Juslene Tyresias:“The Peasant Sector in Haiti Is An Organized Force Tackling The System And The Government”

By Bianca Pessoa
From Capire

Juslene Tyresias is from Haiti and is a member of the Papay Peasant Movement (MPP). “The MPP is a peasant movement that turned 50 in 2023. “We have around 60,000 members in three sectors: women, farmer men, and youth. The main areas of activities in the organization are agroecology, popular education, the struggle for protection, and the management of the environment, and women’s issues are at the center of the MPP as a transversal topic,” she explains.

The MPP works in 13 communes and 37 communal sessions in the country. Juslene explains that the organization works very hard to improve living conditions for peasants who have long been repressed by other sectors of the population. She says, “our work in rural areas is based on popular education, using Paulo Freire’s method. We educate and raise awareness among farmers, women, men, and youth, so that they can play an active role in the social change we advocate for. And the MPP’s vision is to defend farmers’ interests and demands.”

In the interview, Juslene spoke about the peasant struggle in Haiti and the struggle against US imperialism in the current context. This interview was conducted during the Rising Majority Congress, in Saint Louis, United States, in June 2024, which brought together 700 members of several grassroots organizations, parties, unions, and human rights movements in the country. Juslene was part of the delegation of international observers who attended the congress invited by the Grassroots Global Justice Alliance—-GGJ.

We are here in the United States for the Rising Majority (RM) Conference, and we know the role the US plays in the colonization of Haiti and all the issues that exist with transnational corporations. What do you think of the organization here in the US for the liberation of Haiti and what is the role of international solidarity for the country?

Taking part in Rising Majority contributes to all the demands we are pushing regarding the interference of international actors, especially the US, in Haiti’s private and national issues. Here, we found many people who are struggling for social change at a global level. And this is also our struggle. We are at a space where we are learning collectively, where we are empowering ourselves collectively, where we are advocating for mutual respect, human dignity, and the collective well-being. To me, being in the US today to attend RM is a step forward in our vision. It is a long-term vision, but we still hope to achieve social and global transformation.

One organization, one country, one people, alone, cannot fight all the obstacles we comprehend in the world. This is why we need many organizations to form alliances, define and pursue a shared vision, so that we can face the forces of death. The forces we face every day in our actions, in our activities, in our lives, to reach a more just, more equitable world for everyone to live with dignity.

One of the experiences you shared these days was the poisoned rice imports from the United States to Haiti, under the pretext of humanitarian aid by companies. Why did you share that case with us?

The imports—-or the invasion of local and national markets with products—-is a characteristic of the capitalist system in which most countries operate. Since the 1980s, Haiti, which used to be a sovereign, self-sufficient country in terms of food, has been facing a massive invasion of imported products. More specifically, rice from the United States and Asian countries is taking over our products and crushing our local and national rice production. According to a study published in February 2024 by the University of Michigan, the imported rice we heavily consume in Haiti contains two cancer-causing elements: Cadmium and arsenic.

We see how the system is poisoning us while crushing our rice production. Not to mention the fact that, for three or four years, we have imported a rice variety from an Asian country that attracted many rats who are starting to eat and destroyed the rice varieties we have, especially in the Artibonita region. Imported products are not only harmful and poisoning us—-they are also destroying our varieties. Our governments do not consider the succession and multiplicity of our seed varieties, accepting, or at least responding positively, to all orders their masters give them to destroy the Haitian people.

What is the role of peasant organizations and women’s organizations to build and restore food sovereignty in Haiti?

The role peasant organizations play in the restoration of food sovereignty in Haiti is fundamental. We are the ones who advocate for agroecology and promote agroecological principles. We transfer technical knowledge and support farmers. We play the role of bringing their demands to the government’s attention. We are a force that can pressure the government to change their agenda regarding the population and the peasantry.

It is a long struggle and we face several obstacles, because the system is way ahead of us. It works through the media, religion, and almost all other institutions, like the state and the armed forces, to force us into submission. But we say “no.” The peasant sector in Haiti joins an organized force to tackle the system and the government, which does not respect our laws. And this is why we are engaged in a relentless struggle, applying agroecology and popular education to restore our food sovereignty and our national sovereignty.

Haiti is going through a time of difficult conflicts and crises that affect all sectors of society, but the struggle continues. If you could think about the best future for the people of Haiti, what would it be?

A better life for Haiti, even if it is in a distant future, means to be able to live in solidarity, like it used to be. Because, traditionally, the Haitian people is a people of solidarity. A people that culturally believes in trust, solidarity, and mutual support. What we are experiencing right now comes from there, from international actors, political actors, and—-I would say—-, from anyone who does not have a conscience or sensibility. When you give guns for young people to live in gangs, which humanly destroys them in society, because either they go to prison or die—-well, that’s barbaric.

Haiti does not produce weapons. Haiti does not produce ammunition. And it is not the population who is bringing guns to Haiti, it’s people in the bourgeoisie, people in politics, and even, I would say, authorities. Because they always want to gain power and, for that, they use guns and money. Well, our goal is to have a prosperous and free Haiti. Free from all interference, free from all barbaric acts, free from all obstacles that stop us from living our best possible life, with dignity. This is our vision, and we are fighting for it, we are committed to it. 

Translated from Portuguese by Aline Scátola