Brazilian football has Haitians euphoric at last

Alice Speri

Walking the streets of Port-au-Prince these days you may think you are in Brazil as Haitians starved of joy and excitement since January's devastating earthquake are caught up in World Cup fever.

Green and yellow flags line the streets, while children and adults alike sport Kaka jerseys and even the ubiquitous graffiti against President Rene Preval and MINUSTAH has for once been supplanted by freshly painted signs in support of the World Cup's most storied team.

Argentina is Haiti's second favorite outfit, but the bitter rivalry between the two South American teams does not transfer over to their euphoric fans here who seem united like never before.

"This is just a huge party for everyone," said Teddy Maindre, an Argentina fan who nonetheless waited impatiently for Brazil's first game on Tuesday against the footballing minnows from the hermit state of North Korea.

The atmosphere everywhere resembled that of a final, with huge speakers blasting the cup's soundtracks, girls in green and yellow makeup and nails, and young boys wrapped in flags improvising acrobatics on their motorcycles.

The World Cup, which kicked off Friday in South Africa, comes just five months after Haiti was left shattered by a massive earthquake that killed up to 300,000 people and flattened the capital Port-au-Prince.

Port-au-Prince's main stadium, which became a refugee camp in the aftermath of the quake, now welcomes people with a few cents in their pockets to watch the games on giant screens.

Francois Mackenson, the young founder of a local Brazil fan club, has set up a flat screen in the shell of a collapsed building in Delmas 57, one of the devastated capital's many sprawling slums.

"This year we didn't get to have a carnival because of the earthquake," Mackenson lamented. But he told AFP that Brazil's "inevitable" victory would make up for that. "It's giving us the strength to start again," he said.

Mackenson struggled to explain why the Brazil team in particular had won the support and adulation of most Haitians.

"I don't know why Brazil," he said. "It's a blood thing, because Brazilians also came from Africa," he added, before smiling when asked why Haitians didn't then choose to support an African team like Ivory Coast and saying they can't compare.

Haitians' love for Brazil is strictly limited to football as the 1,300-strong Brazilian contingent which leads the UN peacekeeping mission in Haiti has often been criticized for its use of violence.

"We don't mix football and politics," said Mackenson.

World Cup fever, however, is not pleasing everyone here as some believe the sense of collective exhilaration over the tournament will delay political efforts to mend the dangerously dysfunctional nation.

"The World Cup is going to give Preval a break," said Hans Muselaire, a high school professor speculating that when the party is over the anti-government demonstrations will escalate out of control. "If Brazil wins the night of the final, who knows, there might even be a coup," he said.

 PORT-AU-PRINCE, Wednesday AFP