Haiti: Creole Spoken, Creole Understood

By Dady Chery, Haiti Chery. Creole was certainly the tongue spoken at the 1791 Bwa Cayiman Vodou ceremony that launched the Haitian Revolution. Nevertheless, it was French that served as the text of Haiti’s Independence Declaration and as the country’s only official language until 1987. Why?

Continue reading →

Charlemagne Peralte’s Call to Arms, Declaration of War | L’appel de Charlemagne Péralte aux armes et sa déclaration de guerre

By Charlemagne Peralte, Haiti Chery. “Despite the principles of international law usually adopted by civilized nations,… the American Government got involved in the internal affairs of the small republic of Haiti and imposed a rule whose approval by the Haitian Parliament was guaranteed enforced by military occupation….”

Continue reading →

Constitution of the Republic of Haiti, 1987 | Constitution de la République d’Haïti, 1987

By National Constituent Assembly of Haiti, March 10, 1987. The Haitian people proclaim this constitution to ensure their inalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, in conformity with the Act of Independence of 1804 and the Universal Declaration of the Rights of Man of 1948. (French | English)

Continue reading →

Haitian Declaration of Independence, January 1, 1804

“Vow before me to live free and independent, and to prefer death to anything that will try to place you back in chains. Swear, finally, to pursue forever the traitors and enemies of your independence.” – Jean-Jacques Dessalines, January 1, 1804. In the present day: this means anyone who collaborates with foreign occupiers or even tolerates the presence of foreign soldiers on Haitian soil.

Continue reading →

Bill Clinton’s Dictatorship in Haiti

By Dady Chery, Haiti Chery. Things haven’t cooled down in Haiti. Quite the contrary. They’re just starting to simmer.

Continue reading →