The Helios Biblios Hour : THE KABA EFFECT

All over the globe and throughout history, pigs have been recognized as Nature’s jack-of-all-trades farming utility. As scavengers, they consumed a large variety of human and domestic wastes, ate weeds, wild plants, and roots, and often went after all sorts of worms and insects that might infest gardens and farms. They also served as sources of food – though it was often a hard decision whether they were more valuable as tools or food.Haitian farmers were no different and relied heavily on their pigs. Quite often, a good pig symbolized a source of prosperity. It was said that the domestic pig served as the rural Haitian’s bank account. It was a tangible source of value that could be sold, traded, or used in place of money.Phillip Gaertner went to Haiti on one of PEOPLE TO PEOPLE'S work/experience/ learning trips. He became especially interested in the pig eradication and repopulation program. Since the pig has traditionally constituted the peasant bank, the emergency source of 'Wealth" on which the peasant would draw for such emergencies as illness, births, weddings and the like, the eradication program caused enormous hardship on the peasants. The pigs had been introduced by the Spanish before 1500 and ever since have been central to the poor's economy.In 1978 the pigs of Haiti were diagnosed as having Asian Swine Flu (ASF), and all the pigs were subsequently killed. This was claimed to be necessary to protect the pork industry of both Haiti and the rest of the region, including the United States. Shortly after the eradication took place a repopulation program began.Europeans called the New World and stolen from that ship by English pirates in a confrontation off the coast of Mexico, “some 20. and odd Negroes” landed at Point Comfort in 1619.the colony’s secretary, John Rolfe, famous as the widower of the Native American woman called Pocahontas.