The Caribbean

Over 850 (and counting) Africans in Haiti lost their lives to Hurricane Matthew—a category four hurricane with sustained winds of 145 mph—on Tuesday, October 4, 2016. Thousands are left homeless.

The hurricane hit Southern Haiti––“Le Sud”––one of Haiti’s ten departments. Cities in the South include Leogane, Petit-Goave, Jeremie and Les Cayes, all of which have been severely damaged by the raging waters. A key bridge in Ti Goave has been destroyed, keeping the most damages parts of southern Haiti isolated.

The colonized and oppressed people of Puerto Rico are deepening the crisis of imperialism by intensifying their resistance to U.S. colonialism.

Puerto Ricans shut down superstore, Walmart, on September 1, 2016 to protest the economic chokehold the corporation has on the island.

Five hundred Puerto Ricans protested in San Juan to demand independence on Jun 18, 2016. The demonstration was led by the Puerto Rican Independence Movement.

Puerto Ricans led by Se Acabaron Las Promesas (Promises Are Over) demonstrated at the Condado Plaza Hotel in San Juan, blocking the capitalist gangsters who were there to attend the first PROMESA Conference on August 31, 2016.

The PROMESA (Puerto Rico Oversight Management and Economic Stability Act) is a program which the U.S. imposed on the people of the island.

The Africans United Coalition (AU Coalition) held a march on August 1st, Emancipation Day in Nassau, Bahamas. The march culminated with a rally and a community marketplace. The AU Coalition aimed for the day to be about political protest and community economic development.

The Coalition is made up of African-centered and grass roots organizations including the Ethiopia Africa Black International Congress (EABIC), The Qubtic Church of the Black Messiah, The Nyabinghi House, the African Peoples Socialist Party-Bahamas (APSP-Bahamas) and other organizations.

Nassau, Bahamas––The Bahamas National Coalition Party (BNCP) staged a protest at the entrance of Sandals Royal Bahamian on Monday, August 22, 2016. The protest was held to show solidarity with 600 workers who had been recently fired by the hotel and was supported by the African People’s Socialist Party-Bahamas and the Africans United Coalition.

The Haiti Revolution is known as the most successful rebellion of African people.

It led to the creation of the first African state free from slavery and is an inspiration for African resistance throughout the world.

It was announced on May 3, 2016 that Haiti would become a Member State of the African Union (AU).

The African Union Commission, however, informed the public on May 26, 2016 at their summit in Kigali, Rwanda that Haiti will not be admitted as a Member State of the African Union, as been reported by several media sources.

According to one of AU’s Constitutive Acts, only African States can join the African Union.

Puerto Rico’s government officials recently announced that the country will not be able to concurrently provide necessary social services and satisfy its $2-billion-dollar debt payment due on July 1, 2016

The Puerto Rican government is currently contending with a $70-billion-dollar debt crisis while also experiencing an intractable 10-year economic slump.

Between 2005 and 2015, Puerto Rico’s gross national product (GNP)—the total value of all goods and services produced by Puerto Rican-owned firms—decreased by 14 percent as its debt rose to over 100 percent of GNP.

This means that the country’s debt is greater than its income.

The kings of Spain brought us the conquistadores and masters, whose footprints remained in the circular land grants assigned to those searching for gold in the sands of rivers, an abusive and shameful form of exploitation, traces of which can be noted from the air in many places around the country.