Michael Deibert on the passing of Jean-Claude Bajeux

Author and friend, Michael Deibert, posted a touching tribute to Jean-Claude Bajeux, Haiti's former Minister of Culture, and staunch human rights and democracy advocate.

As he concludes, "In Haitian Creole there is an expression upon the passing of a great figure that “a great mapou has fallen.” Mapous are the massive, sturdy trees that one finds in the Haitian countryside, and great spiritual signifiers to the country’s vodou faithful, as well.

One must remain hopeful that a younger generation will now pick up the legacy of collective struggles and personal sacrifices that men like Jean-Claude Bajeux left them and try and forge a more equitable and just future for Bajeux’s beloved country. There could be no better tribute."

You can read the rest here.