The Haitian revolution deserves its place in history

On the 210th anniversary of the Haitian revolution, it is worth reflecting on the significance of this epochal event in the evolution of humanity. All the more so that the paucity of literature on the subject could one day obliterate this major event from historiography.

Haitian historian Michel-Rolph Trouillot laments how events leading to the foundation of Haiti have suffered from either 'erasure' or 'banalization' because they were seen to be lacking sufficient coherence and meaning. Furthermore, these events were viewed as a mere confused disorder that did not rise to the level of a national or social revolution. The attempt to induce a collective amnesia about the Haitian revolution seems to be aimed at concealing a humiliating episode in the history of Great Powers of the time who were stunned by a well organised rebellion by a determined army of slaves led by the legendary Toussaint l'Ouverture.

The thesis of contemporary literature on Haiti is predictable; it portrays the country as a failed state that has experienced two centuries of misery characterised by misgovernance, rampant corruption, criminality, grinding poverty, disease and macabre violence. Proponents of this ahistorical and distorted narrative conveniently ignore the impact of the tragic trilogy of slavery, colonialism and neocolonialism visited upon the people's of Haiti.

The problems of Haiti have their origin in the dark era of Spanish sovereignty and French colonialism. In the classic The Black Jacobins, celebrated Trinidadian intellectual, CLR James, decries the fact that the most advanced Europeans of the day, the Spaniards introduced Christianity, forced labour in the mines, murder, rape, bloodhounds, strange disease, and artificial famine.

This most brutal act in social engineering reduced the native population from an estimated 800 000 to 60 000 in fifteen years. It is these and other more gruesome crimes later in the country's sad history that have drawn widespread indignation across the globe and prompted calls for reparations. In this regard the Caribbean Community (Caricom) has agreed to set up national committees on reparations, to establish the moral, ethical and legal case for the payment of reparations by the former colonial European countries, to the nations and people of the Caribbean Community, for native genocide, the transatlantic slave trade and a racialized system of chattel slavery.

San Domingo, as Haiti was known then, a jewel in the crown of French colonies, was the cradle of the struggle against slavery and colonialism. Following a succession of rebellions and insurrection against France, Haiti became the first Black republic in 1804, and the second republic in the Western Hemisphere after the United States of America. The liberation of Haiti led to a fundamental transformation of the national political and socio-economic structure with Haitians having reclaimed the sovereign right to govern themselves.

It did not only spurn abolitionist and emancipation movements in the North, but it also inspired the decolonisation of Africa and the entire global South, including the Bolivarian revolution that led to the decolonisation of Latin America, and later the Cuban revolution. It gave birth to the global négritude movement and added fuel to the nascent Pan Africanism movement. It was without doubt a seminal moment that shattered the myth of European supremacy and invincibility. In this way it was a historic event with global significance, making Haiti an emblematic reference point for the extension of universal rights of freedom, social justice and equality beyond the so-called free world.

Haiti bears deep scars of devastating wars, between Spain, England and France. Considered a pivot for the control of the strategic Caribbean by colonial powers, it was periodically invaded and occupied by foreign powers. The pull factor for colonial and imperial powers was the abundance of well sought commodities, sugar, coffee, indigo, and cotton in the vast Haitian plantations. Even after its declaration of independence, foreign powers continued to focus on the country, destabilising it and meddling in its internal affairs.

Using proxies, they engineered the first of numerous regime changes that led to the assassination of its first leader Jean Jacques Dessalines, a former slave, in 1806. They never ceased to foment divisions between Haitian people's, instigating coups against governments they considered hostile on the one hand, and propping up regimes that served their geopolitical and economic interests on the other. The latest victim of this brazen Machiavellian machination was former President Jean Bertrand Aristides, who was ousted and forced into exile in South Africa in 2004, the year of Haiti's bicentenary.

For its cardinal sin of humiliating the all-conquering army of Napoleon in its first Waterloo at the Battle of Vertieres in 1803, and depriving France of lucrative revenues from slave and commodity trade Haiti was severely punished by world powers. It was forced to pay an equivalent of $21 billion as reparations to France to avoid a crippling blockade, and threats of invasion and isolation.

It took the impoverished nation 122 years beginning from 1825 to 1947 to pay reparations to France including interest. This contemptuous, vengeful and cavalier act is the main cause of Haiti's perpetual state of indebtedness, underdevelopment and poverty. The state in which the country is today is in stark contrast to the Haiti that was once fabled as the Pearl of the Antilles, formerly a thriving and prosperous island nation in the Caribbean archipelago.

To be truthful to history and ourselves and future generations, it is important that on this historic anniversary of the Haitian revolution we place in proper historical and political context the events that unfolded in this pioneer republic of the South. The commonality of our history and our destiny enjoins us to renew the historical bonds of solidarity with the Haitian people, and implement socio-economic programmes to eradicate poverty and underdevelopment, and lessen dependence on donors.

As Africans, the best tribute we can pay to the martyrs of the Haitian revolution is to reconnect with Haitian people in particular, and the African Diaspora in general by engaging in meaningful and beneficial South-South Cooperation programmes. Together with the Haitians we should work tirelessly to restore the bygone prestige of this sister republic, its honour and place of pride in the history of humanity.

For, it would be a miscarriage of historical justice to deny the Haitian revolution its rightful place in the panthéon of revolutions.

Mxolisi Nkosi is Ambassador of South Africa to Belgium, Luxembourg and Head of Mission to the EU. Ambassador Nkosi writes in his personal capacity.

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