This Friday, as part of the commemoration of the 213th anniversary of the Battle of Vertières (November 18, 1803), the Ambassador of Haiti to Mexico, Guy G. Lamothe delivered a message to the compatriots of the diaspora of Mexico.

Message from Ambassador Guy G. Lamothe :

"Dear compatriots of the diaspora in Mexico,

'White insolence gave place to the negro insolence' it is in these words that the historian Yves Auguste summarizes the victory of our ancestors, 213 years ago, obtained at the end of a series of heroic struggles. The commemoration of this unprecedented and unique epic in the annals of universal history, culminating in the birth of the first free and independent Negro republic, recalls the victory of law and justice over oppression, of self-denial and sacrifice over selfishness. Indeed, Vertières, it should be emphasized, is the testimony of our ancestors' attachment to republican values and their unequivocal commitment in favor of human rights and respect for human dignity.

Dear compatriots,

In this November 18, 2016, the recall of this famous victory of our ancestors is a duty of memory, certainly, but it is also the occasion for me, Ambassador of the Republic of Haiti in Mexico to revisit with you the lessons of Vertières, but above all, revealing their real significance and value in a context where Haiti rings the rallying of its daughters and sons inside the country as in the Diaspora, to face great challenges and resolutely take its path towards the development.

It is in this spirit that I wish to draw your attention, dear members of the community, students, workers, self-employed workers, etc... on the urgent need to continue the Battle of Vertières by mobilizing knowledge and experience acquired on the Mexican land in favor of the revival of the motherland. We need a bundle of our energies, skills, resources and skills to cope together with illiteracy, poverty, erosion, unemployment, economic regression, brain drain, juvenile delinquency.

Indeed, the development of Haiti and the reconquest of its full sovereignty depend on the same prerequisites as the battle of 1803, namely, the spirit of reconciliation, the cult of understanding, concern for the well-being of all. As well as our ancestors, in 2016, let's show courage and determination, lucidity and perseverance to hope for the arrival in Haiti of an era where girls and boys will no longer be driven by the need to search of lighter shores, but will live as much as possible on this happy corner of land and according to the standards of the modern world.

Guy G. Lamothe

Ambassador of Haiti"

HL/ HaitiLibre