Zo Reken (2021) - full transcript

Let's get out of the rain
and into the zo reken.

In Haitian Creole,
"zo reken" means "shark bones".

The term refers
to a local cane alcohol

made by soaking shark bones
in hard liquor.

It is said that the drink
increases virility.

"Zo reken" is also
the nickname given

to the 4x4 Toyota Land Cruiser,

renowned for its power
and toughness

and very popular with international
humanitarian organizations.

Agent!

I want to talk to you!



I want to know something.

Can we drive on these streets?

You can drive on several streets.

They won't be closed today
or tomorrow?

No, but it's harder in some places.

For example?

If you're around the area
of Champ-de-Mars,

people will throw rocks.

-They throw rocks at people now?
-Yes.

Alright. Thanks.

Someone was going that way
and had to turn around.

If you're in a vehicle,
they'll throw rocks at you.

Everywhere in the neighbourhood,
they're throwing rocks?

Yes, throwing rocks.



When you say over there,
where exactly do you mean?

Over by Champ-de-Mars
and all around there.

Okay, I'll be careful.

Take care.

You too.

Welcome to today's newscast.

Unrest still grips the capital
and many nearby regions

due to the protests that have
been dubbed "peyi lok".

They were started
by the opposition

in an attempt to force President
Jovenel Moïse to step down.

Traffic is at a standstill,
shops and banks are closed

and the schools have been shut down.

Explosions were heard this morning
in the districts of Delmas,

Canapé-Vert and Juvenat

where the regime's opponents claim

they were defending
their barricades.

Last night in Delmas,

the police were forced
to use tear gas

and to fire shots
in order to clear the streets,

but early this morning,

the protesters
had moved all kinds of objects

into the streets
and are continuing to block traffic.

I've been coming to the market
for two months

and the country is locked down.

Everything is at a standstill,
nothing is running!

Jovenel has locked down the country.

We can't even live,
we can't do anything!

We need freedom
in order to function.

The schools are shuttered,
the kids can't go to school.

We've paid our school fees,
the schools won't reimburse them.

Our kids have to go back to school.

The country has to go back
to normal.

We've had enough!

We can't sell anything
in the daytime.

They launch tear gas
onto our things.

They throw bottles.
We're hungry!

The only solution
is for Jovenel to leave.

Give us our country back!

The kids have to go to school.

Just think,
we're at the end of a semester.

He has to go!
Rice is too expensive.

Corn sells for $70 a pot!

Black beans are $125,

or $25 for a small pot.

We can't even eat that.

Jovenel has to go!

No further!

Blocked, blocked!

It's blocked further along.

-Completely blocked?
-With a mound of gravel.

And is it blocked again
further down?

-Do you know?
-Further down?

How long has it been blocked?

Since yesterday.

No one's been through
since yesterday?

No, and today they made
the barrier bigger.

They added to it?

-There are at least three piles now.
-Thanks.

Sorry, can you help me?

I'm looking for the Espoir Hospital.

-The Espoir Hospital?
-Yeah, where is it?

Further along.
I'm going there too.

I can show you the way
if you give me a ride.

-That way?
-Yeah, I'm going there too.

-Over there?
-Yeah.

Can I come with you
and show you?

Okay, get in.
That would be a great help.

-Thanks.
-How you doing?

-Straight ahead?
-Yeah.

-And you, how are you doing?
-Just fine.

What are you doing in this area?

I have a meeting with someone
at Espoir Hospital.

It's lucky that I came across you.

I have a meeting to give them
my resumé.

I'm looking for a job.

-You're looking for work?
-Yeah.

That's a problem in the country, no?

Yeah, it's a problem.

It's so hard.

-Don't turn there.
-Okay.

Turn here, because
there might be barricades.

Over there?

-I should turn left?
-Yes.

There are so many barricades

that it's a real muddle
to get there.

They're all over the place.

I came from Pétion-Ville

and I had to get off
a motorcycle-taxi

and take another one.

I had to cross over the barricades
on foot.

That's what I did.

I think there are barricades
over there.

Is that a barricade there?

So you've been looking for work
for a while?

Yes, it's been a long time.

And what made it harder

is that the government needed
to send me my papers,

but I didn't get them in time.

So I had some interesting proposals,

but because I didn't have
my papers in order,

I couldn't move forward.

Are they throwing rocks at us?

Yes, they are.

Things are out of control here
these days!

It's out of control.

Hello?

Listen.

Do you have any information

about which way to go
to get out of here?

Because at this point...

Yesterday there were protests,
today there are barricades.

Barricades on all sides!

Some barricades are guarded,
but at others, no one's there.

Some are burning, others not.

Can you find out for me,

so I know which way to go?

Alright.

Okay. Talk to you later.
Bye.

Do you know how long
we'll be stuck here for?

We might be here for a while.
I don't know.

We're stuck.

You know the situation.

Everything changes from one moment
to the next.

My meeting will fall through
because we can't get there.

This country is full of problems.

-Right or left?
-Left?

Right or left?
I think we go right.

You can cross, ma'am.

What do I look like
in this vehicle?

When they look at me, they say,
"Damn that traitor".

That's for sure.

Since we started out,
people have been looking at us,

and they're thinking,
"What are they playing at?"

Do I go up?

To the right.

It's funny, I thought we'd be
less visible in a vehicle,

but that's not really the case.

This van, to begin with,

is a model that draws attention
for all the wrong reasons.

It's the vehicle
used for repression.

It's used by the police.

This vehicle means either NGO
or repression.

It means power, in any case.

The only good thing is that
drivers seem to be well paid.

Better paid than most Haitians,
in any case.

It's true. They're paying them
to keep their mouths shut.

Yeah.

-They're well-paid and tight-lipped!
-Yeah.

Left here.

Is there a point,

- I'm now talking
to the silent driver -

when you've had enough of working
for all these assholes who show up

and who make
so much more money than you?

These rich assholes who pretend
that they love the country,

take a couple drives,
write a couple cheques,

and they're gone.

That's to you.

The question is for you.

I just drive,
I focus on the road.

There you go.

That's a stereotypical driver's
answer!

What's fascinating,
if you're aware of it,

if you're somewhat intelligent

and have a bit of curiosity,

is to see how

there are those who drive
and others who watch them.

Oh yes.

People who stop to look,

people who turn around,

they see these cars pass
and they say,

"They aren't one of us."

Is there anything positive

about the huge foreign presence
in this country?

What good can come of it
today for the Haitian people?

What do we do with all these Whites
fucking over the country?

Seriously, they're not helping.

They're here,
they talk shit all the time,

and the country sinks deeper
into the shitpile.

Do you see the boat?

Looks like it's going
to another country.

It's leaving Haiti.

I see someone over there.

-Is that the edge of Haiti?
-No, Haiti keeps going that way.

That's foreign territory.

Straight that way,
where you see the boat.

-No.
-That's Miami.

You're nuts.

You're even more nuts
because that's Cuba.

-Let me see.
-That's where Cuba is on the map.

I'm talking about this way.

Over past the mountain.

That's Cuba?

-No, Saint-Domingue.
-Saint-Domingue is back behind us.

There's a thing called a shark,
my brother.

Who would it most like to eat?

Mario, because of his light skin.

This is a real oasis
compared to what you see out there.

But it's also a bit
of a gilded cage.

We are easily locked in.

It's been almost four weeks

since I've been outside
because of "peyi lok".

Once you're out,
everything changes.

Once you're out,
it's more working-class.

It's really different.

You can feel the tension
in the neighbourhood.

Yes, there's tension.

When someone looks over,
it's not...

There is tension.

At the end, we turn right.

There's not
a single tap-tap (taxi bus).

I think there's a problem up ahead.

Yeah, we can't go any further.

I see the police.

That car up ahead
is turning around.

Try to go and see.

But I think
we'll have to turn around.

There's a protest going on.

Yeah.

That's no good.

That means the country
is still under lockdown.

It's definitely not over yet.

One tap-tap. Two tap-taps.

That's it.

Small groups
tend to gobble up all the wealth.

When one person's driving around
in a car worth $60,000

and another person doesn't even have
50 cents to get something to eat,

the poor guy ends up wanting
to break the rich guy's windshield.

It is this inequality
in Haitian society

that has led
to the current situation.

I don't think
you can get any further.

-What?
-You can't go further.

-I can't hear you.
-You can't get through here.

Right. I'm not going that way.

If we turn to the Bible,

to the Old Testament,

God always called out to Man,

and when the Children of Israel
were struggling,

he sent prophets
to lament for them.

At one point, there was a drought,
people were dying,

and prophets like Eli

beseeched on their behalf
for the rain to fall.

As for the situation that we're in,
as Christians,

the first thing we must do
is pray

for God to intervene
on Haiti's behalf.

Because God...

Prayer will get us
out of this situation?

We already pray a lot!

How do you want to get there?

Take Route Frères.

Have you been in Port-au-Prince
for long?

-No.
-What are you doing here?

Right now, I'm working
in Port-au-Prince.

I'm a lawyer by training,
and also a social worker.

I'm involved in the struggle

for women's rights in Haiti.

It's not easy,
but we're holding up.

You see these women?

They are the heads
of their families.

They have a lot of children.

I have women like this
in my family.

They're what motivate me.

I watch my aunts, my close friends,
my neighbours,

they work hard all day long,

but they do
in the informal sector.

These women have never had access
to regular resources.

All the problems you see

have to do with
how our society was built.

The stubborn patriarchy

is the underlying cause
of every problem in this society.

You see? For example,
if I do an amazing job,

- and I notice this all the time -

people don't congratulate me
for my professionalism,

they say: "Congratulations,
you're a woman."

That's what convinced me that
we have to bring down this system.

Everyone has a role to play
in achieving gender equality.

-You know what I'm saying?
-Yes.

Looks like there was a fire here.

Yeah, I saw that.
It's the crisis.

There was a fire.

-It's the crisis.
-Yes.

I don't think it has
anything to do with the protests.

I don't know.

It's complicated.

Hi, how's it going?

We're totally stuck.

There's someone in the car with me.

Any news of the situation?

How are things going?

Hold on, let me ask someone.

Excuse me, do you know anything
about the situation on the streets?

The protest is coming
to Pétion-Ville.

Anything can change
from one moment to the next.

The country is under
a lot of stress.

Jovenel thief

We often hear the judges say

that the street is for cars,

the sidewalk is for pedestrians,

and vendors should sell their wares
in the markets.

Oh my God, come on!

You think the vendors like

being out there, exposed
to the sun, the dust, the rain?

Can you understand the situation?

It's a really big problem.

It's a problem that I addressed

in my first book,

Feminism and Social Activism
in Haiti.

This issue of vendors
that invade every street,

especially in Port-au-Prince,

is very much connected

to the larger problem
of agriculture.

The Haitian government
and the international organizations

encourage workers
to leave the agricultural sector.

But then what happens
with all the out-of-work farmers?

They come to the city.

Little by little,
as people jammed into the slums,

our harvest started to come

from humanitarian aid
and from NGOs.

What does that mean?
It means you're giving charity.

And the person receiving the charity
can't say a word about it.

It's this unhealthy relationship

that brings us
to our current situation

where we have over a thousand NGOs
from all over the world.

From Canada, France, Germany,
Belgium, etcetera.

The international community tells us

that we have to lower
our customs tariffs.

So we drop import tariffs
to almost nothing,

and people are out of work.

So the NGOs say, "Those poor people,
they have to eat!

"We have to ship in
something to eat.

"We'll bring them rice,
corn and oil."

So it's clear

that the thing that
has to change radically is

this kind of perverse relationship

with the so-called
international community.

We know that
from some countries,

big industrialized
capitalist countries,

and international organizations
like the IMF, the World Bank,

the European Union, the IDB,
etcetera,

what we only got is

a fatal assistance.

They infantilize the Haitian state,

which no longer takes
any responsibility for anything.

There's this idea of the White Man
who comes to fix everything,

but today, we can clearly see

that what the Haitian people want

is to take care of their own affairs.

What a big church!

Yes, and it's close.

This church is open
every day of the week.

Careful here.
The road's no good.

We'll see if we can get through.

We'll see if this is truly
a zo reken.

These cars!

Try to back up a bit.

It's not solid,
I can feel it under the wheels.

There was a camp further down,
but they tore it down.

But this camp is still here.
It's been here the whole time.

Really?

It's been here for a long time,
since the earthquake.

We forgot about it.

At one point, we really believed
in NGO aid.

But after the earthquake,

the NGOs saw the Haitian people
in a different light,

and we got a different
perspective of the NGOs as well.

Now, no one trusts them anymore.

The people have come to understand
that NGOs operate like an industry

in spite of the country's poverty.

They pay out all their money
in employee salaries

and they buy all these big cars.

In fact, NGOs popularized
the zo reken in Haiti.

I've heard that there's
a certain distrust of zo rekens.

Zo rekens symbolize
the NGOs that bring aid,

but the government has been
using them more and more.

The police have a fleet
of zo rekens

that they use to break up
protests.

We've seen
a few zo rekens

carrying armed personnel
that fire on the population.

It's disgusting.

When shots are fired,
they say:

"Watch out, there's a zo reken
firing at civilians!"

That mostly happens
in cities outside the capital.

You can divide this money
between you.

You have to share it.
Are you going to give him his share?

Are you sure?

Yeah, sure. Trust me.

I'll divide it up.

Divide it up among you.

He's a thief.
Why did you lie to him?

Go talk to him.
All right.

You can't have much of a brain
if you believe him.

Have a good day.

That was a good example

of how people
are so precarious here,

they no longer show
any solidarity.

That's a big problem.

So many people are living
in desperation,

but it's each to their own,
dog eat dog,

because what little they get
is not enough to share with others.

They don't live
in a situation

where they can watch out
for each other.

Did you find
what you were looking for?

Yeah, I got medication
for my high blood pressure.

You know, these days in Haiti,
with the situation here,

we all have terribly
high blood pressure.

And it's really dangerous.

At my age, there's a high risk
of heart attack.

The hospitals here,

and the very few health centres
we had in Haiti

have been completely defunded.

When the international groups came
after the earthquake,

they barged in and offered
free health care services,

which meant that the structures
we had in place

could no longer function.

They did two things:

they poached all
the local trained medical personnel,

paying them much higher salaries
to work for them,

and they provided
free health services.

So Haitians stopped
going to locally run health centres.

Today, the international community
that had come to help,

- and I thank them,
I'm not spitting on their support -

they're going home, leaving behind

a public healthcare system
that is completely out of date.

Hello. Is the Haitian
Community Hospital this way?

May lightning strike me down!

Whites! We're not playing anymore!

We're hungry!
Go fuck off!

You see how aggressive they are?

Yes, very aggressive.

There are rocks on the road.

I'm so traumatized

that when I see rocks somewhere,
I think they are a barricade.

-But that was a barricade.
-Alright then.

At Delmas intersection 32

they want to know who's coming
to stop the protesters

from putting up barricades.

They're waiting for people to come
and clear the barricades away.

You can come in.

Get comfortable.

We'll try to find a way
with the fewest barricades.

If I go up the Route Frères,
there will be barricades,

so I'll go through Vivi Michel.

-Are you comfortable?
-Yeah, I'm okay.

Hello?

How are you?

I'm not good at all.

I got beaten up.
I was on the road.

Since Sunday I've been
at the Haitian Community Hospital.

Now I'm on the road
heading to Bernard Mevs Hospital.

My jaw is broken.
I'm with Fred.

I can't talk for long.
I'll call you when I get the chance.

The doctor said
that when I talk too much,

my blood pressure goes up.

What happened to you?

I was on Bourdon
close to the Catholic School.

We heard on the radio

that the protest wasn't far away.

Some men left the protest
on motorbikes

and whenever they met anyone
on the street,

they searched them
and beat them up.

When they got to me,

they took my bag
and then they beat me up.

And then I fell down the stairs.

Some people passing by
came to my aid.

We were going to go
to La Paix Hospital.

I saw a man lying on the ground.

He'd been killed.

You didn't see
what had happened to him?

I just saw him dead on the ground.

When I got to La Paix Hospital,

they told me
they couldn't treat me there.

They sent me to
the Community Hospital.

We're transporting an injured man.

We're going to the hospital.

Thanks.

Let them through!

Tell him to move.

Thanks.

Am I turning here?

Go over to the blue jeep.

Towards the guy selling cigarettes
on the left.

Yeah, on the left.

He doesn't see me.

They don't recognize me
because I'm not in my car!

In the street, people only know you
by the car you drive!

Who are you trying to flag down?

That guy in the ball cap.

Excuse me!

Someone here wants to talk to you.

Go to the other side,
someone wants to talk to you.

It's me.

How's it going?

I heard that a couple of days ago,

young men were killed in the area.

Yes.

Eight people were killed
close to Mapou.

On this side,
close to the flowers?

No, further down at the cross street
close to Barak.

Close to Barak?
By Mapou?

Yes. A lot of people were killed
close to Mapou.

I was home at the time.
It was a massacre.

Twelve or thirteen people
were killed.

In the middle of Pétion-Ville
on Monday night.

The dead bodies were taken away
in black bags.

They took them away?

We knew some of the people.

Was there anyone present
that wasn't killed?

Are there witnesses?

We knew some of these young people.

Did you find the bodies
the next day?

Yes.

They were some young street kids.

I don't get why it's not all over
the news and on the radio.

I was wondering that yesterday too.

I called those
who started talking about it.

Send me photos.

I find it so weird.
There was no outcry.

It's a massacre.
Almost like the one at La Saline.

One of them died at the hospital
from loss of blood.

His friends are asking for money

to organize a funeral
this week.

It's a massacre.

Where are the bodies?

There's not a huge difference
between this and La Saline.

Eighteen people in Pétion-Ville.

I knew at least four
of these young boys.

-Do you know their names?
-No.

What were they doing?

Caravel was shot.
He was a hard liquor vendor.

He lived by Chez Matheis.

Caravel, like the soccer team.

What was his real name?

I don't know.

Caravel? Where did he live?

Is he dead?

Where was he killed?

He lives on Route Frères.

Across from Chez Matheis.

His name is there on the wall.
That's where he lives.

He organized social activities
around soccer games.

Caravel isn't his real name,
it's his nickname, right?

It's the nickname
that everyone knew him by.

What was he doing here?

Passing by.

He was passing by and he stopped
for a few minutes

to talk to a friend.

He ended up getting gunned down.

And who else?
You say there were others you knew?

I only know their faces.

They lived in the area.
I don't know their names.

But their families...

-Makendy.
-Makendy?

He died at the hospital yesterday.

I'm going to send this
to the journalists.

It was a massacre.

Not that different from the killings
at La Saline.

They left some bodies on the ground

and drove off with the others
into the night.

They put some of them
into the car,

but it was too small
to hold them all.

Some of them went to the hospital,
where they died.

We can't tolerate this regime.
We've had enough.

This is even worse
than Duvalierism.

Ma'am, these kinds of things
didn't happen under Duvalier.

The car that they used...

A zo reken.

They put some of the bodies
in the car

and left others on the ground.

That's when he was still alive.

-That's Makendy?
-Yes.

We demand justice for our brother,

who died
in questionable circumstances.

He died at La Paix Hospital.

Street kids, mother.

-Is that Makendy?
-Yeah, Makendy Texani.

We demand justice.

I'm in my own country,

I was born here,
in the heart of the Caribbean,

why can't I walk in the street
in Pétion-Ville?

When I was at
the hospital yesterday,

they were just finishing
operating on him.

He was okay,
he was speaking normally.

When we were with him,

a group of chiefs
came in.

-Policemen?
-Yeah.

They came in and talked to him.

Our friend was speaking really well.

He asked us to buy him
something to eat

but he wasn't allowed
to be eating or drinking.

I was at the hospital around 10am,

and then around 3 or 4,
I went home.

When I got back
to Jalousie district,

they called me to say
that he'd died.

When the chiefs were done
talking to him,

they gave him some medication.

Maybe that's what killed him.

The chiefs said they were asking
questions for the investigation?

I think so.

You were there,
did you see them?

Was it policemen in the car,
or civilians?

We didn't see their faces.

What were they wearing?

They just rolled down their windows.
They were all in black, with masks.

They rolled down the windows,

pointed their guns
and rained down terror.

I didn't see the faces
of any of the men

that did the killing
in the streets on Monday night.

May God bless them.

I hope they kill me before
they get what they deserve,

because God sees their actions.

We were born in Port-au-Prince,
this is where our roots are.

We accept cruelty
with strength and courage

because we believe
God is with us.

They kill the people non-stop.

One day, they will be killed
by the people.

Their fate will be worse
than ours

because someone will have
bigger guns than them.

We believe in our power.

We are Black maroons.
We're not scared.

We're from here.
We believe in our magic.

We demand justice.

-What is your name?
-Mario.

-Call me tomorrow.
-Okay, no problem.

Mother!
We're counting on you, my dear!

I make no promises.

I'm going to try and lend a hand.

If a door is closed,
I'll try to help you open it,

because I have more resources
than you.

Mother, help us!

We don't have enough resources.

You need money to hold funerals
for how many people?

Only Makendy.

We don't know about the others.
But Makendy is our brother.

He had no mother, no father.

Where is his family?
We're right here.

Since he's been on the street,
he's been part of our family.

But his real family?

They are here.

Can I contact one of them?

You can go to his wife or his uncle
if you want.

His mother and father are dead.

His uncle and aunt
and his sister and wife are here.

We'll see tomorrow.

He left behind a baby
that's not even two months old yet.

His baby is a month
and three days old.

He called the kid Ti Petro.

I heard that he was killed
because of that name.

Miss, I'm telling the truth,
it's really terrible.

We live in a country
that has been turned upside down.

When Jovenel leaves...

Mother, whatever happens,
Jovenel will leave.

Anyway, thank you mother.

I applaud your courage.

The system must fall.

We're not scared of them.

Tell them that the day will come
when they will be the ones to die.

Tell those thieves who killed
my brother

that we're not scared of them.

We are firebrands.

If they come, we'll grow horns.
We are the sons of Bois Caïman.

We, the Black maroons,
are not scared of these shits!

The State never serves

The powerless

The unfortunates who perish

Those who suffer in life

But the State is well placed

To kill them when it wishes

And defend the interests of the few

To please the bourgeoisie

It is never defined

I mean the word bourgeoisie

So everyone can know

Exactly what it means

There's so much old debris

Their dream is to make a killing

They are ready
to compromise anything

Even betray their family

If you want to protest

That's your right
because you're exploited

Unfortunately
you're in the minority

And the bourgeoisie has the State

That it can send to control you

People, stand upright

Your fate is in your hands

Open your eyes to keep watch

On those who use you

To settle their own affairs

I have a problem
with the word "White".

It symbolizes...

The word "White" in Haiti
doesn't refer to a person's colour.

"White" means "foreigner".

Take the example of a soldier
from the UN Mission in Haiti:

his skin might be black,
but he speaks English.

So he's a White.

It's nothing to do with his colour.

Today, we need someone

who can look the Whites
right in the eyes

and tell them what we want.

"This is what we want."

We don't need any more NGOs.

We don't want foreign aid.

Yeah, but we have to say that.

Foreigners have messed
a lot of things up in this country.

Haitians are really courageous.

I doubt we'd see that happen
on the other side.

Young people who wake up every day
and go out to get shot at.

They get up every day
and stand up to the power.

That's a very courageous thing.

You don't see that happening
elsewhere.

It's a rare thing.

When I go to bed at night,
the gunfire keeps me awake.

I want to go to sleep
but I can't.

It's the masses
that suffer in these revolutions.

That's the problem.

It's the people and the children

that suffer and die
while others have it easy.

I wanted to buy $20 of rice today

and as I waited in line,
they jacked up the price.

So we suffer the consequences.

When you were waiting in line?

As you're buying it,
they raise the price.

We have to pay for it.

They're making a fortune
off of us.

We have to move in
and settle the situation.

We have to address
all of the problems.

Is it possible
to fix all the problems?

This isn't the first time that
this kind of thing has happened.

We need men of integrity
who are aware and capable.

Our president said: "Cross the sea
to improve your life."

In any other country,

he would have resigned
after a declaration like that.

The system and the president
are two different things, you know.

He's not alone.

A simple question:

if your father didn't know
how to drive and wanted

to take you to Les Cayes,
would you get in the car with him?

No, I wouldn't go.

Good question!

That's what I'm saying.

Should we elect someone simply
because they are well-intentioned?

Is that a good enough reason
to vote for someone?

And that brings us to the question
of the level of public education.

If we need a revolution,

nothing is more important
than making it happen.

The Haitian people
are never ready for that.

Let me put it very simply.

If we hadn't done anything in 1986,
would we be here talking about it?

They would have called us a riot.

Let me explain.

In '86, anytime there were more
than 10 people meeting together,

it was considered an uprising.

That means the army could come in
and fire on you

just because there were
more than 10 people together.

This is very important.

Listen to me.

In '86, if you got
a high school diploma,

you had to hide it.

People had to hide it

because if you were getting
an education,

you could rise up against Duvalier.

You can't say
that '86 was pointless.

Today, if we can talk openly,

if journalists can interview people,

it's because of '86.

Lots of young people died
for '86.

A lot of people don't realize it.

"Don't forget '86",
like Jovenel says.

He doesn't know
what he's talking about.

This is the movement
that led to the Arab Spring.

It's what happened
in Haiti in '86

that led to the Arab Spring.

And now in 2019,

we can give rise
to other revolutions,

other revolts
in other countries.

I really think
we have to ask the questions

that will help to bring us
out of this mess.

Exactly. That's clear.

A Haitian poet once said,

"Ask your questions to the walls.

"If they don't answer,
knock them down."

My back is wide

The rulers are putting
their burden on my shoulders

My back is wide

A patriot in need of help
can put his burden on my shoulders

I struggle for my country

For the good of this land,
for the people

We are ready to die

We are so close to death

We're not afraid of death

So that this people can live

Oh yes.

For everyone.

A country for all

is one that should benefit
all of its citizens.

Not just a small group
of individuals

named Lavalas, Makout or PHTK.

The people should benefit

from all of this country's
resources.

The country
is for the Haitian people.

And we are ready

for this sacrifice.

So the people may live.

Oh yes.

The Bible says,
in Lamentations 4:10,

"Those who die in war
are better off

"than those who accept to live

"on their knees."

Why should we live on our knees?

Why

beg for our living?

Why live

in filth?

In promiscuity?

That's not living.

That's not life.

That's mere existence.

A little white aristocracy

wants to make us into slaves,

into a people on the margins,

into a misguided people.

They behave like colonists
and the people like slaves.

No, we say no.

This is not possible.