Dechoukaj

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Dechoukaj is a Kréyòl term that literally means "uprooting", and is specifically used to identify the period of political upheaval that took place in Haiti immediately following the exile of dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier on February 7, 1986. During the dechoukaj many ordinary Haitian peasants and city dwellers exacted revenge on their oppressors, including members of the Tonton Macoutes. Many of the elite and powerful who had been associated with the dictators François Duvalier and his son, Jean-Claude, were forced to flee the country to escape the wrath of the people. The dechoukaj especially affected the institution of the Haitian vodou religion, whose principals and traditions had been strongly and directly tied to the dictators and used to exert control over the population.