Haitian Man – Technician
< Previous Part Nine (Nevyèm): EXIT Survive/Die? Port-de-PaixChristmas Eve, 1991 Late that night, Jè arrives at the Port-au-Paix cathedral and is surprised to find its doors unlocked. He can hear piano music but doesn’t hear voices. He pushes a door open and steps inside. Jè has never been in a Catholic cathedral before, just the … Read more
< Previous Mother Mary’s They arrive at Mother Mary’s with Ti Mon, Jocelyn and her baby just in time for dinner. The nuns quickly swarm around them. They guide everyone but Matt into a nearby women’s dorm and close the door. Matt’s not sure what to do with himself until an older priest approaches him. … Read more
< Previous Part 8: DEFEND Extract Montana Hotel Ashley and Matt are driving their Land Cruiser from their guest house to the Montana Hotel. It’s Sunday, so Jocelyn should be at church services this morning. They’re dressed in their best “missionary garb”; Matt in white shirt with clip-on tie and Ashley in her most formal … Read more
< Previous Kevin looks lost in thought and Father Vitor waits for him to continue, “I wasn’t going to mention this today, but my NGO told me that my last chance airline ticket will be at the Pan Am counter on New Years Day.” Father Vitor nods his head, “That’s the signal. You’ve become a … Read more
< Previous Part 8: DEFEND Organize Mother Mary’s The thrice-damned roosters announce the morning as Kevin arrives at Mother Mary’s. The guardian looks carefully in Kevin’s SUV before waving him through the gate. Kevin grins at him and says, “No contraband this time. But thanks for double-checking!” The guard knows enough English to crack a … Read more
< Previous Part 8: DEFEND Adapt Downtown Port-au-Prince and the airport are under military control and Kevin’s mobility is limited. He avoids public markets, gatherings, or churches and moves between houses frequently. Jè and Henri continue their plan to build out the Ti Legliz comms network. Kevin stays clear of Carrefour and the Ti Legliz … Read more
< Previous Part 7: MEN WITH GUNS Police State Haiti The military rounds up what remains of the political opposition and installs a provisional government with vague assurances of future elections. Haiti is open for business again so come on down and place your bets and bribes. In response, the international community places an embargo … Read more
< Previous Part 6: BETRAYAL Huddled Masses Bon Chance Refugee Camp After finishing up some meetings in Petionville a few days later, Kevin receives a panicked request via Tele-Joel to place a collect call to NYC. He finds a Telco, pays the “seating fee” to wait for a phone and makes the call. He’s connected … Read more
< Previous Part 5: LESSONS Survival Carrefour After returning with Jè, Kevin settles into a new routine at the station. The Head Engineer has postponed his vacation. Tim is busy in Petionville, setting up soft rock radio station for the upper classes. Making everything less difficult, Kevin has also solved his transportation problem. Jè helped … Read more
< Previous Part 5: LESSONS Choices Ti Legliz Village As the summer draws to a close, the pastors in Ceyes and the Americans at Protestant Radio are asking more questions about Kevin’s activities and whereabouts, now that his mission has been accomplished. Jè suggests that Kevin return to the station the following weekend. Kevin tries … Read more
< Previous Part 5: LESSONS Resilience Ti Legliz Village Kevin spends the rest of his time at Ti Legiz climbing up and down Mount Boueffe and working on other projects as assigned by Solange or Father Jean. He sends reports to Tim and Head Engineer about progress, never mentioning that he’s not camping on the … Read more
< Previous Sitting on the ground while considering options, Kevin hears new voices. He looks up and is sees an old Haitian man climbing the hill, followed by a young boy. Panielle is already watching carefully. When the man arrives at the tower, he begins telling a lengthy story. Kevin can’t follow it, but Panielle … Read more
< Previous Mount Boeffe, Southern Haiti Mountain Range Their meal complete, Solange and Father Jean say goodbye. “We’ll be over at the orphanage for the rest of the day if anyone needs us.” Henri takes Kevin, Panielle and the rest of the men into a small garden shed behind the chapel. He turns on a … Read more
< Previous Ti Legliz As they walk, Kevin sees that this base community is a strongpoint that could easily become a kill zone. The houses are arranged around the stone chapel inside a walled town square. Kevin has heard from reliable sources that the GOH / cartels will send “tax collectors” into some of these … Read more
< Previous Part 4: COLLABORATORS Community Department of Sud, Ti Legliz Village Eventually they reach a plateau and the path fades into a small pasture, shaded by fir trees. There are a few well maintained homes arranged in a cluster around a one-story chapel which anchors the town square. This community isn’t on any maps … Read more
< Previous Department of Sud, Highway 1 toward Cayes Jè drives the station’s small Geo SUV on the main highway south. Highway 1 is really just a two-lane road with one shared lane of asphalt. Kevin doesn’t have a driver’s license or any documentation other than his US passport and a letter of Radio Protestant … Read more
< Previous Jè and Kevin step away and catch their breath before returning to the bags. Kevin dumps one onto the floor, disgorging a cloud of dust, chemicals, and rat droppings into the work space. Jè does the same with the remaining bag and a plume of dust fills the engineering bay. Coughing and sneezing, … Read more
< Previous Part 4: COLLABORATORS Safety First Radio Protestant, Carrefour Kevin spends the next week preparing for his excursion to Mount Boeffe in Southern Haiti. It’s one of the highest peaks on a mountain range that begins near Miragoane and then bisects Haiti with Cayes to the south and Jeremie to the north of its … Read more
< Previous The damned roosters rouse Kevin and Ashley from their bamboo mat on the roof. They found a mosquito net at some point and arranged it in a tent/lean-to against the water barrel. They don’t hear any gunfire and the smoke has cleared. They make their way downstairs where Jocelyn has set up breakfast … Read more
< Previous Carrefour Kevin splits time between the FM station in Petionville and the main AM station and programming offices in Carrefour. The area around the station is growing rapidly as many Haitians from the provinces have been forced into the Port-au-Prince urban sprawl. Haiti’s political conflict has disrupted the country’s fragile economic system, resulting … Read more