Dear Wyclef Jean
via TIME:
Hip-hop, more than most pop genres, is something of a pulpit, urban fire and brimstone garbed in baggy pants and backward caps. So it's little wonder that one of the form's icons, Haitian-American superstar Wyclef Jean, is the son of a Nazarene preacher — or that he likens himself, as a child of the Haitian diaspora, to a modern-day Moses, destined to return and lead his people out of bondage. Haiti's Jan. 12 earthquake, which ravaged the western hemisphere's poorest country and killed more than 200,000 people, was the biblical event that sealed his calling. After days of helping ferry mangled Haitian corpses to morgues, Jean felt as if he'd "finished the journey from my basket in the bulrushes to standing in front of the burning bush," he told me this week. "I knew I'd have to take the next step."
That would be running for President of Haiti. Jean told TIME he is going to announce his candidacy for the Nov. 28 election just days before the Aug. 7 deadline. One plan that was discussed, loaded with as much Mosaic symbolism as a news cycle can hold, called for him to declare his candidacy on Aug. 5 upon arriving in Port-au-Prince from New York City, where he grew up after leaving Haiti with his family at age 9. "If not for the earthquake, I probably would have waited another 10 years before doing this," Jean says. "The quake drove home to me that Haiti can't wait another 10 years for us to bring it into the 21st century." Jean sees no contradiction between his life as an artist and his ambitions as a politician. "If I can't take five years out to serve my country as President," he argues, "then everything I've been singing about, like equal rights, doesn't mean anything."
It's a rarity that the terms celebrity and philanthropist are used in the same breath without some sort of qualification. See, celebrities, while they may lend their faces and names to good causes usually aren't the best about practicing what they preach. They may donate a few thousand dollars or a few hours to a charitable cause, but at the end of the day go back to their lives of excess and indulgence. That said, there are a few stars who truly make strides in giving rather than receiving. Bill Gates, for example is constantly finding new ways to hand over his Microsoft fortune to the less fortunate and convinced other multi-millionaires to do the same. Brad Pitt is a huge contributor to the ongoing relief effort in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, building alternative energy houses with the capability to withstand another breach of the levies. Even rappers are getting into the business of giving, with Ludacris and T.I. making strides to educate children in their hometown of Atlanta. Yet and still, the most intriguing philanthropic effort today, is more political than anything. Wyclef Jean, you are running for the President of Haiti. Just say that... President of Haiti. It sounds nice, but there are a lot of issues that come with having that title.
Clef, by being elected as the Commander-in-Chief of the Republic of Haiti, you take over a country with 30-40% of the government's budget in foreign aid. That means you'll have essentially no money to work with. Your country is the poorest in the Americas, yet 1% of the island controls 50% of the wealth. Add to that, the fact that the country is among the most corrupt in the world, and you're inheriting the fixer-upper of municipalities. Oh yeah, and the earthquake. It's been over six months since the 7.0 earthquake that ravaged the capital city of Port-Au-Prince, and there's been little if any significant progress in repairing the already fragmented infrastructure of the countryside. It's as if the worst possible tragedy happened to Haiti at the worst possible time. Wyclef, if you do end up getting elected, then you've got your work ahead of you. The reason I'm not lambasting you and calling you out on a fame-hating tirade, is because there is no way you could be running for the presidency for the fame, Clef. With the state of Haiti as it is, you're going to be doing a lot more work than partying, when it comes down to it. To be the President of Haiti, with no political experience whatsoever, you have to love Haiti. Besides the name, there's not too much pomp that comes with the position. To fulfill the duties of the office, you've got to do more than just be in the office, Clef. Now, I'm not saying I'm an expert on the political state of Haiti, but to anyone watching the news, there are a lot of hurdles and red tape keeping you from succeeding, Clef. I'm confident that you have the heart, and the ears of the people. Hopefully you've got the political savvy to make good things happen. Put all the controversy of your Yele' Foundation and any sideways accusations behind you, and just focus on the good of the country, and you should be fine. Pras doesn't have to back you, but if he sees good work on your part, his opinion won't matter, and neither will anyone else's...