Wyclef Jean Wants 'To Build A New Haiti'

[bigted]

Wyclef Jean Wants 'To Build a New Haiti'

JACMEL, Haiti - Wyclef Jean called on his Haitian countrymen to reject violence and work for a stable future during a free concert aimed at promoting development in the impoverished nation.

"It's time to build a new Haiti," the Grammy-winning artist told more than 20,000 cheering fans Friday night at the waterfront pier of this resort town. It was his first concert in Haiti in eight years.

The concert capped off a weeklong film and culture festival organized by Jean's Yele Haiti charity, which promotes music and the arts as a way to reduce poverty, create jobs and improve Haiti's image.

Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and most of its 8 million people live on less than $2 per day. The Caribbean country is struggling to recover from a bloody 2004 revolt that toppled former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

Jean, a Haitian citizen who lives in the United States, condemned the ongoing street violence that has followed the revolt, especially a wave of kidnappings for ransom that have plagued the capital, Port-au-Prince.

"If we don't stop kidnappings, the country can't develop," Jean said.

Jean was born in Haiti but left for the United States with his family at age 9. He later achieved world fame through his hip-hop band, The Fugees.

[bigted]

Yeah I got a lot of respect for Wyclef, my father lived in Port-Au-Prince too when he was growing up, it was a living hell for him, many times he'd go to bed with no food, he had to crap in an outhouse, he almost died, his mother died when he was born, his father died when he was 14, so basically his aunts and uncles tried to take of him the best they could even though they didn't really have anything either, but thanks to the will of god he was able to find a job to get enough money to move here to America to have a bigger opportunity, when he got a job here he'd always send over to others in his family over there suffering, now my family might be poor compared to others in America but really our poor we never equal the poor my papa had to experience, it's good to see Wyclef giving back like this, i always try to send a few bucks to feed the hunger too just so those who are suffering like my papa did could make it better, btw I just told my papa about what my man Wyclef's doing and he's very happy about that too to see a young brotha like that giving back to where he came from

Edited December 4, 2006 by bigted