Jesusla

Jesusla was barely 6 years when she came to live in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Jesusla’s mother had become ill right before she gave birth to her and had returned to her native town of Tomozeau a town west of Port-au-prince. Unable to provide for Jesulsa, she decided to send Jesusla to stay with the family she once worked for in Port-au-Prince in exchange for food, shelter and a promise that the host family would send Jesusla to school.

While the host family’s children attended school, Jesusla would spend her mornings and afternoons preparing food, cleaning the house and helping with the family laundry. At six years of age and since Jesusla joined her mother’s previous boss, Jesusla never once missed the sunrise. If you’ve ever been to the Caribbean or to South America, you’d know how beautiful the sunrise and sunsets can be.

Always the first to rise, Jesusla found herself the last to go to sleep too. As the children of the house walk to school, Jesusla would carry their books so the 10 and 12-year-old girls would not tire before they reach their school. The mistress of the house did not want the children to carry their books because they were too heavy so Jesusla had to carry the books for them. Luckily, the family had Jesusla and Jesusla was always there to protect the children. It was convenient too, because both the children of the house attended the same school so Jesusla did not have to walk extra with the heavy load of books that she carries for both children.

Jesusla, walking back from the girls’ school would wonder, when, she herself would start school. Her mother had told her that the host family promised to send her to school. Five years later as a Restavek, Jesusla had not yet gone to school but her duties in her household had increased. She had now begun to prepare all the family meals and not simply fetching water and doing other household chores. The only Jesusla did not do was to go food shopping alone. The lady of the house did not trust her so Jesusla was never allowed to go to the market for food by herself. When she went, her duties were to carry the groceries and always she went with someone because the lady of the house thought she would steal the money. Regularly, the lady of the house would search Jesusla belonging to see what the girl had. It always humiliated Jesusla but she could not stay anything.

Jesusla was not always confined to the host’s family home. At times, the host family will lend her out to special friends and relatives when they needed help during special events and could use an extra pair of hands. They enjoyed having Jesusla as she proved dexterous and capable around the house. She had begun her career at a tender age. Jesusla never enjoyed going, because, often the people were even more abusive then her host family; and the men would slap her behind and squeeze the breast that her body had begun to develop.

Despite the hard work, nature had blessed Jesusla with good looks; something that the mistress of the house did not like much since the mistress’s husband and other male guests would often take turn at staring at the girl and some even would fondle her often publicly. Jesusla was almost teased for her good looks by the mistress of the house and even held in contempt. It could be because her husband paid attention to Jesusa not that the girl enjoyed the attention. “If you think you’re that beautiful, I will burn your face for you if that’s what I need to do to teach you to have respect” the mistress of the house would tell Jesusla.

Jesusla took her mistress seriously. The mistress burned her once with a piece of charcoal she held against the girl’s face. She knew the mistress of the house did not play games and that she always carried out her threats. “Oui” was not enough. Jesusla knew that she had to say “oui madame” or yes maam, or she’ll get in trouble and the mistress would slap or spit on her face. Once the mistress of the house, was furious, so she beat jesusla with a “rigoise”- a thick threaded thong of cowhide until Jesusla’s body had sore on it. Normally, she’d throw the liquid of hot pepper and vinegar mix on Jesusla’s body, which penetrates the sores and intensifies the pain. Then she’d force Jesusla to genuflex on both her knees on a large grater where Jesusla would remain for an entire day until Jesusla would pass with pain and unable to move her lambs or body.

Bruised face from being slapped and hit with the thong of cowhide, knees bleeding, scraped and sore from kneeling on the grater, swollen eyes from tears she shed, broken spirit, Jesusla, like a 16 century slave dragged from across the Atlantic to labor in the sugar or cotton plantations in the Americas, ate the corn meal that her mistress fed her and fell asleep on a dirt floor around the kitchen in a home in Port-au-Prince Haiti-the very same country where the slaves revolted against the French and won. Ironic, isn’t it?

At 15, Jesusla became pregnant. Five months in the pregnancy, the mistress of house sent Jesusla back to her hometown of Tomazeau. “Ingrate” she called Jesusla, “I took her out of poverty and opened my home to her and looked what the whore did, she slept with my husband” and the circle continues.

Break the circle. Abolish slavery in Haiti and in every corner of the world.