Saturday October 17, 214th anniversary of the assassination of Jean-Jacques Dessalines, Founding Father of the Haitian Nation, Lesly Condé, former Consul General of Haiti in Chicago (2004-2018) delivered, as every year, a message of reflection to all Haitians, which we invite you to share...

Message from Lesly Condé :

"Dear fellow citizens from everywhere,

As part of the 214th anniversary of the very unfortunate event that was the assassination of the Founding Father of the Haitian Nation, I humbly bow down to the memory of this great man, while inviting you to contemplate with me the magnitude of his contribution to the history of humanity.

To speak of the disappearance of Jean-Jacques Dessalines only two years after this brave General had led an army of slaves to victory is to evoke a page in our history which gives rise to so much pain and so much regret.

Indeed, for having been cowardly assassinated by some of his own brothers in arms even before being able to establish the bases of his brand new Nation, Jean-Jacques Dessalines was the victim of a double injustice. It might be better to say that our Nation is the great victim because when the Emperor Jacques I disappeared, his vision also disappeared. The decisions that were taken after this assassination stood in stark contrast to the philosophy of the Founding Father of the Haitian Nation. This philosophy advocated the unconditional well-being of the unknown heroes who had contributed, through their sacrifices, to the only successful slave revolt of all time. This vision cost Jean-Jacques Dessalines his life.

The man whose life we ​​are celebrating today is not just a Haitian hero. It is a giant with planetary dimensions. He is a military genius and a staunch defender of human rights even before this concept was popularized and vandalized.

At this rather delicate moment in Haiti's existence, we must let ourselves be inspired and guided by the example of Dessalines. Now is the time to ally ourselves with all those who love our country to defend our dignity, our sovereignty."

HL/ HaitiLibre