'Ayiti Toma': A Message to The People of Haiti

By The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan | Last updated: Jan 19, 2012 - 1:51:26 PM

Haitians in downtown Port-au-Prince listen to Min. Farrakhan during outdoor rally. Photos: Hassan Muhammad

[Editor’s note: The following article contains edited excerpts of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan’s address to Haitians at a high-spirited rally held in downtown Port-au-Prince near the National Palace on December 14, 2011, during his tour of various Caribbean islands to deliver the Teachings of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. This message is available in its entirety on both CD and DVD compilations of footage from this tour titled: “Out of Many Islands, One People: Uniting The Caribbean.” Click here to order this message.]

As-Salaam Alaikum (Peace Be Unto You).
In The Name of Allah, The Beneficent, The Merciful.

My dear brothers and sisters of Haiti, I’m very, very happy and honored to set my foot on the soil, the sacred soil, of Haiti. Black people all over the world owe Haiti a debt of gratitude, for you produced the first free Black Republic in the world. The reason you suffer is because The Enemy knows that what you did in 1804 can be done again. So, from France, from England, from America: No matter what they say, they do not want to see Haiti rise again.

The reason that we are here is because as the Bible teaches, “My people are destroyed for the lack of knowledge”—it is not because of the blackness of our skin, but it is because we lack the knowledge of self that will free our minds from the domination of The Enemy.

'Here’s what I saw when my feet touched the soil of Haiti: I saw a strong and resilient Black people! I saw you by the side of the road with your businesses, trying to sell products so you could feed yourself and your family. I saw strong Black women…'

Who are you, Haiti? Why are we Black? The Enemy taught us that we are Black because we are “cursed by God”; to be hewers of wood and drawers of water for other people! But we are not Black because we’re “cursed,” we are Black because we are The Original People of this Earth! As the Bible teaches, “First there was darkness, and then came light,” then first there was Black, and then came White. You are the Alpha and the Omega of the scriptures! We didn’t come to this great island nation seeking “freedom.” Our fathers were brought here in the holds of ships to be made slaves to Western powers. They never did intend for us to ever come out from under their domination, so when the French had the slaves, they took away our African names, they took away our African language, they took away our African culture; and they imposed on us their language, their culture, their religion to make us worship them as though they were God.

To the east of Haiti is the Dominican Republic… It was Black Haitians under Toussaint Louverture, under Jean-Jacque Dessalines, under Henri Cristophe that freed this whole island, West and East. But the Spanish, who have always been battling with the French, took that side of the island and made the people to speak Spanish, gave them Spanish names, gave them Spanish culture; and made that side hate this side!

My parents came from the British West Indies—so now, we speak “English,” we have “English” names; we have “English” culture, but the one thing The Enemy gave us all was his religion. There’s nothing wrong with “Jesus Christ,” but there’s something wrong with those who use his good name to do evil things in his name!

My dear brothers and sisters of Haiti, I know that you know much, and I can feel your pain, but the one thing that I can assure you is that we are living at the end of White Supremacy. Soon Haiti will be free! Soon, and very soon, The Enemy will be removed from power not only over your lives here, but he will be removed from power over the people of our planet! So what is your and my responsibility in an hour like this?

Ayiti (Haiti) Toma!—This is your land! Everything under this land is your rightful possession! But The Enemy wants to own your wealth. There once was a time when we fed ourselves; we were the masters of agriculture, so we all had rice. Now, we are not producing the same rice that we once produced, so it’s coming from former President Bill Clinton’s state of Arkansas. We once had lots of chicken; but now, chicken is coming from Tyson’s Foods in Arkansas… What are they bringing into Haiti in the food?

May I humbly say to you, dear brothers and sisters: A man named Zbigniew Brzezinski recently was talking to the Foreign Relations Committee, and here’s what he said: “In the past it was easier to control a million people than to kill a million people. But now it is easier to kill a million people than to control a million people.”

The anger that’s in the masses of the people is directed at those in authority. But what we don’t see is that Haiti, Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad—all of the islands of the Caribbean have borrowed money from the International Development Bank, and the International Monetary Fund. So when we borrow their money to help develop our land, they put conditions on the loan that are destined to rob the people of their wealth; so Haiti is in debt, Jamaica is in debt, Trinidad is in debt—Africa is in debt! And debt is another form of slavery!

We have to break the chains that keep us from enjoying the good life. My brothers were angry because it is wrong that a few of us can enjoy a good life, while the masses of our people are suffering. But here’s what I saw when my feet touched the soil of Haiti: I saw a strong and resilient Black people! I saw you by the side of the road with your businesses, trying to sell products so you could feed yourself and your family. I saw strong Black women…

And I say to you, Haiti: No nation can rise any higher than its women! If your woman is down, you and I are down; if your woman is up, we are up! For when you teach a man, you teach an individual, but when you teach a woman, you teach a nation! It is your time now to rule where you live! It is your time now to rise up, Haiti, and come into unity among yourselves for that is the power that will free you from foreign aggression and oppression!

Those of you who are the people of vodou (voodoo): In America, they want us to believe that vodou is “evil,” that vodou is “satanic”; and they want you to believe the same! But if it were not for vodou there would not be a free Black Republic in the world. It was vodou—and Boukman, a Muslim—that started the Revolution that gave us Toussaint, that gave us Dessalines, that gave us Cristophe, that gave us Liberty!

But where is Toussaint now? Where is Dessalines now? Where is Cristophe now? Where is Boukman now? I’m looking at Toussaint! I’m looking at Cristophe! I’m looking at François Makandal! I’m looking at Dessalines! They are in you! So rise up Haiti! Take back your land! Take back your heritage! And protect your woman, because The Enemy likes to have “sport” with our women. We must not let The Enemy think that our women are free for them! God gave you and me the Black woman, and she has produced our life!

***

In my conclusion, the Bible teaches that Jesus said, “In the end there will be wars and rumors of wars; nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in diverse places; there will be famine and pestilence. But this is just the beginning of sorrows.” We lost 250,000 Haitians in the earthquake of January 12, 2010; behind us is the National Palace, with the dome fallen in.

The “dome” is your head, and when your head is absent of knowledge, your dome falls in. So to the leadership in Haiti: The people can’t take much more. Jesus said: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd will lay down his life for the sheep”—we need leaders who are willing to live for the people. And when we as leaders can’t help it, willing to die on behalf of the people!

Leaders of Haiti: Do not let foreigners tempt you with money to betray your people and this nation! Soon, the money will be worthless… In fact, America is printing dollars that have no backing (fiat currency), so if we will betray one another for “dollars” or “francs,” or “euros,” we have sold our soul to the devil!

Haiti, I am so happy to be with you. I hope that you will get the messages that I left with government, the messages I left with the press, the messages I left with those in leadership. But most importantly: You are the people that can make leadership accountable for their promises.

So as I leave you, although my heart and my spirit will never leave you, by stating: Ayiti toma--This is your land! Everything on it is yours! Everything under it is yours! And when your mind is free from the chains of ignorance and self-hatred, then we will free the land! We will feed ourselves again! We will grow the cotton, turn it into lint and cloth, and clothe ourselves again! We will take the wood from the trees, and remove the tents and build houses for the people of Haiti to live in!

This is not going to come from outside, it’s going to come from you and those who love you that will help you to rise to your destiny.

***

I want to thank Wyclef Jean, who is my friend and a fellow musician, who came back to Haiti to be with his brother. And I thank him for what he wants to do in his heart for the Haitian people. But he needs the unity of Haiti, that his voice may speak to the forces that want to crush Haiti! We can’t do it by ourselves, but we can do it together.

May God bless Haiti! May God guide Haiti! May God grant Haiti wisdom and power, that the next 10 years will see Haiti rise from the ashes of an earthquake, and then lead the whole world as you did in 1804.

Thank you for listening! God bless you! As-Salaam Alaikum!

The Final Call