This Monday, November 18, 2023, the day of commemoration of the 221st anniversary of the Battle of Vertières and the victory of the indigenous army over the colonial forces, Lesly Condé, Former Consul General of Haiti in Chicago (2004-2018) delivered, as every year, his traditional message of reflection to all Haitians, which we invite you to read and share.

Message from Lesly Condé :

"Dear compatriots and friends from everywhere,

I invite you, this year again, to grant me the great privilege of accompanying you, wherever you are, in the commemoration of one of the proudest dates in the history of our dear country. This date is also important in the history of the entire world because on the one hand, what happened on the Caribbean island of Santo Domingo on this eighteenth day of November in the year 1803, had many irreversible repercussions all over the planet, and on the other hand, we live in a world that claims to love the ideals of justice and freedom. I am immensely proud to commemorate the 221st anniversary of the glorious Battle of Vertières with you.

The commemoration of the Battle of Vertières is a celebration of the invincibility of any people who cling to their ancestral traditions and their humanity. I tell you that even if slavery continued to exist after the defeat of the French colonial forces at Vertières, it was, in reality, the victory of our ancestors that sounded the death knell for this odious but lucrative exploitation of man by man.

However, one cannot help but recognize that November 18 is not a date commemorated or even mentioned outside the borders of Haiti or Haitian communities in the diaspora. This is because this world so fond of freedom, justice and democracy, has never seen fit to acclaim the victory that marked the beginning of the end of the slave world order, and the birth of the first sovereign black state in the New World.

Indeed, November 18 of each year should be commemorated by all nations as the day when, in the year 1803 in Vertières, Jean-Jacques Dessalines, at the head of an army of revolted slaves, inflicted a clear and humiliating defeat on the slave troops of France, commanded by General Rochambeau. Many people, even today, have difficulty digesting this eloquent lesson in humility, and this remarkable triumph of human dignity. But Vertières belongs first and foremost to the Haitians. It is our history. It is our identity. We have true heroes whom we must proudly honor. It was in Vertières that the door to freedom opened for the entire world. It is up to us to be proud of our precious identity, and to remind the world that freedom was born in Vertières on November 18, 1803.

The Battle of Vertières is a historical event of great importance that belongs first and foremost to the Haitian nation. But it also belongs in a significant way to the human species as a whole because it signaled the beginning of the end of an era. With the irreversible defeat of the slave army of France, the slave world order was seriously damaged, and soon succumbed. As for our Haiti, it was the bad example. And here we are today. Our dear Haiti is reduced today to its simplest expression.

Now, all humiliations resemble the country that, on January 1st, 1804, so proudly carried the banner of freedom. However, the Battle of Vertières, which represents the triumph of bravery against tyranny, can still inspire us. Our ancestors did not choose slavery. They defeated it by uniting and relying on themselves. We did not choose isolation and contempt. It is also by uniting and relying first on ourselves that we will succeed in asserting ourselves. I invite you all to commemorate the 221st anniversary of the Battle of Vertières with great pride."

HL/ HaitiLibre