Port-au-Prince is as violent as it has ever been, but for two weeks now the fear has also flowed in a different direction — thanks to a phenomenon known as “Bwa Kale.”
“Bwa Kale” literally means “peeled wood” in Haitian Creole. It’s also a metaphor for an act of swift justice.
While gang members continue their depredations in the east end of the Haitian capital, in other parts they have been forced to flee. Many have been lynched or summarily executed following capture by groups of citizens, sometimes acting alongside police.
Bwa Kale messages and memes are everywhere on Haitian social media, and recording artists
