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Haiti - USA : «We Americans have a considerable debt to Haiti» dixit Michèle Sison 04/07/2019 09:59:04
Excerpts from Ambassador Michèle Sison's speech : "[...] Going back in history, I would like us to examine tonight the many contributions of Frederick Douglass, the eminent American author and abolitionist. [...] Haiti was very important to Frederick Douglass and very dear to his heart. Cedar Hill House, the home of Douglass in Anacostia, Washington, DC, is now a historic site [...] The Cedar Hill tour guides note that the house had portraits of Toussaint Louverture and Florvil Hyppolyte during Douglass's lifetime. [...] Frederick Douglass had understood the history of the United States and the history of Haiti. In his speech on the occasion of the inauguration of the Haiti Pavilion at the 1893 Universal Exposition in Chicago [...] 'We should not forget that the freedom that you and I enjoy today, is largely part due to the courageous position adopted by the black threads of Haiti, 90 years ago [...] When they rang the hour of freedom, they built it better than they knew' [...] the history of Haiti is part of our history, the history of the United States... [...] Frederick Douglass also said, and I quote, 'No other land has purer water, richer soil, or a happierly diversified climate. It has all the essential natural conditions to become a noble, prosperous and happy country [...] Yet here it is, torn and broken by revolutions of noisy factions and anarchies; wading... in a labyrinth of social misery... As long as this spirit of turbulence prevails... its well-earned independence will be threatened... the arm of its industry will be paralyzed, its entrepreneurial spirit will languish, the national opportunities will be neglected, the means of 'improve education will be limited... its hopes... will be wilted' Thus, in this passage, we hear Douglas express his anguish at the turbulence, and therefore the instability in Haiti in the 19th century... how to understand that Frederick Douglass had the same concerns 126 years ago that many of us today hui? What did Frederick Douglass propose as a solution? Unsurprisingly he was firmly convinced of the power of dialogue. In fact, when his abolitionist colleagues criticized his willingness to dialogue with slave owners, he replied, "I would unite with anyone to do good and with no one to do wrong" That is to say, he was ready to sit around the table with anyone, and to dialogue to preserve the common good. This is a message to all of us from the eminent Frederick Douglass : the need to engage in good faith dialogue to preserve the common good. [...] We Americans have a huge debt to Haiti in the fight for our freedom. And the beautiful Haitian national anthem : the song of Dessalines exhorts 'For the country, for the ancestors, Let's march united, march united' indeed 'united marches' for the common good ! For me, this means seeking a genuine dialogue and in good faith, in order to offer the Haitian people, and especially young people, access to education and health care, stability, security, and economic opportunities. Because, as the Dessalinian also says, 'Let's form free, strong and prosperous sons'." HL/ HaitiLibre
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