Commemorating the Bi-Centenary of the abolition of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, the exhibition called "Lest We Forget: The Triumph over Slavery" serves as a historic canvas portraying the horrific experience of the enslaved Africans during the 'triangular' slave trade between Europe, Africa and the U.S. during the 15th through 19th centuries. The exhibition, which opened to a packed room, included speeches by His Excellency Ambassador Philip Sealy, Permanent Representative of Trinidad & Tobago to the UN who serves as chair of the CARICOM Caucus; His Excellency, Ambassador Joe Robert Pemagbi, Permanent Representative of Sierra Leone to the UN, and chairman of the African Group of States; and Ambassador Nirupam Sen, Permanent Representative of India to the UN.
Resolutions have been passed to add the "Day of Africa" and "Day of the Black Women in Latin America and the Caribbean" to the official calendar of events in São Paulo, Brazil, thanks to the efforts of São Paulo City Councilwoman Claudete Alves.
The chant among the enslaved Africans in Haiti was heard, "Coupe tet, boule kay!" and the Haitians complemented the rhetoric with full force-fueled by years of heartache, humiliation, torture, and inhumane treatment. The 500,000 enslaved Africans in Haiti, along with tens of thousands of Maroons, collectively took up arms and defeated the French, awarding Haiti with the title of the first Black Republic in the Western world and becoming the only people to win a slave revolution in the history of the world. The Haitians, with the support of strong leadership, were united physically and mentally. Sealing this collective support was their belief in a religion mustered trom their traditional religion in Africa. An important leader of this revolutionary period was a Voodoo priest, Dutty Boukman. Other leaders during the various stages in the revolution included Toussaint L'Ouverture, Andre Rigaud, Jean-Francois, Biassou, Jeannot, Jean-Jacques Dessalines, and Henry Christophe, many of which were former generals in the French army.
Born Francois Dominique Toussaint, he gained historical recognition as "Toussaint L'Ouverture"-the "L'Ouverture" part of his name was bestowed upon him as a result of his freedom-fighting exploits later in his life. He was a self-educated slave who joined other slaves to fight for their common goal-their freedom and the establishment of a free country. He had no military training, or formal education but he possessed a passion for freedom, and an innate ability to organize. He was born on the island of Hispaniola on the Breda plantation between 1743 and 1746 having descended from the Arrada people of the Dahomey Coast, Africa. Toussaint was the oldest son of a slave brought to the French colony of Santo Domingo located on the eastern part of the island At that time, the island was called "Hispaniola;" the name "Haiti" came later on. It was Toussaint who eventually brought Haiti into being as an independent country. His slave-master was one Count de Breda who originally named him Toussaint Breda. The master also encouraged young Toussaint to learn to read and write, a rarity for a slave-master. It was because of Toussaint's assistance, the French were victorious against the British and the Spanish forces, yet the French were not willing to grant freedom to the slaves, which was the primary teason that Toussaint had lent his expertise to them. His series of military campaigns became known as "L'Ouverture" or "the opening," because he exploited openings in the defenses of the opposition. And Francois Dominique Toussaint then became known as "Toussaint L'Ouverture." In addition to their treachery and deception, France sent more regiments to the island m furtherance their scheme to renege on the moderate terms of peace and freedom that were promised to Toussaint and his men. The French were contemptuous and they boldly proclaimed, "Did Toussaint think that they had brought half a million African slaves to the New World to make them French citizens?" As leader of the nation, L'Ouverture organized a structured government and instituted public improvements. He was widely renowned, revered by Blacks and detested by Whites-the French and the Americans. L'Ouverture's activities did not go unnoticed by the U.S., a country that was prospering off slaves and their free labor. In his book "In the Matter of Color," author and noted jurist, A. Leon Higginbotham noted a French historian and politician who at that time wrote, "Thus it is that in the U.S., the prejudice rejecting the negroes seems to increase in proportion to their emancipation." (These events apparently propelled Nat Turner's rebellion as he attempted to follow the footsteps of L'Ouverture in Virginia).
Flags flailed - both by the breeze and by the hands of proud people - to the live onstage musical performances. The stage was set large enough to support a full band and back-up singers, and to support the energy of every performer. The program included several international, big time and small time, artists. Some on the bill were reggae star Tony Rebel, (reggae, Jamaica); Bunji Garlin (Soca, Trinidad); Ken Boothe (Vintage Reggae, Jamaica); Slice International (Soca/Calypso band); Everton Blender (Cultural Reggae, Jamaica); Dadou Pasquet (Kompas, Haiti); Omar Reid (Jamaica's 2006 Festival Song winner) and Dias and the Charms (R&B).
For [Heidi Rondon], the opportunity to express her African roots through music and dance was a calling. "In our veins we carry the African feeling," she explained. "We are direct descendants of slaves that cultivated cocoa and coffee in the central coast of Barlovento many years ago." "These Africans were Latin America's first liberators," says historian and activist Jorge Guerrero Valez accompanying the group. A dignified Venezuelan enormously conscious of his African heritage and history, Jorge spoke eloquently about the solidarity Afro-Venezuelans, as they call themselves, feel with their African American brothers and sisters in the United States and the need to enhance the relationship.
Today Haiti is looked at as a struggling island filled with poverty and conflict. It truly gets labeled with the "Third World" stereotype. Actually, the history of Haiti is rich and shows that it was actually the home of some of the greatest heroes in the fight to end western hemisphere slavery. Haiti caused the break up of the worst form of slavery in the history of the world. This island with the largest Black population in the Caribbean has immense economic challenges. This adventure taught the Haitian survivors a great lesson: The European military machines are vulnerable and can be defeated with proper planning. When they returned to Haiti, they spread that information amongst the slave populace and the planning began. In 1791, the historical slave revolt in Haiti began. It lasted until 1804. The rebellions caused Britain to give up on the slave trade in 1807 and the rest of Europe started their withdrawal of this evil practice. Many white French settlers left Louisiana and Haiti and moved to what are now Cuba, Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. Many of the free Haitians moved to New Orleans and those ties still exist. Haiti was the catalyst in the abolishment of slavery. Thank you my brother Haitians.
