Hope for a Better World

By Monique Mitchell

The book is basically my memoir; however, there are some fictitious characters but all is based on real events.

Flashback to my childhood in Madagascar: country with a fascinating history and a unique population, with ethnic characteristics in my own family.

Recollecting past personal tragedies in childhood and situating myself in the present where loving people( my family and church friends) are surrounding me, motivating me to be a good person and see life in a happy perspective. In particular, feeling as a great privilege to be part of the melting pot in the USA.

Recollection of the life at the Faculty of Medicine (Angers), France and the following years in Paris, graduating in social studies. Identifying the influence of the French culture as a pivotal factor in my life and grateful to Bon Papa (grandfather)who, by becoming a naturalized French citizen enabled his descendants to benefit from their French education, while identifying their difference and /or alienation, could also choose individually, how to find a balance between a dual culture they were./are exposed to (their own native and the acquired one).

An interesting trip to the Champagne region through the wine road and to the east of France (Alsace), rich in war (WWI) memories. And there also, exhilarating history about the Statute of Liberty: designed and constructed (before being brought to the USA) by the French architect, Frdric August Bartholdi.

Marriage to an American business man and birth of son in 1965 but early on, had to raise her child as a single mother due insurmountable challenges in the marriage.

Worked for 20years for the UN in 9 countries in Africa and Asia, all called hardship posts, including those for peace-keeping missions located in politically challenged and/or war-torn countries. For each country, there is a description, besides my administrative work, of history, culture, population etc

Farewell trip to Madagascar visiting the tomb of my grand parents with great sadness, fond memories and gratefulness for having raised me as a Christian child with the moral values I still carry with me at this day. Joining my American family on a permanent basis to be with my beloved son.

Birth of granddaughter, Jade, who is now a teenager and praying for all members of my family to be blessed by God in the country where I am now conveying my message for love and tolerance in my book Hope For a Better Work.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Sep 28, 2012
• ISBN: 9781475917659

Monique Mitchell

Born in Madagascar and now living in the USA where I joined my family following a long search for what the Creator of the Universe meant me to be, and that search is now well defined. It started to emerge gradually from my childhood and my adolescent years in France, and became more discerning during my 20 years as a UN staff member in various countries of Africa and Asia. As a result of that search, I wrote a book in order to convey the well defined message from the “We the peoples” of the UN Charter: peoples are different, have differences, but all should “hope for a better world”,with love and tolerance.

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Copyright © 2012 by Monique Mitchell.

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ISBN: 978-1-4759-1764-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4759-1765-9 (ebk)

iUniverse rev. date: 09/24/2012

Contents

Notes From The Author

Chapter 1.  Life’s Challenges And Devastating Events

Chapter 2.  Moments To Appreciate And Celebrate

Chapter 3.  My Granddaughter’s Birthday, Our Youth, Our Future

Chapter 4.  Family History, Dr.Rama

Chapter 5.  Childhood Memories

Chapter 6.  Youth And Studies In France

Chapter 7.  Visit To Historic Places In Alsace And Lorraine

Chapter 8.  Marriage And Birth Of Son John

Chapter 9.  First UN Assignment: Guinea

Chapter 10 John’s Teenager Years In Niamey, Niger

Chapter 11 Bissau, Guinea-Bissau

Chapter 12 Nouakchoot, Mauritania

Chapter 13 Bujumbura, Burundi

Chapter 14 Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Chapter 15 Kampala, Kabale, Uganda

Chapter 16 Kigali, Rwanda, The Genocide

Chapter 17 Nairobi, Kenya

Chapter 18 Mogadishu, Somalia

Chapter 19 Goodbye To Native Land

Epilog

Acknowledments

Appendix

To the loved ones, now all passed away, who raised me,

MY PATERNAL GRANDPARENTS, Dr. RAMA (BON PAPA) and

BONNE MAMAN, who gave me the moral values which have sustained me throughout my life,

and

MY PARENTS,

whose love and care, took me on the road to a better world.

MAY GOD’S PEACE BE WITH ALL OF YOU,

My Family members wherever they are, All my friends and

All those in hope for a better world.

Notes From The Author

How This Book Came To Be

Born in Madagascar, having lived in France and several other countries during 20 years working with the United Nations, and now living in California, USA, for the past 15 years, I have become an American citizen, proud to have obtained such a privilege.

My grandfather, Bon Papa, Dr. Rama in the book, was a naturalized citizen, a French one; therefore, we, as his descendants, can claim French citizenship according to the Napoleon code of nationality.

Life circumstances can change your nationality. I have come across numerous cases of changed or dual and even multiple nationality status. Having worked for the United Nations at the administrative level, I have had the opportunity to serve staff from a wide range of nationalities, languages and cultural backgrounds.

I still think about the cultural impact that moving from one country to another, one region to another, could have on people’s life and families. How each individual has his/her own perceptions when facing new environments. Would you let it affect you or would you remain untouched and continue living according to your own patterns? Or, would you take the opportunity to learn from new situations and adapt to them?

As for myself, being here in the USA is a not a mere coincidence. It’s a conscious decision to join my American family, having established that qualification through marriage: It was God’s plan for me to now have an Afro-American family which I have learned to appreciate more and more each day. However, I would say that the way I feel at present is that trying to define my own identity, is still a work in process. Indeed, in some respects, I am still a stranger in Wonderland.

This book is not intended as a biography or memoir as such. In fact, it is more than a memoir where the anonymity of most people is respected. Some fictitious characters and episodes are introduced to make occasional points.

The purpose of my book is to convey a message of hope. Life, people, our country, the world are beautiful. I am proud to contribute to the melting pot and bring into it, my own personal ingredients, however infinitesimal. In these challenging times of ours, let’s hope for a better world for ourselves, our children, our grandchildren. Let’s make that hope a reality. I pray for our leaders to work together to embrace the global vision we need to focus on. So that our dreams can come true!

Let’s start this in our own backyard! Let me take you on my own journey through a Hope for a better world. Let us together give praise and glory to our God, the God of the Universe!

Chapter One

Life’s Challenges And Devastating Events

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I am in my bedroom, sitting on my bed, leaning against the bedpost, my favorite place for meditation. I see Mount Wilson from my bedroom window and it reminds me of childhood images of other mountain views, in my far away native land.

On Mariposa Street, cars are regularly passing, now and then. The birds are chirping and flying from one tree to another with their velvety wings fluttering. From the kitchen, I smell the toasted bread my son Jonathan is preparing for his breakfast. The coffee-maker is purring, dripping the hot liquid into the coffeepot. Soon the rich aroma will flow across the apartment, keeping us warm company. One could then imagine and almost touch the inviting cup of Peets coffee with avid hands and, smelling it with palpitating nostrils.

And here I am, very much alive but with this great pain and sadness in my heart: my beloved sister Janine passed away just last week: she died in France, where, on an emergency trip from Madagascar where we were born, she had been receiving serious medical treatment for the past few months. Janine, you are no longer with us. You are now resting in peace, near God, our Father. I miss you and you will forever be in my heart.

Now I must start writing a book, as I had promised you. This is the time. This is a wake-up call: Monique, start writing! Janine would say. Many of you, reading this, know how after the shocking news about the death of a close relative or friend, you are grieving, as if forever. Writing about her and about our closeness would help me find consolation and closure. In spite of the geographical distance, she, in Madagascar, and then in France, and myself, in Altadena, California, Janine and I have been able to correspond through emails, on a regular basis. And now, what am I going to do, without her?

I learned of her death through an email, which, on that sad day, I opened at 6 a.m. But it had arrived here during the night. Just one line from her youngest daughter, Eva, in France: Maman passed away one hour ago. With the time difference, she died that same day January, 13. at 6p.m., there in France.

Jonathan, my son, had read an email about it, from another source, a few hours before I opened mine. I was sleeping then. He let me sleep until morning. That reminded me of what Bon Papa (my grandfather) did when Bonne Maman (grandmother)’s dad passed away. He knew it in the evening and let my grandma sleep. He told her in the morning. He knew the blow would be great. And he was a medical doctor, daily exposed to human suffering.

As soon as I opened my email and knew, I ran to Jonathan’s bedroom door and woke him with a loud shriek. As he already knew, he surrounded me with his arms, giving me the first comforting words. I cried all morning but I had to go to work early in the afternoon. And I did. At time 3 work can help you get away, for a while, from your pain. I did not succeed much and had a hard

time concentrating. My supervisor, whom I had informed about the news, was concerned about my quality of work and my state of mind, she suggested that I take a few days off. Which I did.

And here I am, writing the start of the book I had promised to write. Writing a book has been a desire of mine for a long time. I kept dragging my feet about it, until this. Janine’s death is definitely the word Go. If not, I am afraid I would never write it. I need to have time to tell about my message of hope for a better world, which I shared with her.

Janine and I in our emails or face-to-face exchanges, were convinced that our hope for a better world, while constantly challenged, could ultimately lead to changing the hope into realization and fulfillment. That at least, we could contribute to it, even in a minimal way. If only to work toward that better world, in our individual daily life. But what an immense task. I would share with you some of the contents of the message I sent at Janine’s church funeral, which took place in Madagascar. Her body was repatriated there from France where she died. We all knew, she would want to be buried near our mother, in the same family tomb.

The message is in French and you will find it attached, in the appendix of the completed book. However, the contents in English would be shared with you all along this book as they depict the common values that our family (Rama descendants) share. It’s all about family and cultural heritage, our upbringing, and the reason why our message of "hope for a better world" needs to be shared, as reflected in the following dialog we could have had:

Monique: From your last email, you told me that you had an emergency hospitalization for your heart. I am so concerned about you.

Janine: You know, that has been looming: all those health problems I am having are now affecting my heart. I feel so tired. I can’t go out by myself. I can hardly walk. I am now resting at Haingo’s house until I return to mine.

Monique: I’m so glad you have good children who really care for you. Nowadays, it’s not everyone’s lot. I am blessed with a good son, my only child. And you have six children, so you are six times blessed. Right?

Janine: Ha, Ha, Ha, that’s a good one. You could say, six times more trouble. But it’s not true, rather I had raised them with a lot of joy and love. And they give me joy and love in return.

Monique: You raised six wonderful children who are now responsible adults you can be proud of. I did my very best with my only one.

Janine: I’m sure you did your very best, as a single parent, assigned by the UN to all those countries.

Monique: Do you remember the way we ourselves have been raised?

Janine: Yes, definitely, we had role models to look up to in the Rama family.

Monique: Our own parents did their very best too. I must include my upbringing by Bon Papa and Bonne Maman. As you know, I was raised by our grandparents until I was 10 Janine: I don’t’ really like your reminding me that. It’s like saying you were brought up differently.

Monique: Whatever the case, we are sisters. Say yes. And we love each other. Say, yes we do. (chuckles)

Janine: Correct. All the same, we were raised according to the same ideal, the same principles. After all, our dad was a Rama and our Mom came from an excellent family, loyal to the same principles too.

Monique: In their days, arranged marriages were common. And you could not be admitted into the Rama family unless you were what they called a match.

Janine: The Rama had a very high standard, so have all associated with them, especially in marriage.

Janine: I agree and we must continue to keep the standard high.

Monique: That’s what you and I have been sharing all along: this ideal bestowing us the obligation to keep the flame high and pass it on.

Janine: Oh la la! It’s challenging but you are so right. You as a person who has been working 20 years with the UN, you have certainly kept that ideal.

Monique: I truly believe it helped me survive in difficult situations. My goal now is to share that hope for a better world and as you say, to pass it on

Janine: It was so scary when you were assigned to those war-torn countries: Cambodia, Rwanda, Somalia. As I have told you before, you should write a book; all those 20 years, you should tell us about them. You were rather vague or modest about it.

Monique: You must have told me to write a book a million times! And what did I say? Yeah, one day!!

Janine: Life is short you know, and we are not getting any younger. Besides, you have a good pen. I remember you at school, you were always top grades in French.

Monique: Yes, I remember, some of my teachers read my essays at class. One of them, Mme L… , also added: Monique, if you were speaking French on the radio, you would have the perfect native French accent. Another French teacher also said: Monique, you have so much imagination! You see where that imagination took me to, from Madagascar to America!

Janine: Yes, we Malagasy, when speaking French, can sometimes have a drawl, identified as non-French. But not in the Rama family, though.

Monique: Well, they put us in the best French schools and at home, we spoke both Malagasy and French.

Janine: There you go! We were bilingual from the start. And you speak English now.

Monique: To tell you the truth, I can write it well enough. But speaking? They identify the French accent at once, unfailingly. Do you know, I even took some English pronunciation classes for the foreign-born, to lose or at least to improve my accent. To no great success. When I make an effort and speak slowly, it could be OK, just a little while, but the good natural accent comes back running.

Janine: Well, call it your trademark and enjoy it!

Monique: I am so glad, all your children understand English well. So that they could easily 5 correspond with my son Jonathan, and my granddaughter, Jade, both Californians! I believe that English is our lingua franca, a common or commercial language, and its influence should spread further.

Janine: Now, you are biased!

Monique: To keep our hope for a better world, we need to communicate. The reality is that English is the most known language. Even, in a remote village, almost anywhere, you hear it, even if it’s just greetings, the magic words, thank you and how are you? Coca cola! Good! Thank you

What’s on the news today on CNN? Since January 12, it’s all about Haiti and the destruction that followed the earthquake. What a nightmare, what a catastrophe of unspeakable dimension.

Janine was dying in France when we saw the news on TV but she passed away the day following the Haiti tragedy of January 12, 2010. She would have watched the horrors seen live on TV which cell-phone video cameras described. Within the hour, it became apparent that this was a disaster of apocalyptic proportions. An eye witness said that, when the shaking stopped, buildings kept crumbling down. Thousands of people poured into the streets, crying, carrying bloody bodies, looking for someone who could help. The death toll would not be known but the worst was feared as many would be buried under the rubbles. The disaster was magnified every hour when more horrors were shown and described to us by reporters.

CNN was very much part of that reporting, as were all other channels. By now, reporters from the USA had flown in by helicopters and were doing a fantastic job, following hour by hour, the development of the tragedy. Port-au-Prince, the capital city, they said, is almost completely down, even the presidential palace could not resist the 7.0 earthquake on the Richter scale.

Aid from the USA was quickly organized and President Obama, in his call for help by all Americans, majestically approved what needed to be done, on an urgent and generous basis. We should be so proud of him who spoke on behalf of our nation. God bless you, Sir.

International humanitarian aid followed rapidly as this was a life-saving emergency. In line with its goals, the United Nations (UN) system had swung into action. The Secretary-General convened an emergency session to examine what should be done, for now in the immediate situation. He himself, traveled to Haiti to assess for himself the urgent needs, with several UN experts accompanying him. Humanitarian aid would come through the Word Food Program (WFP), the World Health Organization (WHO), and other UN agencies. Several non-governmental organizations(NGO), some already working in Haiti before the earthquake, as well as US and UN staff. All would join in. The goal is to have a sustainable, coordinated, and overall, a human, holistic aid.

I reflect on the exchange we would have had Janine and I, were she still alive. Knowing her so well, this is the type of dialog we could have had in January 2010…

Janine: Did you watch the TV about Haiti? Isn’t that horrible?

Monique: With an earthquake on that scale, very few countries could have avoided the massive destruction and the death toll, not known yet.

Janine: Japan perhaps, to a certain extent. Their houses and buildings are constructed to minimize the effects of earthquakes. They also have the means to do so.

Monique: Unfortunately, in Haiti, it’s not the case. On top of their economic situation and infrastructure problems, now this.

Janine: The capital city, Port-au-Prince is practically down, even the presidential palace. It will take a long time to rebuild, let alone the urgent problems facing the country today and for a long time to come.

Monique: This is the time to unite, and individually, in groups, nationwide and internationally. WE MUST HELP.

Janine: It’s reassuring to see the massive aid flowing to Haiti; all nations, government or non-governmental groups. No one is indifferent. The UN and the USA are the remarkable participants to that aid, so are all the European countries, indeed, every nation is concerned and helping.

Monique: As an American, I feel blessed more than ever, to be part of our generous nation. I know it’s also in our interest to help a neighbor in need; it would avoid a massive immigration to our shores (Florida). And preventing or containing problems by helping that neighbor when he most needs it, could avoid having him turn, elsewhere politically, to make choices contrary to our national convictions. For now, let’s show our instinctive human compassion dominate.

Janine: It’s amazing, how politics affect all actions!

Monique: You are so right.

Janine: Well, politics are part of the problems and their solutions, as well as economics. We cannot be blind to them. This tragedy would help us all, and our leaders, to give Haitians hope for a better world. The economical situation in Haiti sadly reminds me of other-developing countries, including my own, Madagascar.

Monique: That’s the time, you and I get so discouraged. When we look around us, and recognize the blunt reality, we are challenged in our hope for a better world.

Janine: The leaders contributed a lot to some of the disastrous economical situation in their countries. The corruption and the abuse have subjected those countries to their present state.

Janine: Of course, the leaders contributed to that; some of them did and still do. Would they ever learn?

Monique: Haiti is to us the first black republic; we are looking up to that country which fought heroically the colonialists to be free from slavery. Do you remember Toussaint l’Ouverture?

Janine: Yes, he was their hero whom history books will always remember. He prepared the way to the creation of an independent Haiti by his long struggle for freedom. What’s the date of their independence?

Monique: I checked it and it was January 1st, 1804, Haiti is unique in its mix of West African religious and cultural roots, combined with Westernized culture which deeply influenced Haitians. Like Brazil, voodoo as a religion and belief is very much alive. Haitians, the Christian ones included, and they are the majority, know it’s part of their spiritual heritage. Some practice both religions, side by side. Voodoo came to them from Africa, over 200 years ago.

Janine: I bet you, some extremist Christians say that this earthquake is a curse to Haiti for practicing voodoo, which Satan uses to oppose Christ followers. As if the victims are to be blamed for their suffering!

Monique: That kind of comment has no place in what you and I share: tolerance is the starting point for building a better world. God is gracious and He is the Master of the Universe, not Satan. We have to accept that He will test us. In our time of adversity, He wants us to learn from it. God created Haitians and as all his children, they are unique in His eyes.

Janine: That’s what Haiti is about: its uniqueness. And don’t forget the creole influence. Do you know that the Haitian creole has its own vocabulary, idioms, and grammar which you can learn and teach?

Monique: All the Haitians I have come across are highly educated, intellectual and professional, and are who themselves are, like the country they come from. The grim picture as we see on TV shows that the earthquake leveled much of the capital city, Port-au-Prince; over 150,000 people have been killed and the count will increase that number: many are still under the rubble; those who survived are wounded, hungry, without water. Children are dying unnecessarily because of infection and lack of medical supplies. Those supplies are blocked at the airport because of poor infrastructure. But the USA is in charge of the airport and soon, all the supplies will be available and distributed to hospitals. Let’s get to the practical question: How can we help Haiti?

Janine: I am disabled, bed-ridden, please do, on my behalf all you can to help Haiti. I am getting weaker and weaker everyday and who knows what to-morrow will be.

Monique: Surely, I would do so. Last Sunday at our church, I was called by the leader of our children department. They wanted me to give some simple French sentences that the children could use to send postcards messages to Haitian children. Each child made his/her personal card. I asked all of them to end their message with a Jesus loves you (in French: Jesus vous aime).

Janine: I’m so glad you were able to do that. It’s from your heart, through your church children to those suffering children in Haiti, that you did it.

Monique: It was a great privilege and honor to be invited to do that. Also, we donated some cash contributions and were given some websites or phone numbers we could call. Our church is connected to World Vision which already had a program in Haiti, before the earthquake. CNN also suggested some safe numbers where to send donations. Myself, I will donate through my church to World Vision.

Janine: I think the safest number to call would be UNICEF which is a worldwide UN connection.

When I see all the suffering in Haiti, my own loss of someone very dear to me, could be viewed from another perspective: a little Haitian girl lost ten members of her family! And how can we forget the nightmarish scenes from Haiti: the mother who after long searches from the rescuers, cannot give up searching for her daughter buried in the rubbles; she begs the rescuers to come back and try again but has to accept the devastating fact that there is no more hope to find her child, alive or dead. What about all the wounded people, especially the children, who needed urgent attention and were waiting before aid was organized. But you see, people forget and move on. And now, Haitians after the first days, weeks, months, would feel the impact of all that massive international aid. The latter, in its first phase, is to care for their immediate needs. And in the second phase, Haiti is to be rebuilt. Haitians will also move on.

The Haitian people are tough, they are fighters, survivors, and they will survive this. From chaos, they will rebuild their beloved country. With international aid, we would see the largest construction site in the world in Port-au-Prince, the capital city. That’s where rebuilding will be the prime goal. Statistics say that 60% of the country is untouched by the recent earthquake. Elsewhere, there is agricultural production, now to be accelerated. Rebuilding will take long efforts.

Coordination and efficiency of action are the challenges. The Donors’ Conference held in Montreal attended by most donors, including the UN, examined and outlined all aspects of aid. So, let’s rebuild that country to be what it should be.

Haiti, we cannot forget our debt toward you, liberated from slavery in 1804. That’s how Aimé Césaire, the great writer from Martinique, expressed his gratitude towards Haiti.

Yes, Haiti is the first black Republic. Let’s not forget that. Haitians are fighters. After their independence in 1804, they had to carry the repayment of debt for 60 years to compensate former colonialists previously living in Haiti.

Haitians are survivors. They will rebuild and develop their country. They do not wish to adopt a country in Africa to live there, as a well-meaning leader has invited them into his. Haitians acknowledge their African source and culture but are no longer Africans. In fact, they are Caribbeans. And right there, there is a distinction. They have their own identity while not denying their origin.

They have also absorbed Westernized culture, especially when they leave their country to study or to emigrate; but they always come home, to stay or on visit, knowing that it’s there they belong to. Wherever they go, they carry with them the precious gift of self-identity, so vivid in each one of them. And they know that nobody can take that away from them. That’s the reason why wherever Haitians go, with that gift in them, they blend well in any community they choose to live in. Have you ever met any Haitian? Most Haitians I have come across have a distinctive personality. Start looking around to identify some of them.

That’s also the kind of help Haitians also search for: that we first respect them for what they are. And then, we can help them better. Let’s recognize their sovereignty which they will affirm by rebuilding their government, still recovering from the disaster. Their right to self-determination will lead Haitians to rebuild, not from scratch, but to look up to a leadership which will guarantee them stability and lack of corruption. For now, Haitians are observing, but they will make their choices at the right time.

It’s an impossible task to write in a few pages about Haiti knowing that this will be a long process of recovery. As for myself, my hope for a better world for Haiti is the message I wish to share. In fact, I shared my thoughts with Congressman Adam Schiff,(Los Angeles 19th district) following a panel discussion he organized on Haiti in Crisis, at the Altadena Library on February 28, 2010. He acknowledged receipt of my communication to him—which will be found in the appendix. He said: "Please, be assured that I will keep your views in mind when this issue is considered on the House Floor.

It’s a mistake to think that effective and efficient actions can be taken without the politicians.

My emotions are still high following all the news on CNN and other channels, including TV5, France, and reading articles about the earthquake.

Haitians, you are fighters, stand up and fight to rebuild your country. And you will see at the end of the tunnel, that flicker of hope for a better world! Make that miracle happen, and God bless you and help you! And may He be with all of us who know that helping you is the way to express our own gratitude for what we have and want to share, not only on our own soil, in our own backyard, but with those who go through a heartbreaking despair and limitless tragedy. Like yours.

I have been blessed in having been made aware of and connected to an organization, World Vision. In fact, my church works closely with that organization which has been in Haiti long before the earthquake and is continuing their great work right now and for a long time to come. World Vision serves all people, regardless of religion, ethnicity or gender. The vision of that organization will be added to the one I acquired through