Port-Salut (Haiti), 1953

By João Alexandre Peschanski

Salesian priest since 1982, Aristide studied theology in Italy, Greece, and Israel. In these countries, he came into contact with progressive currents within the Catholic Church. Upon returning to Haiti, he was assigned to a parish in a slum in Port-au-Prince. In his sermons, he attacked the government of Jean-Claude Duvalier, whom he accused of being authoritarian and plutocratic. He was persecuted by the Tontons Macoutes, who destroyed his church, but he escaped attempts on his life. The population, especially in the Haitian capital, supported him.

Known as Titid, he actively participated in the movements that overthrew Duvalier in 1986. He encouraged the emergence of neighborhood associations, mainly in Port-au-Prince. These led to the formation of the Lavalas movement (“avalanche” in Creole), of which he is the main leader. In 1988, he was expelled from his religious order, whose members considered him too radical. Two years later, he ran for the presidency and won with 67% of the votes.

At the beginning of his term in 1991, Aristide tried to reconcile the interests of his supporters and opponents. His consensus strategy failed, and to maintain the sympathy of the popular classes, he radicalized his speeches, calling for a popular uprising against the elites. He was overthrown the same year by military forces and ex-Tontons Macoutes hostile to radical changes in the country, such as agrarian reform and income redistribution.

With a price on his head, Aristide traveled to Venezuela and then to the United States. He approached the Democratic Party, which ensured his return to the presidency of Haiti in 1994. He remained in office for two years, during which he implemented neoliberal policies. After being replaced by René Préval, one of his allies, he directly interfered in the government’s direction. He was reelected president in 2000.

During his last term, he facilitated access to foreign products in Haiti and ordered the privatization of telecommunications and water companies, among others. His policies were criticized by social movements. At the end of 2003, he repressed popular protests against his government. The following year, mobilizations multiplied. Former military members initiated an uprising against Aristide, who requested international help. The United States government, with UN approval, decided to intervene and, in 2004, kidnapped the president and sent him to the Central African Republic. Titid then began to finance groups to maintain his support in poor neighborhoods. Known as Chimè (“chimeras” in Creole), they often sowed terror. After seven years of exile, the former president returned to Haiti in 2011.