Sweet Micky

Congratulations to Michel ‘Sweet Micky’ Martelly, who has been elected President of Haiti. I say ‘congratulations’ somewhat half-heartedly because he is facing one hell of a job.

Haiti has not recovered from the earthquake which struck it 15 months ago. Tens of thousands are still living in temporary camps, and more than 4,000 have died of cholera. Massive amounts of aid were promised at an international conference a year ago, but hardly any has been spent. The new President needs to make things work: to get his people safe and to get the economy, such as it is, ticking over again.

Sweet Micky is, by profession, a kompa singer, a particular Haitian sort of jazz music. His act was to appear in drag, and bare his bottom to the audience.

He will need all these skills and, dare I say it, more in the years to come.