Posted on 03/31/2008 12:33:06 PM PDT by far sider
In a radio ad sponsored by the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Haiti, Grammy Award-winning musician Wyclef Jean is asking his fellow citizens to give up crime and work to improve the country.
"If you love Wyclef, that means you love Haiti. So you should not be raping women, kidnapping people and children, because there can be no excuse for doing so," Jean said in Creole in a short ad run several times a day by local stations in Haiti.
"I reject these evil practices," said the 35-year-old Jean, who also urged Haitian men to respect and protect women's rights.
Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas has battled decades of political upheaval, dictatorship, military rule and violence.
Haitian police and U.N. authorities have noted a rise in crime over the past several weeks and are trying to counter a wave of kidnappings and crimes perpetrated by gangs in the capital and some provincial areas.
Official figures show 36 people were kidnapped for ransom in Port-au-Prince during March, and about 30 in February. The number had dropped to fewer than 20 a month.
Fred Blaise, a spokesman for the U.N. police, said Jean's popularity among Haitians from across the social spectrum may positively influence youngsters involved in crime, and could motivate others to stay out of trouble.
"All kinds of Haitians, the good guys as well as the bad guys, have a lot of appreciation for Wyclef for what he represents as a Haitian," Blaise told Reuters on Sunday.
"So they would be more likely to be receptive to Wyclef's message because they are all proud of him," he said.
Jean, who first gained fame as a member of the Grammy-winning hip-hop trio The Fugees, enjoys enormous respect in Haiti. Last year, he was appointed by Haitian President Rene Preval to serve as a roving ambassador to improve the nation's image abroad.
Why didn’t anybody think of this before???
I’d like to hear much more like this from entertainers & politicians that plead to individual responsibility vs. the standard excuse-makers that prevail today.
If this works...perhaps he can tackle radical Islam next.
Whatever he thinks, at least he is calling on men to be men, and that is a good thing.
geez! there goes the 'ole friday night fun time.
'whas a guy ta' do now?
I guess more than two centuries qualified as "decades."
I don't see it having much effect, but it's better than sitting back and saying “Oh well, it's their culture, what can you do?”
Soooo there are no parental units is what Im to gather from this?
Good think he didn’t ask them to give up weed - that would have been unrealistic.
Alan: Well last week, we showed you how to become a gynecologist. And this week on "How to Do It" we're going to show you how to play the flute, how to split an atom, how to construct a box girder bridge, how to irrigate the Sahara Desert and make vast new areas of land cultivatable, but first, here's Jackie to tell you all how to rid the world of all known diseases.
Jackie: Hello, Alan.
Alan: Hello, Jackie.
Jackie: Well, first of all, become a doctor and discover a marvelous cure for something, and then, when the medical profession really starts to take notice of you, you can jolly well tell them what to do and make sure they get everything right so there'll never be any diseases ever again.
Alan: Thanks, Jackie, great idea. How to play the flute. [produces a flute]
Alan: Well here we are. You blow there and you move your fingers up and down here.
Noel: Great, great, Alan. Well, next week we'll be showing you how black and white people can live together in peace and harmony, and Alan will be over in Moscow showing us how to reconcile the Russians and the Chinese. So until next week, cheerio!
All: Bye!
Haiti is the product of a slave revolt. The only successful slave revolt in the Western hemisphere. Hasn't worked out well.
But maybe Wyclef can turn it around!
Jean is an ignorant, chicken-warbling fool, as evidenced by everything he's ever said, including this idiotic public service message.
How stupid do you have to be to think that asking murdering, kidnapping, raping, thieving scum to stop being scum is going to actually accomplish anything?
Hey Wyclef: you want to help the few of your countrymen who are NOT criminals? Why don't you help them all get themselves some guns and plenty of ammo? A few "victims" pulling a pistol and putting a few extra holes in some criminals heads would be a far better deterrent to their criminal activity, don't you think?
Nah, just mutter some platitudes and plead for "peace", and let Haiti continue to be the cesspool that it is.
Note to self:
Stay away from Haiti.
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