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Wyclef's letter to
«Concerned Haitian Diaspora
»

Wyclef
Jean Wyclef. Son Site.
Earlier this week a letter began circulating on the Internet that was signed “Concerned Haitian Diaspora” and which questioned Wyclef Jean having been photographed with two gang leaders during a visit to Cité Soleil on March 2nd, 2006. Here is Wyclef’s response.

March 9, 2006

Dear Concerned Haitian Diaspora,

Thank you for your letter. I read it carefully, and understand and respect what you are seeing through your eyes. You raised some important issues that I will respond to here, but I hope we can continue this discussion in person.

First, let me be clear that what I endorse is peace. Over the past year and a half I have been meeting with people on all sides of the conflict in Haiti, and my first words are always, “we need to find a way to build peace.” To each person I am very clear that I renounce violence. I also tell them we will never have lasting peace unless all sides are involved in the peace process. This does not translate to condoning violence or kidnapping or drug trafficking or murder. It means that despite all the injustice and suffering, we need every part of Haitian society involved if we are going to start healing as a nation and moving forward.

This is the message I have shared with rebel army leader General Ravix, MINUSTAH head Juan Gabriel Valdez, interim Prime Minister Gérard Latortue, Guy Philippe and Lavalas party member Yves Christalin. More recently I gave this message to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, US Ambassador-designate Janet Sanderson and President-elect René Preval. I have shared it when meeting with kidnapped victims and relatives of murder victims, and last week this same message was delivered to gang leaders Evens and Amarald in Cité Soleil.

Referring to another point in your letter, the reason I can get into Cité Soleil is because I am willing to listen to the gang leaders. And they have to listen to me when I state my case for peace and renouncing violence.

You mentioned child soldiers. When I hosted Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt in Haiti, we spent time with 85 child soldiers aged 7 to 17 and who are victims of the gangs. Through Yéle Haiti we are helping these children get education and vocational training so that they won’t be hardened criminals when they are released from jail.

This is just one of the things we are doing through Yéle Haiti to try and get directly involved in improving the situation, and I encourage you to visit our website at Yéle Haiti to learn more about our other projects:

  • Providing scholarships for 6'000 primary school children in Port-au-Prince, Gonaives, Cap-Haïen, Port-de-Paix, Les Cayes and Laserre;
  • Sponsoring workshops to improve teaching methods in 32 schools in Gonaives and Port-au-Prince;
  • Providing scholarships to 10 university students in Haiti;
  • Being a partner in a program that employs 1,700 people a day cleaning up Port-au-Prince;
  • Supporting an after-school soccer program for 650 youth from Cité Soleil and Bel Air;
  • Delivering free food in Cité Soleil, Bel Air and other areas;
  • Beginning to work with parents associations to provide subsidized meals for three schools in Bel Air;
  • Sponsoring hip hop musicians to perform as part of a monthly concert series promoting HIV/AIDS awareness to youth;
  • Sponsoring monthly environmental education excursions that bring students to Parc La Visite in Seguin;
  • Building a computer lab that will open next Autumn in a high school in Croix des Bouquets;
  • Sponsoring tournaments in soccer and basketball this Summer that will promote the themes of Yéle Haiti to a youth audience.

Let me give a shout out to all the musicians, volunteers, supporters and non-governmental organizations involved in making the Yéle movement an important part of the solution to the current situation in Haiti, and a big shout out to Comcel, our corporate sponsor.

I invite you to join us because, as you said, “the children of Haiti need a chance to flourish in a promising future.”

If you have a copy or can borrow one, I encourage you to listen to track #22 on my Carnaval CD for a message to the diaspora. And for some coverage on my visit to Haiti last week, the Newsday paper in New York ran a story yesterday that you can read online at:

Wyclef Jean brings hip-hop hope to Haiti

Sincerely,

WYCLEF JEAN

anis

Lèt Wyclef voye bay
«Ayisyen Dyaspora ki konsène»

Bonè nan semèn sa a, yon lèt kòmanse sikile sou entènèt la ki siyen «Concerned Haitian Diaspora» (Ayisyen Dyaspora ki konsène) e ki kesyone foto Wyclef Jean fè avèk 2 lidè gang pandan vizit li Site Solèy nan dat 2 mas, 2006. Men repons Wyclef.

9 Mas, 2006

Chè Ayisyen Dyaspora ki konsène,

Mèsi pou lèt ou a. Mwen li l avèk prekosyon, epi mwen konprann e respekte sa ou wè ak e green je ou. Ou poze kèk kesyon enpòtan ke m ap reponn la a, men mwen espere nou kontinye diskisyon sa a an pèsòn.

Premyèman, m ap di klèman se lapè mwen andose. Depi plis pase yon ane edmi, m ap rankontre avèk tout kalite moun arebò konfli ki gen Ayiti, e premye fraz mwen se toujou «nou bezwen jwenn yon fason pou n kreye lapè». Pou chak grenn moun, mwen trè klè ke mwen renonse vyolans. Mwen di yo tou nou p ap janm gen lapè ki dire amwenke tout moun ki konsève travay nan yon pwosesis pou lapè. Sa pa vle di nou sipòte vyolans oubyen kidnaping oubyen trafik dwòg oubyen touye moun. Sa vle di malgre tout enjistis ak soufrans, nou bezwen tout sosyete ayisyèn nan mete men si nou pral kòmanse geri kòm yon nasyon epi pou n avanse.

Se mesaj mwen pataje ak lidè rebèl lame kouwè jeneral Ravix, Juan Gabriel Valdez ki alatèt MINUSTAH, Premye Minis enterimè a - Gérard Latortue, Guy Philippe ak manm pati Lavalas kouwè Yves Christalin. Pi resamman, mwen fofile mesaj sa a bay Kofi Annan - Sekretè Jeneral Nasyonzini, anbasadè Etazini (yo chwazi a) Janet Sanderson avèk prezidan eli a, René Préval. Mwen pataje li lè m rankontre avèk viktim yo kidnape, avèk fanmi viktim ki mouri yo, e semèn pase menm mesaj sa a al jwenn lidè gang kouwè Evens avèk Amarald nan Site Solèy.

An referans a yon lòt pwen nan lèt ou a, rezon ki fè mwen kapab antre Site Solèy se paske mwen vle tande lidè gang yo. Epi yo tande m tou lè mwen fè deklarasyon pou lapè epi renonse vyolans.

Ou mansyone timoun ame. Lè m te resevwa envite kouwè Angelina Jolie ak Brad Pitt Ayiti, nou pase tan avèk 85 timoun ki nan laj 7 a 17 ane ki viktim gang. Atravè Yéle Haiti, n ap ede timoun sa yo jwenn yon edikasyon avèk trening vokasyonèl dekwa pou yo pa tounen kriminèl lè yo soti nan prizon.

Se jis youn nan bagay n ap fè atravè Yéle Haiti pou eseye angaje dirèkteman nan amelyorasyon sitiyasyon an, epi mwen ankouraje ou vizite pajwèb nou, Yéle Haiti, pou aprann plis de pwojè nou:

  • K ap founi bousdetid a 6.000 timoun ki nan lekòl primè nan Pòtoprens, Gonayiv, Okap, Pòdepè, Okay avèk Lasèr;
  • Patwone atelye pou amelyore metòddanseyman nan 32 lekòl nan Gonayiv ak nan Pòtoprens;
  • Founi bousdetid a 10 etidyan inivèsite an(n) Ayiti;
  • Etan patnè nan yon pwogram ki anplwaye 1.700 moun pa jou k ap netwaye Pòtoprens;
  • Sipò nou bay yon pwogram foutbòl aprè lekòl ki gen 650 jèn ki soti Site Solèy ak Belè;
  • Manje nou bay gratis ti cheri nan Site Solèy ak nan lòt zòn;
  • Travay nou kòmanse fè avèk asosyasyon paran pou founi repa sibvansyone pou twa lekòl nan Belè;
  • Patronaj mizisyen ipòp pou pèfòme nan yon seri konsè mansyèl nan pwomosyon pou jèn yo evite viris HIV/SIDA;
  • Patronaj mansyèl edikasyon anviwonnman an atravè vizit kote n ale ak timoun nan Parc La Visite nan zòn Seguin;
  • Kreye yon laboratwa konpitè k ap ouvri sezon otòn lan nan yon lise Kwadèboukè;
  • Patwone tounwa foutbòl ak baskètbòl ete sa a ki va pwomote tèm Yéle Haiti a yon odyans jèn.

Kite m fè yon rele tout mizisyen, volontè, sipòtè avèk òganizasyon non-gouvènmantal pou fè mouvman Yéle a nan pati enpòtan nan solisyon sitiyasyon Ayiti twouve li aktyèlman, avèk yon gwo rèl a Comcel, k ap travay de konsè ak nou nan patwone aktivite sa yo.

Mwen envite w jwenn nou paske, kòm ou di, «timoun Ayiti yo bezwen yon chans pou gen siksè nan yon demen miyò».

Si ou gen yon kopi oubyen w ka prete youn, nou ankouraje w tande trak #22 sou kanaval mwen an sou CD, ak yon mesaj pou dyaspora a. Li gen ladan tou kèk repòtaj sou vizit mwen Ayiti semèn pase. Jounal ki rele Newsday paper ki nan Nouyòk, ekri yon istwa yè ke ou kapab li an liy (sou entènèt la nan):

Wyclef Jean brings hip-hop hope to Haiti

Kenbe la,
WYCLEF JEAN

[Tradiksyon kreyòl: E. W. Védrine]
Koutwazi E. W. Védrine Creole Project, Inc.

Wyclef Jean ap chèche yon solisyon lapè pou Ayiti atravè dyalòg

Viré monté