Dechoukaj

Dechoukaj is a Kréyòl term that literally means "uprooting". It is used primarily to refer to the political upheaval in Haiti following the exile of dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier on February 7, 1986. During the dechoukaj many ordinary Haitian peasants and city dwellers engaged in defensive violence against the paramilitary groups that oppressed them: the Tonton Macoutes.