Francois “Papa Doc” Duvalier

Murder, slavery, back-stabbing and witchcraft. And these aren’t even the juiciest parts of this story.

Add to all that a semi-crazed medical doctor wielding an absurd amount of power and…well you have the ingredients for a classic horror movie. Except this all really happened.

Haiti has been called by some pundits “the unluckiest nation in the world” because of its geography. I don’t know how the Dominicans and the Jamaicans feel about that.

This month’s insert takes place on the Caribbean island of Haiti; where the scalding heat and hygrometer-bursting humidity were the perfect backdrops for the heinous activities that took place there.

When the Spanish and French first settled on the island of Hispaniola (present-day Haiti), they enslaved the natives. The slaves rebelled, overthrew their European overlords and by 1802, slavery was abolished.

An artist’s depiction of the Haitian Revolution. Image courtesy of Brittanica.

Francois Duvalier was born a century later on 14 April 1907 in Port‐au‐Prince. His dad was a part time school teacher and mum worked for a bakery so they weren’t exactly rolling in dough (ba dum tss). Despite having both parents around, the young Duvalier was raised by his grandmother, which must have done wonders for his sense of acceptance.

After earning a medical degree from the University of Haiti in 1934, Duvalier worked in several local hospitals, before spending a year studying in the USA. During this period, he spent his free time researching Voodoo.

This all seems like a pretty normal life for a young man, apart from the whole experimenting with sorcery thing. It wasn’t until much later that Doc’s political ambitions developed.

In 1943, Duvalier was recruited to join a United States financed programme to treat people with yaws, a tropical skin disease that had long plagued Haiti.

Side note: I wanted to place a picture here of what yaws looks like, but I think you can Google it and see why I decided not to.

During that time, he travelled the countryside, earning a reputation as a hardworking but simple country doctor. He mixed medicine with occult rites, leading many to believe he was doing miracles and curing diseases.

Francois Duvalier, the Doctor. Image courtesy of haitianphotos.com

Off of this notoriety, Duvalier was appointed director-general of the National Public Health Service in 1946. He rose to the post of Minister of Health and Labour 3 short years later.

At the time, Haiti was governed by Elie Lescot, who had seized power through a soft coup led by the burly military general Paul Magloire. Lescot clearly became too big for his britches and tried to prolong his term as President. Magloire was not having it and booted Lescot and his allies out of power. Our boy Duvalier was one of them.

On the left, Elie Lescot — the man who was President from 1941 to 1946. On the right, Paul Magloire — the man who kept him there and then eventually replaced him.

Worse was to come for our mans when the government set a bounty for him. He and his best mate Clément Barbot escaped to the hills expeditiously, where an American journalist would later happen upon the duo hiding in a cave disguised as women. Barbot apparently had the good sense to hide a machine gun under his skirt.

Thankfully, this embarrassing episode soon faded into the annals of forgotten history. When Magloire granted amnesty to all political enemies in September 1956, the wide-eyed but enraged pair of Duvalier and Barbot crawled out of their pit and into freedom.

A few months later, Magloire lost the support of the army and fled Haiti — but not before making sure the national treasury was good and empty.

This was the beginning of a new political epoch for Haiti. A New Dispensation, if you will. Duvalier won the Presidency in “free” elections in 1957.

Francois Duvalier in May 1957. Image courtesy of historyanswers.co.uk

The people loved Duvalier. He was affectionately known as “Papa Doc”; a name that would stick with him throughout his political career.

One of Duvalier’s most striking characteristics was his ability to juggle the competing interests of various groups and somehow convince them that he gave more than a fleeting care about their welfare.

He proclaimed “Africanism” and advocated removing “mulattos” (a racially insensitive term for the rich light-skinned minority) from public office and depriving them of economic power. At the same time, he managed to gain the support of the industrialists — most of whom were “mulattos”- by convincing them that all the racism was simply locker room talk and they had nothing to worry about.

Even the army backed Papa Doc, which is weird considering that it wasn’t exactly a secret how much the doctor despised them. Word on the street was that the army viewed him as a puppet that they could easily bend to their own sadistic whims.

Papa Doc enthusiastically donning the military regalia. Image courtesy of atalayar.com

And even though not everyone was thrilled with the results of the polls, Papa Doc had any dissenting voices silencED. Political rivals were chucked into jail and a handful of vocal critics disappeared, never to be seen again. A fortunate few managed to escape into foreign embassies.

Clement Barbot, still eating good and in Papa Doc’s good books at this stage. Image courtesy of alchetron.com

Papa Doc also filled his new government with friends, cronies and allies, regardless of their ability or experience. Among the appointees was Clément Barbot (remember him, from the cross dressing debacle), who was made chief of the secret police.

Now these dudes were meaner than a rabid dog that hasn’t chewed on flesh in weeks. Their orders were to decapitate anyone who didn’t declare unconditional fealty to Papa Doc with the enthusiasm of a gym-bro being able to deadlift again after 3 months of quarantine.

If that wasn’t enough, members of the “Africanism” movement were brought together to form an even more violent militia known as the Tonton Macoute. This name was inspired by a traditional Voodoo figure. Think of the Boogeyman. You know, that spirit that kidnapped and ate children.

And even by Spartan standards of senseless savagery, these guys went overboard.

A couple of the Tonton Macoute. I mean…

Victims of the Macoute who were lucky enough to not have their throats slit and their bodies left hanging in market places were either tortured or imprisoned. Among those murdered or arrested were labour union leaders, journalists, suspected communists and really anyone Papa Doc didn’t vibe with.

Even kids as young as 11 were reportedly dragged into the bushes and beaten to a pulp with hickory sticks.

In an incident straight out of a SAW film, the editor of an anti‐Duvalier newspaper was beaten in front of her children, dragged to the outskirts of town, tortured and raped, and then left to die.

Tonton Macoutes patrol the streets. Image courtesy of historyanswers.co.uk

In addition to being a physical terror, Papa Doc started to project himself as a Voodoo spirit. And sure, the new constitution provided for freedom of religion but this was nominal lip service. The reality was that Voodoo practices were strongly enforced.

During his time as a rural doctor, Papa Doc had formed close ties with Voodoo priests known as “houngans”. He recruited these houngans to be his propaganda mouthpieces in the countryside. The houngans were consulted, invited to Papa Doc’s palace and frequently performed public religious ceremonies.

A modern day voodoo houngan. Image from dailymail.co.uk

Papa Doc also marketed himself as a brilliant writer and philosopher. So brilliant, in fact, that he established a school of thought known as “Duvalierism.”

Duvalierism was best expressed in Papa Doc’s book: The Essential Works. All Haitians were forced to learn at least three-quarters of the Essential Works by heart. And this would have been a perfectly reasonable demand if 90 per cent of the population weren’t illiterate.

For those who couldn’t read, which was like everyone, Papa Doc hosted a daily radio show, where his voice was regarded as the voice of God. *stares into camera*

Every demi-god needs to be worshiped. And so Papa Doc’s birthday was the biggest bootlicking event on the island. The occasion would always be marked by the appropriate amount of pomp and fanfare — which is to say: a lot of pomp and fanfare.

A commemorative coin issued on the occasion of Papa Doc’s 60th birthday. Image courtesy of coins.ha

At his 60th birthday rager, some jealous party poopers detonated a bomb, killing 2 and injuring 40 of the guests.

Suspecting a coup attempt, Papa Doc threw 19 officers of his palace guard into a dingy dungeon on the outskirts of the capital. These “traitors” would spend the rest of their days fighting gorilla-sized rats for scraps of food and rethinking every decision they’d made.

Papa Doc’s paranoia spared no one. Even his trusted friend Clement Barbot found himself behind bars for 16 months after being suspected of plotting to oust the good doctor.

Duvalier released Barbot from prison in April 1963. Instead of being grateful for freedom, the former henchman tried to kidnap the President’s two children.

The abduction attempt was ultimately unsuccessful.

Barbot was forced to flee but in the resulting manhunt, Macoutes surrounded Barbot’s house and sprayed it liberally with machine‐gun bullets. After several rounds of fire, an aging black dog bumbled out. Reacting to the superstitious belief that Barbot could transform into a black dog, Papa Doc ordered all black dogs in the country to be shot.

Yup, it was curtains for this guy sadly.

Barbot was eventually found in a sugar cane field. Duvalier’s supporters channeled their inner Adeles, set fire to it and eventually shot and killed Barbot as he fled the flames.

While all this was going, the president had unleashed a reign of terror across the cownthry. The Macoutes killed so many people that corpses were left to rot by the roadside in the capital city.

On 17 September 1963 all pretence was abandoned and Haiti officially became a one-party state.

You’d think that having no official opposition and the undying loyalty of your inner circle would be enough to satiate our friend’s thirst for power. But you’d be mistaken.

Church and business leaders were summoned to the presidential palace where they were forced to beg Papa Doc to stay in power forever.

On 1 April, the most fitting date, Papa Doc made a public address in which he described himself as “an exceptional man, the kind the country could produce only once every 50 to 75 years.” A nearby billboard depicted Jesus Christ resting his hands on the shoulders of Papa Doc in Trumpian form and declaring “I have chosen him.”

A mural of Francois Duvalier in 1975. Image courtesy of historyanswers.co.uk

However, Papa Doc’s deteriorating health forced him to acknowledge the need for a successor. In a display of the great judgement and mature decision making that characterised his presidency, Papa Doc appointed his son, Jean-Claude, a spoiled, womanising 19 year old, as the future President.

Believe it or not, grooming a teenager with barely two brain cells to rub together to be the leader of a whole country wasn’t the worst decision Papa Doc made throughout his reign. Allowing his henchmen to crush his opponents and terrorise bystanders with the elegance and delicacy of using a hacksaw to open a can of beans was. These guys went much too far.

Papa and Baby Doc. Image courtesy of AFP.

The obvious problem with this is that it’s hard to get genuine support when people are scared of you — which is fine at the best of times. The other issue is that when lawless mobs with voracious and indiscriminate bloodlust roam the streets you risk alienating your real friends, who might fall victim to their antics.

Indeed as early as his first year in power, Papa Doc’s militia clobbered an American to death. The USA retaliated by suspending diplomatic ties with Haiti and recalling the Ambassador. Duvalier took advantage of the situation and blamed the military for the violence, which offered a convenient excuse for him to downsize the army.

Relations with the USA only got worse. After Papa Doc’s shady “victory” at the polls, John F Kennedy, President of the USA at the time, had seen enough and suspended all economic aid to Haiti.

Kennedy’s presidency was brief. The guy was famously assassinated in 1963. While practically every other world leader offered their condolences in the wake of his death, Duvalier not only refused to comisserate with the Americans but bragged that he was responsible for Kennedy’s murder.

Today in “photos that preceded unfortunate events”. Image courtesy of Wikipedia.

Of course, comments like that did nothing to change American sentiment towards Haiti or alleviate the effect of the sanctions.

During Papa Doc’s time, per capita income was about $75 a year. This stood in contrast to $400 in the rest of the region. Add to all this soaring unemployment and the fact that the country’s exports of coffee just weren’t selling like they used to and Haiti was basically an abyss where economic dreams went to die.

The ailing economy took its toll on both the citizens and Papa Doc himself. Increasingly paranoid after suffering several coup attempts, the doctor spent the last bit of his reign in self-isolation.

Papa Doc was said to spend his days behind a mahogany desk, with a loaded rifle at arms reach. At this point, there was no longer a junta, a faction or any true political party whose ideology he was bound to. Instead, he was surrounded by spineless bootlickers who, like exotic dancers in an early 2000’s rap video, tried to get his attention through shameless acts of loyalty.

In December 1968 two (illegal) opposition parties, deciding that enough was enough, combined to form the United Party of Haitian Communists. They were committed to overthrowing Papa Doc, peacefully or otherwise.

In March 1969 they dismounted the regime’s flag in a remote village; an act tantamount to high treason. The Doc responded with a savage witch-hunt: dozens of people were shot or hanged in public.

But even as Papa Doc’s hooligans marched into obscure villages, his own health continued to decline.

Finally, in January 1971, Jean-Claude (known as “Baby Doc”) was formally named as Papa Doc’s successor. 3 months later, Papa Doc had a heart attack and breathed his last.

Baby Doc was definitely not an improvement on his dad. He was deposed in 1986 after a popular uprising and died in 2014 at age 63. Image courtesy of The New Yorker.

Initially, he was buried in the National Cemetery. But that wasn’t grand enough for a comrade of his magnitude and stature so it was later transferred to a mausoleum.

Even in death, Papa Doc’s shadow loomed large over the island. In fact, so many people believed that he’d come back to life that police officers guarded his tomb at all times.

The funeral of Papa Doc. Image courtesy of NY Times.

The moral of this story is that you can fool some of the people all of the time, all of the people some of the time and, if you attain power and use modern medicine to trick the populace into believing that you’re the supreme spiritual overlord, all of the people all of the time.

Sources:

Papa Doc Duvalier: The Voodoo President who killed Kennedy

Papa Doc, a Ruthless Dictator, Kept the Haitians in Illiteracy and Dire Poverty (Published 1971)

How to Be a Dictator: The Cult of Personality in the Twentieth Century, Frank Dikotter

The Reason Why People Believed This Dictator Had An Army Of Zombies