A soldier's reinsertion?

Anonymous

An Exclusive article for the "EXIT" bimonthly bulletin, year 1, number 0. Click here for subscriptions.

On October 22, 1982, the General Hospital of Port-au-Prince, Maryse gives birth to her only son, Hood, of which only she will occupy, as the father is absent. Maryse is a second-hand clothes trader in the market in the Bel-Air city, where he also resides. Bel-Air is the historical center of the great eighteenth-century bourgeois merchants from Port-au-Prince, but little by little became, for a series of destabilizing political events, which is usually called a "bidonville", one of those neighborhoods where people live stacked, where the square meter of space is used for precarious housing, a poor neighborhood where there is usually a mixture of poverty and uncontrolled violence. But Maryse’s small trade allowed her son to take the first steps, to grow as all children of their age and go to school. Hood lived, therefore, with his mother in St. Eat Street in the heart of Bel-Air.

At 20 years of age, Hood attended the Léo Defaye school, in Pacot, another neighbor in the Haitian capital. It was a day of school, then the years 2002/2003, during one of the breaks, which Hood saw with his own eyes and for the first time, a weapon that one of your friends have. He can recall it today, was a gun-point, 9 mm caliber. Hood was amazed, but examined, manipulated, found the gun as if it was any one object. Why did his friend take it to school? No doubt, for the "trip", as said Hood. But he does not know anything about it. It was concluded that Haiti was close to suffering another violent political impact, because if a student around 20 years, allows himself to go to school carrying a gun and that is not impressive to anyone, it is an obvious sign that there should be a wave of anarchy or panic established in the streets of Port-au-Prince. Otherwise, how would this adolescent got a gun? And with what ends? But Hood was not very concerned with these issues at that time.

In fact, in 2004 actually came to Haiti as a angry hurricane, spreading everywhere a feeling of intense panic and scare. The president in place, Jean Bertrand Aristide, will leave the country, under national pressure but also international. Bel-Air, like other metropolitan ghettos of Haiti, Cité Soleil and Martissant, would know, then, a very violent kind of movement. In these districts, there was effectively a proliferation of persecution against young people involved in political violence. Facing this reality, with colors of blood and death, Maryse quickly decided to abandon St. Côme Street to go live a few streets above, in the Fort National, closer to her family, away from the very heart of conflict. St. Côme Street is a "base" that brings together a group of young friends who grew up together, including Hood. A "base" is just like a social network of a large company, it is there that the CEO works, everything is done there and rebuild, everything is discussed and everything is decided there, that place is power. St. Come, then, is a seat of power concentrated in the hands of some young people in the ghetto of Bel-Air. It is important to understand that despite the fear of a poor mother with no means of defense before this reality and her willingness to protect at all costs her only child by leaving that area, Hood had grown up in that street, with that "base", with other young people, his friends and so, kept the desire and needed to go there every day... what his mother couldn’t stop. But Maryse, who only had Hood as son, sacrificed her work in trade, and gathered all her savings to send him to the Dominican Republic. Hood prepared to travel and left in the same year (2004) to the neighboring country, with his $4.000 HTG (about US$100) and hope to find a better life, calmer, but especially with less fear.

In the Dominican Republic, Hood resides in a small passing hotel, also used for prostitution, only with his mother’s small economies, not knowing a single word of Spanish and not knowing anyone. This continued for a few months, five in total, when he met another sad fact of life that he did not know: prostitution to survive. However, homosexuality and pedophilia is what disgust Hood. He knows that other form of violence, which he cannot accept or support. He couldn’t even find a source of income, and his economies fell little by little. He prefers then to return to his country, to find his mother and his family, find his "base" and his friends. Because, according to Hood, if your destiny is poor, if your "poor" life is to be on the streets, let it be at least from your neighborhood, where one was born. "If to live is evil," he says, "let it be in my home, near my family in my street." He recalled, however, having left the Dominican Republic in the period of presidential elections, when Leonel was elected.

When Hood returned to Bel-Air, things are worse. The streets are "white"², there are no inhabitants in the ghetto. It's like the desert³. He finds the base, his friends... but with another feeling, he says: now they have firearms. He thinks that the situation is deadlocked. Leave the area again, where to? Since the years 2004/2005 were years of fear, one suspected of all, there was no more trust in anyone. Leaving Bel-Air to go live in another neighborhood meant to choose death, Hood says, because as soon as the local population finds out about his "home", that is, that he came from Bel-Air, then this would be a reason to kill you. Once again, Hood said, if you are going to die, let it, at least, be in my home in my street in the ghetto, in Bel-Air. There is only one choice left: to return to "base", arming themselves, and thank God for every day that you are still alive.

That is how Hood learns how to handle a weapon: gun-point (pistol, 38, 9 mm, etc.), Rifle (M1, GL, T65, etc.), but the favorite is the T65, confesses. The first time I shot, was to the air, to test a new weapon that the "base" bought. Hood always carried a gun with him, but obeyed the rule of never coming home with a gun, in Fort National, where he lives with his mother, not to lack with respect to whom gave him berth. But Hood is known to all as a person who knows how to handle weapons, just like Picasso handled the brush or Sydney Bechet his soprano voice... as an exceptional art, which impresses everyone and that made his actions a scene of cinema.

Their actions? His role? Hood said that his role was to cover the "base", which means that he would attack only if under attack, to protect the "base", but never puts a person in target. This role is certainly the least pleasant to be met, or rather, the easier. Because, what type of conscience can one have when its aware that these weapons – handled by Hood – could shoot anytime against mass people, in which his friends or innocent people are, with whom he could talk at any time? His ability and his talent to handle weapons enabled him not to be afraid daily action, in which he engages in a war, against the PNH^*, against the military or against the opponent ("base" adverse). Hood said that he was afraid once only: his mother birthday, April 4, 2005, when an opponent "base" shot at him and his friends at their “base”. But a real soldier respects the soldiers survival principles: here, always having control of his gun to act at any time. Hood was hurt by a bullet, but not seriously.

The days are the same for Hood during this period: wake up, go to meet the "base" and its friends – being always together was a base’s standard – arming themselves to attack if necessary, go to his mother house (carrying no weapon, he says), crying for a dead friend that day, and thank God for having lived one more day of his life. It was like that every day, until 22 August 2006, a day of great celebration for Peace held in Bel-Air, where he and 21 more people were arrested by the NPH (National Police of Haiti), recalls. He was arrested and jailed for four months, then released on December 22 of that year, for lack of evidence, he explains. When he left prison, things change for him. He entered his mother's home ashamed and promised to change. He will never return to the base, will not use weapons and will obey her. He tells her: “Map mache sou lod ou manman”⁴. But it is important to remember that the program of Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration had been implemented, along with the National Commission on Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (CNDDR), chaired by M. Alix Fils Aimé, and with MINUSTAH. The DDR program was offered to vulnerable young people from different neighborhoods who lived the last wave of violence⁵ settled by free will, surrender their weapons in return of social and professional oriented reintegration. In this dialogue context initiated between the authorities - national and international - and "bases". Hood had no other choice but to join, otherwise, he would have to live on the streets, what would be another type of imprisonment, only that in the light of day. His reinsertion should be done with patience and suffering, because he had no more weapons to return when being release from prison and could not therefore benefit from the DDR program. So what could he do? Where could he go? Who could he ask for help? So, early 2007, Hood found a friend, which offers the possibility of entering university to study. But studying requires a daily cost: go to college, eat, bathe and live simply. And he has no economic means to do so, nor does his mother, who lost all their business to sacrifice to help her child. Thus, every day he follows the steps of his friend and his accomplices, working on Viva Rio’s projects to promote peace and development. After a small contribution of many people, Hood could buy a photographical camera, which will become his weapon of life, not a weapon for survival like the one he carried a few months before. In that way, he became a photographer for the Viva Rio.

Hood sometimes remembers about that time of great violence, but not much, because those memories are still painful and violent, because he has already acquired awareness of his actions from this black and painful page of his life that has already surpassed, even without mourning. Often, in the "base", he is reminded about these actions in the past, that a few years ago he was a "gangster who now works for Viva Rio", as they say. Hood suffers with it. He suffers because that rule of always being together is so strong that he cannot entirely abandon the "base", but he consoles himself saying: "It will go away, it will go away"⁶. The "base" distrusts him because Hood is currently not violent, but he is still going there. Hood, therefore, plays the role of a sensitizer of peace with the "base", that receives their messages with different ideas, which all lead to one conclusion: You need a job, to insert in society and live a normal life.

Could, therefore, any soldier be reintroduced if they get a job? Hood is an example of concrete evidence and legitimate occupational and social reintegration of a Bel-Air soldier. Unemployment would, therefore, be the original cause of the violence, he said. He views that society, in a daily routine, is sometimes very tough. In fact, Hood is still looks, every day, for a comfortable and dignified place in society, understanding their requirements and their possible discrimination. But, fortunately for him, justice has already "punished" him, has judged him for his actions, and returned his freedom. This prison experience, the experience of living in a group of "criminals" made him conscious when exiting, that being "always" a criminal means having his bedroom in prison. His rehabilitation was also facilitated by his other characteristics: his determination and his young age, which enabled him to have projects about his future, his ambitions and his dreams. Still, Hood was also lucky to see the projects to promote peace and development arriving in Bel-Air in 2007, which opened, more broadly, the doors for his projects in return.

Currently, Hood does a high quality work, loves what he does and feels proud about it. Always searches for progress in his professional skills, to meet the needs of his children, take their role as father, as he didn’t have one, and enjoy the colors and the moments of happiness that life can offer.

Finally, the everyday behavior of other young people such as Hood convinces us that investments should be made for a lasting professional and social reintegration. It is clear today that Hood is not an actor of violence, but an actor of peace.

Unlike other soldiers around the world, these from Bel-Air ask for a job, so that we can see a Bel-Air with the colors of the Peace.

1 About US$100.
2 Creole expression that means the opposite of the French expression “the road is black of people”, that is, there is no cat on the street.
3  “Desert” (“Désert”, in French). : It is both the base’s name road/corridor St Côme.
*National Police of Haiti, as will be seen. (Translator's note)
4  “Je marche sous tes ordres, maman”. In English: I obey your orders, mom.
5 Bel-Air, Cité Soleil and Martissant.
6 “Ce qui est fait, est fait, regardons devant soi maintenant”. In English, “What’s done is done. Let’s look ahead, right now.”

Translation: Bruno Lobo Motta. Revision: Gabriela Dutra. This article has respected the form of expression of the story’s young protagonist.

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