees. She has been the target of eight lawsuits and 14 claims for unpaid wages.
The second thing that annoys me is the do-gooding instinct itself. What is this patronising nonsense that reduces able people to child status? Why is the “advanced” world imagining that it has to uplift, lecture and mentor the misguided minions of poor countries in the first place? Not to put too fine a point in it, why does the white world perpetually think it has to save the black world? Hardly anyone is rushing to spend their own money doing this – there are way too many NGOs ready to cash in on the unintended largesse of anonymous taxpayers.
And the last thing: why are Haitians (and indeed many Africans) so ready to consume this largesse, lap it up, live off it, depend on it, and become even more enfeebled by it? Those Haitian children seemed to think they were going on some sort of outing. Many were apparently sent by their own relatives. Why are so many of us ever-so-willing to be cast in the role of eternal supplicant, whose master lives elsewhere?
I hate to be discussing these issues in the aftermath of an awful disaster in which so many have perished and hundreds of thousands are left bereft and hopeless. But these things are deeply troubling, and they occur even in normal circumstances. So much of the world seems ready to play the role of patronising master and teacher; and so much of it is willing to play the helpless clown who needs handouts and sermons every day.
We are not going to move forward like this. Haiti will not save itself on the back of the other people’s largesse, genuine or otherwise, and neither will Africa. Do-gooders and relief-givers and aid-donors can help during disasters (sometimes) but in the long term they only weaken their targets even more.
If the weak countries of the world are going to be saved, it will only be through their own efforts. Haiti, like many African countries, allows a handful of elite leaders to corner most of the wealth in the land. Haiti was blessed with abundant natural resources but blew them all away, unlike its Dominican Republic neighbour whose economy is seven times larger. Haiti is wallowing in its role as the western hemisphere’s problem child, instead of being insulted by it and rising above it.
There are lessons to be learned from those nations that have developed rapidly. They used external help as the exception, not the norm. They ensured that they installed the correct leadership and governance models. They matured beyond charismatic individuals towards effective institutions. They instilled a relentless work ethic in their people. And most importantly, they took pride in themselves and their own ways of doing things, and they just got on with it. That is the only development model that works. Everything else is eyewash.
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{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
The death and suffering that was caused by the earthquake in Haiti was indeed heart-rending. As I pondered over this and their past difficulties, I couldn’t help thinking that perhaps if the great and benevolent United State of America (USA) was to colonize them or shall we say “adopt” them so that Haiti becomes a part of the USA, then they would be much better of. Haiti would then be like Hawai or any other state of USA for that matter and Haitians might never again have to suffer as they have done in the past. They have experienced and suffered alot because of bad governance for long and after all aren’t many Haitians (like Kenyans) always trying to find their way into the great USA the land of milk and honey!
On the other hand, if the development model which you cite was to be adopted, Haiti would become a beautiful and prosperous country and even Americans would dream of living there. But how can a people acquire a relentless work ethic and pride in themselves in an environment of bad governance? If government fails to show the way then the people (family, communities, institutions, the private sector, professional bodies, religious and non-religious communities and organizations etc) must purposefully brainstorm within or among themselves and agree to work towards it starting from the family and community levels.
You are doing a great job Sunny but I often wonder just how many people read, digest and think of acting out the doctirne which you passionately write about. Just how many hits/visitors does your website get each day?
But whatever the number of visitors, you must keep up the good work and think of even more ways of reaching more people with your great and noble ideas. That way we may end up with many like minded people brainstorming and working for real change in attitude, personal/national pride, work ethics etc. Kenya might be better of than Haiti in some ways but there are similarities and we too have soul searching and work to do in this regard.
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Hi Sunny
i do agree with you that “cashing” in on the “do gooders” will create a dependency syndrome that will be hard to reverse. people will become accustomed to getting things free and will not want to work because they know someone will always be there to bail them out. but having said that i think that aid during disasters of the proportion in haiti is necessary. there is no way Haiti and and indeed many african countries can manage to deal with such a catastrophe without receiving assistance on a long term basis. it is unfortunate that there are opportunitists such as the missionaries in Haiti who will manipulate the situation, but that is human nature. there will always be people like that in whatever scenario. however, it would be unfair on the thousands of people who suffered to be deprived of essential help in times of need.
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KImani:
Thanks for the insightful note. I should point out that I have never been focused on developing a mass following for this site – I am happy to reach a small but thoughtful and dedicated band. Ultimately individuals and small groups change societies, not the herd.
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Farai:
Actually I have no problem with aid in times of trouble. My problem is that Haiti has been in trouble for all of its existence since 1804. It will only end this dependency trap through its own efforts. Being the USA’s problem relative is demeaning and debilitating.
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Hi Sunny
Great article as always.
I believe the white world’s propensity to ‘assist’ the black world began when the early missionaries came to spread the ‘gospel’ in Africa.
Since then it’s been downhill most of the way for as you can recall, not too long ago in Kenyan hotels waiters would rush to serve a white client and leave the ‘local’ waiting.
It will take a something more powerful than the green revolution to detox our minds from what we have become, and the obstacles are formidable; like the NGOs with budgets that shame some of our government ministries!
A SA columnist said Haiti should be closed down and its remaining population assimilated in America, Brazil and Africa, etc. He said there’s no reason for its existence. What do you think?
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Wamoronjia:
The debate around ‘reason for existence’ and ‘recolonisation’ always leaves me uncomfortable. If Haiti has no reason to be, someone will soon argue that neither does the perpetually troubled Congo, or Somalia, or various other African states.
Countries can reinvent themselves. The examples abound. Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Maldives were nothing but fishing islands. Now they are world-leaders. The people themselves have to undergo a transformation in their mindset, then all things are possible.
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Sunny how ironic that so soon after this article a tragedy befalls Uganda, albeit not on the same proportions as Haiti. however all the negative things you alluded to are being played out here. the Government of Uganda’s first response to the disaster was to offera paltry 200 million uganda shillings (USD100,000) for the survivors of the landslides and those still at risk. this from a Government that will soon be giving out supplementary budget allocation for 4 ministries amounting to 400 billion (USD200 million). now Government has since upped its commitment however is still very much depending on donors and well wishers to step in. however it is still laughable that we will allocate 71 billion to the ministry of defence to fight an enemy (Joseph Kony) which the very same defence ministry has boasted of having reduced to a rag tag army that is no longer a threat, yet when a real need for funding presents itself they look elsewhere.
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Farai:
Intensely humiliating, yes. In Africa we have mega budgets for defence, for offices, for vehicles, for foreign trips. But when disaster strikes, we revert to the begging pose. I don’t know what to say – there is nothing more debilitating for the national psyche than to be begging for help.
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