Tag Archives: 1986
Jean-Claude Duvalier
Jean‑Claude Duvalier was Haiti’s “president for life” from 1971 to 1986, succeeding his father François “Papa Doc” Duvalier. The Duvaliers are estimated to have ordered the deaths of between twenty and thirty thousand Haitian civilians. The brutality of their government created the modern Haitian diaspora, driving hundreds of thousands of Haitians [...]
Posted in Haiti Also tagged 1957, 1971, 2011, americas, archives, democracy, dictatorship, Duvalier, Haiti, history, United States 3 Comments
Port-au-Prince
inside the car
françois and i
could see the light
coming from the
cigarette michelle
duvalier was smoking
her husband
declared president
for life looked like
a fat chauffer
sitting behind the
wheel
françois
and i smiled
the small
procession of cars
slipping past us
in the dark
we did not know
that a few miles
away people were
already celebrating
nor could we see
the joy on the faces
of the men who ran
holding knives [...]
Posted in Haiti Also tagged archives, dictatorship, Duvalier, Haiti, history, Port-au-Prince, representation 3 Comments
Jean-Claude Duvalier, February 8, 1986