Sean Penn and Wyclef Jean: Hollywood, Hip Hop and Haiti

AUGUST 9, 2010 1:31AM
Sean Penn and Wyclef Jean: Hollywood, Hip Hop and Haiti
http://open.salon.com/blog/ezili_danto/2010/08/08/hollywood_hip_hop_and_haiti_sean_penn_and_wyclef_jean


Two things we know for sure: Hollywood and Hip Hop get media attention. And, for Haiti that translates into big media hype and megaphones for actor Sean Penn and rapper-turned-presidential candidate, Wyclef Jean.

Forget that people's trust and naive responses to celebrities-turned-scholar-on-Haiti and Haiti's future are unseemly and utterly appalling.

Think: how may we use this upcoming and unprecedented 3-months media glare - the elections are scheduled for November 28, 2010 - to help the 2 million Haitians made homeless by the earthquake stay alive, sheltered, not in rotted tents but more permanent abodes, with water, food, medicine and maybe some jobs; push for the monies raised to be used for Haiti's domestic growth and the victims directly, for fair trade not sweatshops and poor Haiti subsidizing Monsanto's future profits, et al and push to get rid of the poverty pimp NGOs, end the UN occupation by showing the failures, these last six-years, of the UN, the NGOs, Clinton, their repugnance? (Haiti ill-served by aid by Ezili Dantò of HLLN.)

How to use this media glare? To take away the smiley face that was put on tyranny, UN/US occupation and the benevolent face put on structural poverty, white venality and vampirism in Black Haiti? The real narrative on Haiti cannot be allowed to fall through the cracks while this PENN/WYCLEF-hype gives the US corporatocracy and Haiti oligarchy more cover to continue their pillage, plunder of Haiti's resources, impoverishment and destruction of Haiti. There's work to do, people. (See, The Slavery in Haiti the Media Won't Expose; What UN Special Envoy Bill Clinton May do to Help Haiti, 2001- outline and full text; What Haitian Americans Ask of the New US Congress and President; Haiti's Riches - expose the false stereotypes; A map of some of Haiti's mining resources; The Poverty Pimps' Masturbating on Black Pain: Monsanto joins the pack and Vision of Plantation Haiti - A White Pearl, Again!

"As a result of these US free trade policies, over 830,000 rural Haitian jobs were lost and hundreds of thousands of Haitians were forced into the capital looking for work, where eventually they would meet up with Jan 12 at 4:53. " (Vision of Plantation Haiti - A White Pearl, Again!" ; "We accomplished our own ends in the United States on the tears of Haitian children."- Intro of the panelists at an MIT presentation on Haiti-Video.)
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WYCLEF'S RUN FOR PRESIDENT OF HAITI, SEAN PENN TAKE:

So far, the Sean Penn's script in Haiti, has been written by USAID and the US State Department as we noted back in May when he testified before the foreign relations committee. (Sean Penn, new spokesperson for Colonialism, Exclusion and Haiti's Oligarchy: he says, don't encourage Haiti's independence, that's premature and murder!)

But, the Hollywood's bad boy, one time heroin user, reputed cokehead, former husband to Lady Gaga's godmother, Madonna, who once filed assault charges against him, is starting to get a clue almost 7-months into his Haiti sojourn and the Charlie Rose interview marks that demarcation.

Still, Penn's paternalism and white privilege arrogance is so offensive that even if he's starting to see the NGO's are a business in Haiti, his notion that he's qualified to speak about Wyclef's run because of his six-months in Haiti, is blatantly offensive.

Penn is not an opportunist. I have it on good eyewitness authority that he genuinely manages the best tent camp in Port au Prince. But he seems to believe he has STANDING and legitimate media authority to say, not the Haitian people, but for HIM to say, because of his running the tent camp, that Wyclef Jean should not be running for president. There are just no words to express the temerity of these white boys sometimes. Penn is simply NOT the proper person to take this issue to - the people in Haiti are! How is it that they are being by-passed for Penn's opinions? How could Sean Penn not even get it that seven-months after the earthquake, his very presence in Haiti, still at a tent city golf RESORT, which he puts HIS name on, is merely further evidence of the Jake Sully/Tarzan messiah complex as played out in Haiti, in Africa, everywhere in Black and Brown countries, not much different from the NGO as a business issue he is denouncing.

There are forces behind each of these people - Penn and Wyclef Jean, with political interests that may not be similar to what the masses in Haiti see for themselves. Forces perhaps that neither Penn nor Jean are fully aware of, and may not understand who pull the strings and manipulated them into both being stooges for empire.

For one, recall how, before the earthquake Wyclef Jean was a media darling and a US/UN/Clinton favorite in Haiti. He was Ambassador-at- Large with a security detail and VIP treatment at the airport. When the earthquake hit that favor was transferred to clueless, first-time-doing Haiti-charity-work, Sean Penn! Not the security detail, but his crew had access to the airport when regular Haitians and more veteran search and rescue and first responders were being denied; access to military logistics while Wyclef Jean's crew had to come in through the Dominican Republic! At one point in the early days, when Wyclef Jean went to the airport with a crowd of Haitians to pick up the mounds of food, water, medicines that was just piling up there, he was denied, the crowd of eager-to-help Haiti youths who had followed him witnessed this treatment of Wyclef, embarrassed and shamed and force to leave empty handed.

Meanwhile Sean Penn's star in Haiti was rising, in his safe compound on a golf resort area fully protected by the military. Nevermind that most Haitians in Kafou Fey and elsewhere outside this "green zone," had no access to medicine, water, blood transfusions, no safety or that in general, and notwithstanding Sean Penn's well run camp, many of the World Relief organizations and various other NGOS are, in the main, using aid monies for paying their high-end salaries, traveling, for shipping fees to their own companies, for attending meetings ad nausea, some buying prostitutes and living the high life in Haiti.

World Vision, among other NGOs are leasing homes in the Haiti mountains of upper Petionville for from $6,000 to 12,000 per month paying for electricity and everything else plus renting huge SUVs from the Haitian Oligarchy. While the Haitian elite are taking this opportunity to leave Haiti and rent their plush homes for big money raised for earthquake victim relief. The new ROTATIONS from the World Relief organizations and the extra UN/US deployed personnel since the earthquake have comfortably replaced those flown out as the "new foreign elite moving in."

All this is going on. But none of the top Haiti charity moneymakers’ tax returns were publicly exposed by the IRS or were dressed down by the media for their misuse of Haiti funds. NGO businesses like Red Cross, World Vision, Care International, Catholic Relief Services, UN world food programs, known charities that have been collecting on Haiti's poverty and pillaging Haiti for decades after decades, none of them were dressed down for their misuse of dollars collected in Haiti. But soon after the earthquake, ONLY Wyclef Jean's Yele foundation was singled out and uncovered to have IRS problems and a $400,000 discrepancy issue in his management of Yele Haiti foundation funds.

Before the earthquake, these problems were not made public or cited anywhere that we know about. Wyclef was needed then to put a smiley Haitian face to US imperialism. But he's being reigned in now and there is a reason. A black messiah who save earthquake victims, has Hollywood cache, a tent city, and who was not stopped from competing with Red Cross for donation dollars probably isn't controllable enough for the US Kingmakers in Haiti. It's no surprise to us at Ezili's HLLN that today the actor Sean Penn, the new carefully cultivated Haiti "expert," suddenly is the one 'suspicious' of Wyclef Jean's bid for Haiti president and getting a huge mainstream platform to say so. Notice, in the USA Today article photo, Sean Penn is wearing his Haiti medal. He's our new white expert on "all things Haitian!" ( See, also Sean Penn Hopes His Critics Get Rectal Cancer ; Youtube Video - Sean Penn 'suspicious' of Wyclef Jean's bid for Haiti president .) Where's Paul Farmer, ya'll? We've gone into cartoon land. The sideshow eclipses the living, breathing, suffering Haiti people enduring over 6-nightmarish years of US/US occupation and slaughters and NGO pillage never covered by the mainstream media. The election carnival is just beginning and has reduced, for the moment, the worst disaster in recorded human history to what actor Sean Penn has to say about hip hop rapper Wyclef Jean's run to sit at the crumbled National Palace in Haiti! Elections under occupation? Neither are saying - krik, not a word, about that!


WYCLEF JEAN: Rapper turned Presidential Candidate

Talking about standing. Although Wyclef Jean supported the forced removal of Haiti's democratically elected president Aristide; although Wyclef Jean was part of the bicentennial boycott and one who called the murdering US-supported Guy Philippe death squads, "freedom fighters"; although Wyclef Jean used his goodwill from his music fame to open Site Soley slums up to UN guns and then left his young Black male supporters to be rounded up and imprisoned indefinitely without charges, a hearing or a trial for years and years, never saying a word to request they be tried or set free; although all this is true, we are not going to restate this case evidencing Wyclef Jean's undemocratic political leanings or, non-humanitarian interventions. Why? Because at Ezili's HLLN we try not to enter into fratricide and use our limited resources towards changing the paradigm put in place by Category One, the imperialists, not any variety of Category Zero, their Black subcontractors, manipulated or not.

Besides, Wyclef Jean has done a singularly good job in bringing a different international narrative to Haiti.

His narrative is different because when Wyclef Jean and Haiti come together it’s not about the mainstream media's usual violent-Haiti narrative, the in-fighting-Haitians narrative, nor the corrupt-Haiti narrative but a successful young man who won against all odds. That, is not to be discounted. It must be put into context. There's no justice or reason for destroying Wyclef Jean simply because he is running for President of Haiti and may also owe the IRS some taxes, or may have connection to sweatshop investors that may fleece the people's labor. On these points, Haitians will undoubtedly speak, the people may even vote or withhold their vote. They will do it, for themselves. Do Haitians need Penn to "protect them" from Wyclef Jean! No. They need Penn to go to Washington, go see his own folks and use his media and Hollywood power to get Washington's boots off their necks!

Wyclef Jean 's life story inspires millions upon millions of young Haitians, Black men in America and youths worldwide. It's something to be built upon, in the appropriate manner. His Foundation's funds also ought to be well managed and monies collected and disbursed readily accounted for. He has been important to Haiti and Haitians, living and home and abroad, not because of his music career success but also because he's used his success to lift up Haiti, been proud to belong to Haiti and heralds from the masses. All this has been going on long before the Haiti golf course became the tent camp of Sean Penn. Long, long before.

In terms of his run for President of Haiti: Mr. Wyclef Jean, hype or not. Qualified to run a country or not, all that is BESIDES THE POINT and there's no need to opine on it right now. For, if the LAW applies, he simply has no STANDING to run for the post. Wyclef Jean does not meet the technical requirements to run for President of Haiti. To run he must, according to Article 135 of the Haiti Constitution, have LIVED in Haiti for a minimum of 5 years. Wyclef is a legal resident of New Jersey, USA. (See article 135 Haiti Constitution .)

Even if by some stretchhhhh, Mr. Wyclef Jean, should point to his 2007 appointment as Ambassador-at-large by President Preval as "residency in Haiti." He still falls short.

We await the Haiti Electoral Council (CEP)sdecision at Ezili's HLLN before making any further comments on the substance of this candidacy and that of the others who have filed, if required. It must be noted that we are under occupation and the law has been destroyed in Haiti, so who knows what the CEP will rule. We remember under the Bush imposed Latortue, when Gerard Latortue didn't like a legal decision, he just fired the Supreme Court. We recall that under the puppet Preval, when that government didn't like it that a judge ordered the Fanmi Lavalas party to be included as a registered party in the elections, he just fired the judge. So who knows, the CEP may ignore the law and let Wyclef Jean run. Bush ignored the Haiti Constitution and ousted President Aristide, put in the UN/US occupation and the Obama Administration is continuing the illegal prohibition, forbids President Aristide and his family from returning home. There's no respect for the law in the Haiti that's presently being run by ex-President Clinton as UN Envoy and that's under US/UN control, so there's no standard, no justice, no peace for Haiti at the moment.

Our principled position at Ezili's HLLN remains that election under occupation are illegitimate. But, if the people of Haiti vote and that vote is in any way manipulated, diluted, stolen, managed, hi-jacked by the Haiti subcontractors or Internationals, HLLN shall be here to play the oversight role we did back in 2006 and support, with our advocacy and pen, whatever "Montana strategy" the people of Haiti take on to make sure their voices and vote count.

What we do know, for now, is that there are some advantages to this media coverage of Haiti, through this Wyclef Jean candidacy. It may not help Mr. Jean. But it is an OPPORTUNITY for those of us who care to bring the REAL Haiti narrative to the fore on this media frenzy. I hope Ezili Network folks will take this opportunity to write op eds and respond and comment to CNN, Larry King, New York Times, Hollywood reporter, et al...


SEAN PENN:
Sean Penn, new spokesperson for Colonialism, Exclusion and Haiti's Oligarchy: he says, don't encourage Haiti's independence, that's premature and murder!

Sean Penn's anti-war work on Iraq did not sit well with the embedded media and US military, but he made it up with the media and US military in post earthquake Haiti.

Once, the media had labeled him, "Baghdad Sean" and accused Sean Penn of undermining American solidarity in a time of crisis. Penn's support and visits to Venezuela president, Hugo Chavez and to Cuba meeting with Raul Castro, both sworn enemies of American imperialism, also got him in trouble with the mainstream media and military. Not any more.

Today, he’s now a CNN, Larry King, Charlie Rose, et al... darling, not relentless attacked for his “anti-American stands against the war in Iraq.” No, he’s a “humanitarian” now, losing no chance to praise the US military presence in Haiti. US State Department/USAID mostly write the actor’s script in Haiti. He's palpable now. Digestible now. So, he's become a regular "go to" person whom the mainstream media will quote and consult with on the “Haiti situation.” Ahhh, the uses of Haiti!

"Baghdad Sean" gets on the good side of the US military and mainstream media in Haiti. See the May 19 Senate Hearing on Haiti - http://ning.it/9tov7G . Read Sean Penn's testimony praising the US military, Preval and the NGOs - http://ning.it/d2qkYl and urging the militarization of aid relief efforts as well as continued US/UN occupation - http://bit.ly/bpPcCW . ) Although the UN itself has said that violent Haiti is a myth and although the statistics show that there is more violence in the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Brazil and even in some places in the US, then there is in Haiti, Sean Penn, mouthing the Haiti Oligarchy, mainstream media and USAID/State Department's colonial narrative, writes and testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, that:

"President Preval and his administration have proven in their
pre-quake efforts the will of Haiti to overcome its devastating legacy. But to demand of them, or encourage their demand of a fractured society's independence prematurely, will be murder by another name.” --Sean Penn, May 19 Senate Hearing on Haiti . In fact, "Hellhole Haiti" is not as Violent as Peoria, Illinois. Haiti's homicide rate is five and a half times less than the average homicide rate in the entire Caribbean. The average for Haiti is 5.6 per 100,000 and the average for the Caribbean is 30 homicide per 100,000).
As a reward, it seems to us, for following the script perhaps put in front of him by USAID, the NGO subcontractors, et al, and by the mentally colonized "schooled" Haitians he runs into who are now running Haiti through the victory of two Bush Regime changes, Sean Penn was presented with a medal from President Preval for his Haiti work on the six-months anniversary ceremony at the destroyed National Palace and was presented with a MILITARY coin and several honorary certificates of commendation for his service in Haiti by the deputy commander of the U.S. Southern Command, Lieut Gen Ken Keen.

Sean Penn’s organization appears to be trying hard in Haiti to help save the lives in his golf resort tent city. There’s no denying that his camp's efforts have helped dying earthquake victims, have given morphine to patients screaming in pain, provided medicine, blood transfusions to keep them alive. That relief work is necessary and not discounted. Still, in the long run, when seven month on, people are still in Sean Penn’s camp, living in tents, not homes, this sort of "development" may soon become dependency.

At the end of the day, if there's no skill transfer and permanent infrastructure change, staffed by Haitians as owners not "helpers" to the foreign saviors, it's no different than before the earthquake and Penn’s organization may end up perpetuating itself to be in Haiti for decades like the other NGOS, trying, as Spike Lee gushes to “get this country on its feet! (Spike Lee praises Sean Penn's work in Haiti ; and The Plantation called Haiti: Feudal Pillage Masking as Humanitarian Aid.)

Penn public statements are evidence that he does not clearly see the unseen hands pulling the strings, manipulating from the very beginning or that Western military power and white privilege have vied for the soul of Black folks since the days of the missionaries. Penn does not seem to question how HE came to get this privilege of his OWN tent camp in Haiti. He seems to take it for GRANTED that, with no previous Haiti experience, he actually EARNED this position to manage the camp. He doesn’t seem to see the entitlement, or the strings attached and unintended harm being done as emergency phase turns into rebuilding phase and the people's lives evidence no rebuilding. Doesn’t seem to want to know that Haitians are not children; that with the resources, access and connections made available to HIM and his foreign organization and staffers by USAID, UN, the US military, Haitians in Haiti would have done more, saved more lives, covered a wider geographical area of people. Haitians in Haiti simply know the ground better than Penn.

On the Charlie Rose show, Penn said he intends a movie on his Haiti presence in the future. He explains Haitians are like "props" in a movie set put together by NGO's. Nonetheless, he says he sees himself as a DIRECTOR in the Haiti tent camp scenario with presumably Haiti’s people as props?

Mr. Penn appears to have NO CLUE how USAID/US State Department/Pentagon, more schooled in the patterns of privilege and domination are USING him to further their "do-gooder" narrative and deflect away from 6-years of failure in Haiti since the occupation and NGO republic began in earnest.

Here are Mr. Sean Penn's best and worst lines on the Charlie Rose show:

As you watch the Charlie Rose interview, there's a clear picture the NGO's are a business, they are in Haiti to keep Haiti dependent, continue their business existence using the poverty for their benefit.

Penn’s best lines,
1. “the rest of the world live like this, America is the fringe..."

2. "A prominent Haitian said to me 'when the apocalypse come, the survivors will be roaches, rats and Haitians.' The Haitians will survive " (no matter what...)…
3. Penn's worst line
Recycling unfounded charges against Pres. Aristide. He says that Aristide "rising personal power issue gave in to narco trafficking, if not personally CERTAINLY indirectly, …that gave into violence, so you didn’t have the basic security in the country, trust in the police in Haiti!" (go to 33:15) He goes on to parrot USAID/State Department about what a wonderful job Preval was doing before the earthquake...presumably he was "DECENTRALIZING" power!!!

Someone ought to have given Sean Penn a clue. Not to say a known coke-head can't have a valid point, smoking drugs and being a heavy drinker don't mean one condones how drugs gets from Haiti to America. So I won't point out Sean Penn's 'old drug problem, jail time and assault charges. I think Madonna pressed charges for assault and then withdrew them for a straight divorce. So I won't go there at all. The clue Sean Penn needs to get is that to come to a nation and start impugning its legally elected President on drug charges is a bit arrogant, if not hypocritical in the altogether. Besides, he's dead wrong. Aristide didn't bring the violence to Haiti, he was raised in the poverty violence; he was raised in neo-colonial Haiti and a 30-year US-supported Duvalier dictatorship. Violence in Haiti is not only evidenced by the NGO dependency business today but is made entrenched there by the US/UN military occupation herald in by the two violent Bush Coup d'etat's that summarily disfranchised 10 million Black Haitians, killed 20,000 and subjects the masses to the unprecedented nightmare Haitians have been living under since the bicentennial coup detat and return of the Oligarchy macoutes/elites and vampire internationals back to power in Haiti.

Duvalier's macoutes and Haiti's army junta have been supplementing their income with allowing drug trafficking up from Columbia, et al... way before Aristide came to power in 1990 and all their main army's leaders, like the drug trafficker Michel Francois and or coup d'etat leader. Raoul Cedras were on US payroll and trained a Fort Benin Georgia, way before Aristide came into office; that Haiti's poor whom Aristide was a spokesperson for, own no planes, no cocaine fields and the DEA suspected drug dealer who helped oust Aristide, Guy Philippe, was originally trained by US Special Forces and financed by US and trained by US from the DR to invade Haiti in 2004. In terms of decentralization of Haiti, Aristide tried to decentralized power, empower Haiti's 565 communal sections and not just Port au Prince. That wasn't acceptable to the US and internationals because they did not want his community organizing to work, or participatory democracy in Haiti. The US and Haiti oligarchy want ELECTORAL democracy, not participatory democracy. Elections under occupation where THEY control the elections, manage them, steal them or hi-jack them. The US talks of decentralization of Port au Prince, but it was the first US occupation (1915 to 1934) that made Port au Prince the seat of power the better to run their colony. USAID/US have no intention of allowing decentralization, unless they can control all 565 sections. It's easier to just buy off the politicians in Port au Prince and be done with it.


Ezili Dantò of HLLN
August, 2010
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BACKGROUND INFO
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Recommended HLLN Link:
Sean Penn Hopes His Critics Get Rectal Cancer
http://www.dlisted.com/node/36338

Charlie Rose - Actor Sean Penn on his work in Haiti
http://www.charlierose.com/view/interview/11127

Spike Lee praises Sean Penn's work in Haiti
http://bit.ly/crTbhB

Haiti’s (Would Be) Hip-Hop President, New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/07/opinion/07blow.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Wyclef Jean Seeks the Haitian Presidency: A Breath of Fresh Air — or a Dabbler who will Break Haiti’s Heart? by COHA Research Associate Alice Barrett http://bit.ly/amY0B4


The Root: Dear Wyclef, Please Don't Run! by Marjorie Valbrun
http://www.theroot.com/views/dear-wyclef-please-dont-run
(Ezili's Note: Interesting article by Ms. Valbrun. But besides this idea that Haiti needs TECHNOCRATS presumably who take their marching orders from Washington not the Haitian people, I note a statement she makes that gives pause. She writes that Haiti doesn't need Wyclef as President but someone who can: "tamp down the country's cyclical social unrest."!!!

IRS hit Wyclef w/ $2.1 million tax liens
Haitian presidential candidate owes for 1040 returns
Sean Penn: My Senate Foreign Relations Committee Testimony on Rebuilding Haiti, May 19, 2010, The Huffington Post | http://ning.it/d2qkYl
May 19 Senate Hearing on Haiti - After the Earthquake Empowering Haiti to Rebuild Better http://ning.it/9tov7G
Colonization of Haiti's food and seeds not earthquake relief
“For whose entertainment shall we sing our agony? In what hopes? That the destroyers, aspiring to extinguish us, will suffer conciliatory remorse at the sight of their own fantastic success?” – Ayi Kwei Armah, from the book Two Thousand Seasons- Go to: The Plantation called Haiti: Feudal Pillage Masking as Humanitarian Aid http://ning.it/9yEImk
; US Senate report says Haiti rebuilding has stalled -http://bit.ly/bavqRu ; and Houston businesses look to capitalize on Haiti disasters http://bit.ly/cpmzvm

Recommended Ezili Dantò/HLLN Links:

Building wealth, power and their resumes on the tears of Haiti children

For a sampling of Ezili Dantò essays on the United States' use of quake relief to extract wealth and power for the NGOs, Haiti Oligarchy and US big business on the death, suffering and tears of Haiti children , go to: Colonization of Haiti's food and seeds is not earthquake relief ; The Poverty Pimps' Masturbating on Black Pain: Monsanto joins the pack and Vision of Plantation Haiti - A White Pearl, Again! , and The Plantation called Haiti: Feudal Pillage Masking as Humanitarian Aid and, Tell The Truth About Haiti Forum with Ezili Dantò of HLLN ; Sarkozy's visit to Haiti, Independence Debt and Sovereignty and, A message to Paul Farmer, the Senate, Dobbins & Francois .

- Haiti's Voiceless Speaks to New York Times: Where's the call for investigation into UN Slaughters in Haiti?
The HOPE Deception of Haiti by the Haitian Blogger
http://bit.ly/cQO2Rs
Why Don’t They Spend the Money Now, When People Need It? http://bit.ly/axvFQX;

Houston businesses look to capitalize on Haiti disasters http://bit.ly/cpmzvm ;

and Following the Aid Money to Haiti http://bit.ly/9e536c ;

and Cash for Clinton — in the U.N.'s New Haiti Peacekeeping Budget http://bit.ly/dtLjQq

and With Haiti in Ruins, Some U.N. Relief Workers Live Large on 'Love Boat' http://bit.ly/bBFn4b

and U.N.'s Haiti 'Flotel' Overpriced ($72,00 per day), Says Expert
http://ning.it/9RYKqU

and Red Cross under fire! Where’s the money for Haiti?
http://bit.ly/9Q4QDq