rien n’arrete nos espirits
Reading about and seeing pictures of the earthquake aftermath in Haiti is devastating. I can't even fathom how hellish it must be there right now. And I can't imaging the helplessness Haitians living outside Haiti must be feeling, not knowing the fate of their family and friends on the island. I find myself thinking of the large Haitian population in Montreal. According to StatCan:
...the large majority of Canadians of Haitian origin live in Montreal. In 2001, 83% of Canada’s Haitian community made Montreal their home. That year, there were almost 70,000 Canadians of Haitian descent living in Montreal, where they made up 2% of the metropolitan area’s overall population.
The video for Arcade Fire's song, Haiti, is particularly moving as it showcases images from Haiti that depict the country's poverty, but also the strength and spirit of the Haitian community.
And the lyrics to the song are so powerful, especially when interpreted in the context of the devastation caused by the earthquake:
Haiti, mon pays,
wounded mother I’ll never see.
Ma famille set me free.
Throw my ashes into the sea.Mes cousins jamais nes
hantent les nuits de Duvalier.
Rien n’arrete nos espirits.
Guns can’t kill what soldiers can’t see. In the forest we are hiding,
unmarked graves where flowers grow.
Hear the soldiers angry yelling,
in the river we will go.Tous les morts-nes forment une armee,
soon we will reclaim the earth.
All the tears and all the bodies
bring about our second birth.Haiti, never free,
n’aie pas peur de sonner l’alarme.
Tes enfants sont partis,
in those days their blood was still warm
wounded mother I’ll never see.
Ma famille set me free.
Throw my ashes into the sea.Mes cousins jamais nes
hantent les nuits de Duvalier.
Rien n’arrete nos espirits.
Guns can’t kill what soldiers can’t see. In the forest we are hiding,
unmarked graves where flowers grow.
Hear the soldiers angry yelling,
in the river we will go.Tous les morts-nes forment une armee,
soon we will reclaim the earth.
All the tears and all the bodies
bring about our second birth.Haiti, never free,
n’aie pas peur de sonner l’alarme.
Tes enfants sont partis,
in those days their blood was still warm
As an aside, note the french pronunciation of the country's name (as per the second line of the song)... Ha-EE-Ti versus Hate-Ti.
