12060: HAITIAN FLAG DAY, lecture given by Carl Fombrun at Miami Dade University

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Carl Fombrun <carlfombrun@iopener.net>

A SHORT LECTURE GIVEN BY CARL FOMBRUN, GUEST SPEAKER,  AT MIAMI DADE UNIVERSITY, NORTH CAMPUS, ON FRIDAY 17 MAY, 2002.

SUBJECT : THE HAITIAN FLAG

Thank you Nadege Delinois for your kind and flattering introduction. I feel truly honored to be here at Miami Dade Community College with so many Haitian-American students.

First of all let me thank the HAITIAN FLAG DAY COMMITTEE OF 2002, for inviting  me to be the guest speaker on the celebration of the Haitian Flag Day at Miami Dade Community College ( North Campus). My thanks and gratitude go to the following members of this committee: Bertony Morisset, Kerby Saint Charles, Cherley Desvallons, Garma Desvallons, Rachel Desroches, Emmanuel Louis Jean. Again, thank you very much for having me here, you guys, and you are the real stars and the future of this great university and community. Please stand so we can take this opportunity to acknowledge and applaud everyone of you.

This will be a short lecture for a couple of reasons. One, I do not wish to bore you with too many facts of history, but I will try and stay in the essence of the subject, the story of the Haitian Flag and what it means to us. Two, with so many events going on this special day, I will have to attend another function in the city of North Miami following this one, where the Haitian-American mayor Joe Celestin will be the host, with also the mayor of Miami Manny Diaz.

The Haitian Flag...... Almost 50 years ago, to be exact in 1955, in my brief tenure as an Attache to the Haitian Embassy in Panama and in In-Charge of Consulate Affairs in Costa-Rica, I was asked by the University of Panama to pronounce a conference on the Haitian flag, the horizontal blue and red. I was 23 years old. Far from me the thought then that nine years later, in 1964, I would witness the reinstatement of the old vertical  black and red flag by the Francois Duvalier "papa doc's" administration. These original colors, black and red, were chosen by Dessalines, Emperor Jacques 1 er., described in the May 1805 Haitian constitution.

A brief recap of the Haitian flag. In January 1st 1804,Independance Day, the flag was horizontal with the  Blue band on top of the Red band. This was the first flag of the independent republic. By so doing, Petion, leader of the mulattoes and Dessalines, leader of the black slaves, had decided to create a unique flag to represent their troops. They also wanted to impart on the French the message that they had lost that colony forever. To them the blue symbolized the mulattoes and the blacks, while the red symbolized their blood. In 1805, shortly after Jean-Jacques Dessalines proclaimed himself emperor, the Haitian flag color was changed to black and red bands placed vertically respectively. And after the emperor's assassination, from 1806 to 1964, the blue and red bands were reinstated horizontally, excluding  King Henri Christophe in the North of Haiti, who kept the vertical black and red flag that Dessalines used, from 1811 to 1820.

>From 1964 to 1986 the Francois Duvalier constitution decreed that the 1805 vertical black and red that Dessalines used was the official flag of the nation. In 1986, with the overthrow of his son Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier, the original  blue and red flag of Haitian independence ,January 1st 1804, was reinstated again as the official flag of the nation, by the overwhelming demand of the people.

To come back to the personal, which is also part of History, in 1964 I was approached by a Haitian diplomat, an ambassador, representative of President-for-life Francois Duvalier in one of the Haitian embassies overseas. He is still alive and wishes to remain anonymous. He gave me as a personal gift, without the knowledge of his boss Francois Duvalier (I was a political exile) , the original horizontal blue and red bands flown over the embassy, which had just been replaced by the vertical black and red bands, as the official flag of Haiti everywhere in the world. I have kept this flag all those years, and that's the flag that I have brought here today for your perusal.  It took another 22 years, from 1964 to 1986, for this original horizontal blue and red flag to be again reinstated as the official flag of the republic of Haiti.

Today 17 may 2002, this is my second conference on the flag in almost 50 years, The first one as I said was at age 23 when I was a young man like all of you, and my audience then was also young, your age, and they all are senior citizens today. I remember then, that at the University of Panama, I also brought with me that day a blue and red Haitian flag which was not as luxurious as this present one that I have kept since 1964. I am almost 70 yeas old, and I am pleased to have kept with me this historical flag which was given to me  by this Haitian ambassador. I am pleased to show it to you, a new generation of twenty-year olds. Let's hope that once and for all the Haitian flag will remain what it presently is. I thought so when I had my conference in Panama in 1955 to be surprised nine years later, with a new flag. If it happens again, let's say 20 years from now, I am afaid that I will not be available for another lecture; one of you will have to take over.

To come back to the flag I will share with you the following thoughts,  found quickly thanks to this marvelous fairly new technology, the computer.

The national Flag Day for any country is indisputably a symbol of general pride. Haitians would consider any offense to their flag to be an offense to their country. Besides being an icon though, a flag's origin can often say a lot about a social make-up or history.
Haitians feel no different and even reserve  a special day to honor it. That day is tomorrow, May 18th.

In Haiti, Flag Day is a national holiday celebrated with great fanfare on the grounds of the national palace.Flag Day is also observed by Haitians in the Diaspora. Haiti's flag origin is tightly linked to a history of struggle for freedom.It's the same everywhere and we can witness it every day in the U.S., with the American people and their love for their flag. We can witness it every day with the Cuban people in Miami and thei attachments to their flag. And that goes for every ethnic group. A flag is country, a flag is roots, a flag is culture, a flag is histoy. I am wearing today the Haitian flag on my left, meaning roots, and the U.S and French flags on my right, meaning roots, culture, and history.

To come back to the Haitian Flag.I would be amiss if I neglected to mention the
precursor of Haitian independence,Toussaint Louverture. From 1791 to about 1793 in Haiti the slave revolt became widespread and gave rise to a number of large groups still fighting independently. In those days each group leader would use any piece of cloth as a flag.Slowly the slave movement found some synergy and came to follow the leadershiop of one man: Toussaint Louverture. Toussaint fought for the Spanish against the French (1793-1794), for the French against Spain and England (1794-1802), and ultimately against France. He invented his own flag, which was a white piece of cloth with a Negro head to represent the blacks.

In 1803 the free slaves and the men of color had decided to fight for the creation of an indepndent nation. Before marching on to Port-au-Prince, the capital city, the black Dessalines and the mulatto Petion needed to make a strong statement. On May 18, 1803, in the city of Archaie, not far from Port-au-Prince, they agreed on an official flag, with blue and red bands placed vertically. Haiti's first flag was sewn by a lady named Catherine Fon. On Independence Day however, January 1st 1804, the flag was modified again. The blue and the red bands were placed horizontally this time, with the blue band on top of the red band. This flag was in use until 1964 when Papa Doc Duvalier brought back the vertical black and red flag of Dessalines and added a modified version of the arms of the Republic.

And we know the rest of the story. On February 25, 1986, after the fall of Baby Doc and the Duvalier regime, the Haitian people in its vast majority requested that the red and blue flag be brought back, and it is included in the last constitution of 1987.

In1804, Alexandre Petion added the white squared portion that included the country arms and the famous phrase " L'UNION FAIT LA FORCE " meaning strength through unity. In 1964 Papa Doc Duvalier added a modified version of the arms of the Republic to the black and red flag.

Today the constitution of 1987 describes the new flag on theses terms: The emblem of the Haitian nation shall be a flag with the following description.

a) Two (2) equal-sized horizontal bands: a blue one on top and a red one underneath.

b) The coat of arms of the Republic shall be placed in the center on a white square.

c) The coat of arms of the Republic will be a Palm tree surmounted by the liberty cap and under the palms a trophy with the legend : In Union there is Strength.

That is the flag used until today.

For the next 15 minutes I will be happy to take any question you may have. Thank you.