Growing up in Trinidad and Tobago in the 80’s gave me the unique privilege of sharing in the rich culture, creativity, satire and social commentary that was calypso music. In 1988 David Rudder penned a song about Haiti that still rings true today and, as with most calypsoes of the decade, I can still remember the chorus:

Haiti, I’m sorry
We misunderstood you
But one day we’ll turn our heads
And look inside you
Haiti, I’m sorry
Haiti, I’m so sorry
But one day we’ll turn our heads
Restore your glory

Sadly 20 years later we are still singing the same song. After more than 20 years of neoliberal globalisation policies that have ravaged the country, increasing poverty, onerous debt repayments, increasingly poor healthcare, political violence and increasingly frequent natural disasters, Haiti was one of the greatest humanitarian disasters of the Western hemisphere long before the devastating earthquake on Tuesday.

My one consolation is Haiti’s proud history of being a nation of men and women and children who know how to fight back and how to win. They launched the only successful revolt of enslaved peoples and emancipated themselves back at the beginning of the 19th century, defeating the French, Spanish and British forces at a time when black men were not supposed even to understand what freedom meant. They survived the ensuing commercial embargo and unfair claim of the French to compensation for the ‘loss of property’ of 150 million francs (the modern day equivalent of US$21bn). They did not finish paying this debt until 1947.

The people of Haiti are still fighting today and I pray that the next 20 years will see a renewed commitment from the international community to take effective action to truly help the nation back on its feet instead of taking advantage of it; that the NGOs and grassroots movements that have been patiently working for years with the most disadvantaged groups will have their strength renewed and their resources increased tenfold; and that the people of Haiti will rise up, as they do so well, to see the glory restored to this and future generations.