Headlines, Latin America & the Caribbean

HAITI: Rash of Kidnappings Rattles Music Industry

Darlie Gervais*

NEW YORK, Oct 17 2006 (IPS) - During this year’s carnival in the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince, Hervé “Shabba” Anthénor’s small frame loomed large above Djakout Mizik’s massive float.

The crowds moved to his every command: “Right left, right left.”

He is known to millions in Haiti, but last month, Anthénor became notorious for being the first musician to be kidnapped in a country that is becoming increasingly dangerous.

The abduction occurred Sep. 28 as Anthénor was leaving his house at night. Gunmen blindfolded him, ordered him to get in his car and drove away with him. He was released hours later after he identified himself and told kidnappers that he could not produce the huge sum of money they asked in exchange for his freedom.

“They told me, ‘I know you’re a cool guy and we like you’,” the conga player said in an interview with a web-based news site.

A few days earlier, Djakout Mizik’s drummer Rolls Lainé’s sister, Sandra Jean Baptiste, was kidnapped and released after the musician paid 250,000 gourdes, about 6,600 U.S. dollars.

Lainé, who handled the negotiations the same day, said the kidnappers were hostile at first but relaxed when they learned he was the drummer for Djakout Mizik. He said he offered them CDs and band T-shirts to calm them down and ease negotiations.

According to Lainé, the kidnappers said: “We didn’t know she was your sister, but since she is here, you have to pay. Djakout Mizik has money.”

Kidnapping and killings have become as common as the hot sun in Haiti in the last several years. Almost no one has been spared – missionaries, employees of foreign embassies and Haitians both rich and poor have fallen victim to the unsettling trend.

But until recently, the country’s coveted artists and musicians had not been targeted. For instance, last year kidnappers snatched the mother of Krezi Mizik’s maestro David Dupoux and let her go after asking a token ransom – and apologising profusely to him because they abducted the wrong person.

Who is behind these kidnappings has been the subject of much debate.

Is it political or social? Initially people believed they were disenchanted supporters of twice-exiled President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, who have demanded his return to Haiti and are terrorising the populace in reprisals for his forced departure.

Others believe that disenchanted soldiers and police officers are part of another kidnapping faction.

A more disturbing group is a coterie of young and well-educated men who view kidnappings as the only source of income for them.

Haiti’s rigid class system provides little opportunity for a young man from a lower-class family, despite his abilities.

Most everyone agrees the problem is getting worse. Recent attacks on two Radio Kiskeya journalists in Pétion-Ville prompted some people to say this is a sign that the violence and insecurity, which were limited to the downtown area and in the capital’s sprawling slums, are being committed in places known for their active nightlife.

A national commission to oversee a U.N.-backed initiative to disarm hundreds of gang members by offering them economic assistance and job training was launched Sep. 12 by the Haitian government. The seven-member commission must decide who can enter the programme, which seeks to persuade 1,000 gang members to give up their weapons.

In early September, President René Préval warned gang members suspected of being behind a surge of kidnappings and attacks in the country that they must disarm or face being killed.

On Sep. 12, Prime Minister Jacques Edouard Alexis reiterated his government’s determination to end the violence that has claimed the lives of scores of Haitians.

“The government wants to offer a way out to gang members. But if they fail to surrender their guns, the government is ready to use force,” he said.

The repercussions of Anthénor’s abduction may have a chilling effect on the Haitian music industry both here and in the troubled country.

Lainé, who said he has been stressed since the incidents, fears it can happen to him or any other musician.

“Many musicians called me to express their sympathy, and told me after what happened to Shabba they feel they’re no longer protected,” Lainé said when asked whether band mates who reside mostly in the United States were afraid.

“This fear has always been with musicians throughout Haiti’s instability,” added Mario de Volcy, a former drummer with Bossa Combo and konpa historian.

“Now if that continues like that, musicians will be a victim even if they are outside of the country,” he said.

Every year, many of the bands based outside Haiti tour for a month or two during the country’s July and August fête season.

People in the Haitian music industry said the kidnappings will have a negative effect on the party scene in Haiti if musicians feel unsafe traveling to their homeland.

“As a promoter, I would not invest in bringing a band to Haiti in that situation,” said Gérald Firmin of Kaliko Production, the main organiser of the Haitian Independence Festival in Miami in January.

Firmin, who travels to Haiti regularly, did not attend a festival in July because of the wave of kidnappings.

“A musician’s job is to entertain. It may be an issue, and it may affect the industry if in their mind they’re not exempt,” he said.

In recent interviews, U.N. and police officials said they’re doing all they can and blame Hait’s corrupt justice system for releasing suspected kidnappers who can afford to pay bribes.

“We can’t keep criminals off the streets if the courts keep letting them go,” said Police Chief Mario Andrésol.

Kidnappings were once rare in Haiti, but such incidents mushroomed after the departure of Aristide in 2004. They leveled off shortly after February elections, but have since returned ferociously.

Foreigners have been particularly vulnerable, likely because they fetch a higher ransom, usually around 10,000 dollars, compared with about half that for a Haitian.

Last year, 43 U.S. citizens were kidnapped in Haiti, including three who were killed in attempted abductions, according to the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs.

“We have agents down there almost constantly working kidnappings,” said Judy Orihuela, a special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Miami. “It’s surpassed Colombia.”

Though Lainé is overjoyed that his sister was released unharmed, he said he is disappointed that some people questioned the authenticity of the kidnappings.

On a web site, some speculated that the kidnappings were publicity stunts to promote the band’s upcoming album.

“It is really sad and unfortunate,” Lainé said. “It is really a bad time for me to hear these comments. Djakout Mizik does not need that. I hope these people never have to live in today’s Haiti, and they never have family in this (kidnapping) situation.”

*Darlie Gervais is a correspondent for The Haitian Times in New York.