Publication of “For Whom The Dogs Spy “

Greetings,

My book, “FOR WHOM THE DOGS SPY—From the Earthquake to the Duvalier Dictatorships, Four Presidents, and Beyond”— is scheduled for publication January 6. It is already on Amazon. You may pre-order by internet, or place your order at a Barnes & Noble bookstore.
This book was long coming. People who know or heard about Radio Vonvon have always asked me to write about that legend. Our infiltration of the cruel regime of François “Papa Doc” Duvalier was a mystery.  How were we able to infiltrate everywhere, even into Papa Doc’s palace, to put out information that the dictator wanted to suppress? Papa Doc made people believe that he had mystical power by which animals, especially dogs, could spy for him. He himself could transform into a dog. Using the Voodoo myths in reverse, we managed to have the dogs defect. They were no longer working for the dictator, but for us. Can dogs really spy? You will find out by reading this book.
However, before delving into the mystical realm of Voodoo, in the book I deal with the 2010 earthquake that destroyed Port-au-Prince and surroundings. As Haiti’s ambassador to the United States at the time, I had to assume the responsibility of representing and defending the country. My superiors in Port-au-Prince were nowhere to be found. The earthquake was not God’s curse on Haitians for having reached a pact with the Devil to gain their independence. By defeating the seasoned troops of Napoléon Bonaparte, the Haitian rebels had stopped France from establishing an empire in the New World, and made possible the Louisiana Purchase. Also, that successful slave revolt was instrumental in the liberation of a big swath of Latin America. Simon Bolivar found the support he needed from Haiti to liberate Gran Columbia, including Venezuela and Colombia. Haiti has not always been the “poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.”
I have been involved in Haitian politics since the 1960s, and I have dealt with four Haitian presidents. I have closely followed several American presidents since John F. Kennedy in their handling of Haiti. I feel that my contemporary view of Haiti should be told as Haiti faces new daunting challenges. With the specter of another dictatorship looming, the lessons of the past could help us deal with the evolving situation. For, according to the 19th century Spanish philosopher George Santayana, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
Thank you for spreading the word.
Raymond A. Joseph
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