Egalite

Egalitarianism is an often sought after idea, that yet also conjures plenty of controversy. The belief that one should be treated with the same amount of respect as their fellow sapiens has been the driving force behind so much in the world, with consequences both positive and negative. While equality has been established as a foundation of our society in recent centuries, the means by which those go to protect this idea has, commonly, led to its infringement.

Case in point: 20th Century Haiti. The island of La Española/Hispaniola was colonized by Spain and France as Santo Domingo/Saint-Domingue from the late 15th to early 19th Centuries. The island’s sugar production was the most valuable industry in the world, and all of the wealth was shipped to Paris and Toledo/Madrid respectively. The island was organized in a racial caste system, with closer European connections leading to a higher position in society. The Republic of Haiti was established as the world’s first black republic, with esklav (Kr.-”slave”) in bondage and free mulâtres (Fr.-”mixed race”) (many of whom were mixed African and European ancestry) successfully revolting against the First French Empire in 1804, but this divide between the former African esklav populous and mulâtres elite remained. The country alternated between republics and empires, with control of the entire island swaying between Haiti and its neighbor, the Dominican Republic (colloquially known as the D.R.). Eventually, the United States occupied Haiti for 19 years during the early 20th Century, as part of its imperialist enterprise of the Caribbean, Latin America, and the Philippines, in the wake of the Spanish-American War. The republic was briefly re-established as Dominican leader Rafael Trujillo persecuted against Haitians in the D.R. Then, it was Haiti’s turn, when top military officials staged a coup and installed elite Dumarsais Estimé as president (under their control, of course). François Duvalier was chosen to give power back to the people, but ended up keeping it all for himself and his regime. He used the military and his secret police, the Tonton Macoutes, to defend his power while the people suffered through severe poverty, starvation, disease, and violence. Anyone who spoke against the regime was tortured and gunned down by the Macoutes.

This is the Ayiti that Edwidge Danticat was born in.“Children of the Sea” tells her story through a girl fleeing Duvalierian Haïti for the United States on a small boat overfilled with 37 people seeking to flee from the suffering. On the boat, she recounts her life in Pòtoprens, living under the brutal conditions of her family and the government. She and her boyfriend were activists that used the power of radio to denounce the Macoutes, military, and state, and demanded better lives for their community. “All the other youth federation members have disappeared. No one has heard from them. I think they might be in prison. Maybe, they’re all dead.” (Danticat 4-5) If there was anything that these rogue broadcasts gave to the people, it was hope: a powerful weapon against any authoritarian regime, and a threat to Duvalier’s power. Being a part of these vocal freedom fighters was dangerous, which is why the girl’s father was forbidding to her boyfriend. “While we were eating tonight, I told Papa that I love you…He looked me straight in the eye and said nothing to me…Papa just turned his face away like he was rejecting my very birth.” (Danticat 22) Of course, her father still loved her and, if circumstances were different, would probably accept her boyfriend. In fact, his love is the reason for his bitterness. In being merely associated with her boyfriend, she could risk her own safety, as well as that of her family.

Luke Skywalker faced a similar life in the Star Wars galaxy to that of Edwidge Danticat. He was born around the time Chancellor Palpatine reorganized the egalitarian Galactic Republic into the oppressive Galactic Empire. Being the offspring of powerful fallen Jedi Anakin Skywalker, he is naturally a threat to Imperial rule. Therefore, he was concealed and sent to be raised by poor moisture farmers far from the Emperor’s influence. He is watched over by Obi-Wan “Ben” Kenobi, one of the last remaining protectors of a forgotten Republic. His uncle and caretaker, Owen Lars, insisted that he stay at the homestead to keep him safe. He especially warned not to go near Old Ben, who Lars told his adopted nephew was a “crazy old hermit”. In reality, he was worried that the Jedi would take him on, “some damned fool crusade” (Obi-Wan Kenobi, Star Wars) against the Empire and get himself killed. One can make a strong case that Star Wars is the most iconic film franchise in all of human history, and is definitely an established part of our culture. This is partly because the galaxy is meant to be a microcosm of our own world, and the conflicts within it are based on real-world events. While Emperor Palpatine was written as an interpretation of Nazi German leader Adolf Hitler, the Emperor and Haïti’s François Duvalier draw some interesting parallels. The Emperor is initially elected as Chancellor of the Republic’s Senate to help fight the Confederacy of Independent Systems, a group of commercial organizations run by the galaxy’s elite. Similarly, Duvalier was given power to fight the elite mulâtres that owned much of Haïti’s industry, and had influence in Haitian politics and the military. After being “elected”, both tyrants borrowed from Niccolo Machiavelli’s “Il Principe”. Instead of protecting the rights of the people, they oppressed them to remain in power. Anyone who spoke out against either regime had committed treason. They both had extensive military might and a secret police to smother dissidents. Palpatine relied on the Imperial Security Bureau (I.S.B.) just like the Duvalierian Macoutes. As much of the C.I.S. was run by non-humans, the Galactic Empire is xenophobic. Haïti’s former elite were also persecuted by Duvalier. The Empire puts many in poverty, and even enslaves primarily non-humans to perform life-threatening tasks for the benefit of the Empire. Duvalier sent his Macoutes to exploit the already impoverished populace. When the fateful day arrives when the Empire tracked the Death Star plans to two droids bought by the Lars homestead, the stormtroopers raze Luke’s home, with his aunt and uncle inside. Upon seeing their corpses, his only other option is to leave his homeworld and fight the Empire.

In both “a galaxy far, far away” and the “Land of High Mountains”, conflict among different groups in society has led to one ambitious individual gaining power and using it to exploit the people. If anyone resists, they are brutally punished. “Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.”(-Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.) Edwidge Danticat and Luke Skywalker were both born into totalitarian regimes. Upon losing their loved ones, they were forced to flee from suffering. They both demanded to destroy everything that the states they lived under represented. Luke goes off to learn the ways of the Force and join the Rebel Alliance. Danticat fled to New York, where she became a great writer and recounted the physical and emotional trauma she had lived through under Duvalier. They both fight so others will not endure the pain and hardship they went through.

Works Cited

• "Edwidge Danticat." Britannica Academic, Encyclopædia Britannica,, 29 Sep. 2015. Accessed 12 Apr. 2018
• "François Duvalier." Britannica Academic, Encyclopædia Britannica, 30 Aug. 2007. Accessed 12 Apr. 2018.
• "Haiti." Britannica Academic, Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 Aug. 2016. Accessed 12 Apr. 2018.
• Lucas, George, writer. Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. Twentieth Century Fox, 1977.