Published: 25 February 2010
by DAN CARRIER

WHILE the terrible events in Haiti have galvanised the international community to try and help one of the poorest nations on Earth, the island has a long history of bad relations with other states – and the history of Haiti is the focus of a documentary being screened next week by Cuban support group Rock Around The Blockade.

The film tells the story of the 2004 US-backed coup against the democratically elected president Jean Bertrand Aristide, whose elected government suffered the same fate back in 1991 when he was first voted in. There are fears that the ­American help for earthquake victims has manifested itself in ways that are not welcome – US troops have taken over ports, ­airports and roads, although there have been repeated denials that this is anything more than a massive humanitarian effort. 

Because of the disaster, elections have been postponed, and Aristide’s party, Lavalas, has been banned from standing. As Rock Around The Blockade notes, Cuba has sent more than 1,000 medics to the country, setting up two emergency field hospitals within 24 hours of the disaster as they have been sending medical aid and expertise to the country for the past decade anyway.

The film will be followed by a discussion on what the future holds for the island. Since the earthquake on January 12, the US has swamped the country with aid, but suspicious islanders fear it may be a fourth invasion of their land. 

• The film is due to be screened at 7.30pm on Sunday, March 7 at The Compass pub, Penton Street , Islington, N1 (Angel Tube).