Duvaliers
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| Duvaliers | |
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| First reference: | It Takes a Village, Part 1 |
The Duvaliers (François and his son Jean-Claude) led Haiti for many years.
Contents |
References
Graphic Novel:It Takes a Village, Part 1
The Haitian remembers that when he was a child, Haiti "was dying, strangling in the grip of the Duvaliers". The leader of the country, Jean-Claude Duvalier, keeps a private militia called the Tonton Macoutes, who terrorize Guillame's village.
Notes
- Both François and Jean-Claude were considered brutal dictators. They used the Tonton Macoutes to solidify their power.
- Some estimate that up to 30,000 Haitians were killed under François's reign.
- François served 14 years in office from 1957 until his death in 1971.
- Jean-Claude took over his father's position at age 19 and served for 15 years as head of state.
- Following a civil uprising and pressure from the Reagan administration to renounce his rule, Jean-Claude was unceremoniously exiled to France.
- Given the Haitian's young age in 1992 (Company Man), it is likely that the events of the It Takes a Village series take place in the early 1980s or late 1970s, and the Duvalier to whom the Haitian refers is Jean-Claude. In an interview, Joe Kelly said the story takes place "about 20 years ago, give or take."
- François often took on the guise of Baron Samedi, the Loa of the dead who stood at the crossroads between the earth and spirit worlds.
Trivia
- François was often called "Papa Doc", and Jean-Claude was nicknamed "Baby Doc".
- In 1983, Pope John Paul II visited Jean-Claude's country and declared, "Something must change here."
- 15 years after François's death, a mob of Haitians set out to beat the deceased leader's corpse. They were unsuccessful in finding the body, so they beat the body of one of his supporters instead.
