Notes From the Last Testament

An unprecedented look into Haiti’s harrowing past and uncertain present. With a foreword by Raoul Peck, the internationally renowned Haitian film director, who was awarded the Nestor Almendros Prize by The Human Rights Watch in 1994 and its Lifetime Achievement Award in 2001. A riveting narrative account of the events leading up to and including the overthrow of Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, by veteran reporter Michael Deibert. A fearless correspondent and a meticulous researcher, Deibert traces the rupturing of the social-democratic coalition that originally brought Aristide to power and that had been the fruit of years of opposition to the dictatorship and the military juntas. From chaotic scenes of frenzied mayhem on the streets of the bidonvilles of Port-au-Prince with their armed gangs and burning intersections to heated debates in the halls of power, these dramatic events throw into stark relief the obstacles facing the world’s nascent democracies, the trend of first world military intervention in third world affairs and the dual legacies of slavery and colonialism. In a remarkable and deeply humane synthesis of on-the-ground perspectives and exhaustive research, Deibert sets vivid personal testimonies alongside an analysis of the country’s rich history.