Henri Christophe - Haiti Observer Blog

Former Haitian President Henry Namphy has his wishes granted. During his exile in the Dominican Republic, Lt. Gen. Henri Namphy made it clear that he never wanted to set foot in Haiti. To the dismay of many, the former Haitian President will not be buried in Haiti but rather in the Dominican Republic.

His body will be put to ground in the Dominican Republic, his land of exile. he body will be exhibited at La Paz Chapel, of Funerarium Blandino which is located at Abraham Lincoln Avenue in Santo Domingo on Saturday, June 30 at 2pm. He will be buried Sunday July 1st at 4 pm at Cristo Redentor in the Dominican Republic.

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Born a member of the gens de couleur libres, Alexandre Sabes Petion (1770 - 1818) began life between two worlds. It is a dichotomy he would continue, further marking his legacy as an instrumental force behind the struggle for independence of two lands, his own beloved Haiti, and the republic of Gran Colombia.

Alexandre Petion began his career, after an expensive education in France, by joining the fight to force the British out of Saint-Domingue between 1798 and 1799. He would subsequently fight on the side of the mulattos against Toussaint L'Ouverture and the blacks, and was exiled to France when the rebellion ended; he returned soon after with General Leclerc and his assemblage of warships and troops. In 1802, he joined the nationalist force and gave his support to Jean-Jacques Dessalines, the future proclaimer of the Haitian Independence and self-declared ruler for life of the newly formed country.

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Born in the United States in 1775, Prince Saunders used the luck he found early in life to help blacks during a time of rampant racism and ignorance. Raised and later sent to university by George Oramel Hinckley, a white lawyer, Saunders was given the type of education coveted by many regardless of color or circumstance.

At 21, after attending Darthmouth College, Saunders was helped by college president John Wheelock into a teaching position at a school for African-Americans and joined a Masonic lodge, wherein he would soon rise to become the secretary.

During this early stage of his teaching career, Saunders persuaded Abiel Smith, a white merchant, to issue grants supporting black education. This endowment was granted and continued even after Smiths death, until the city taxes in Boston began giving support.

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Title I. Abolishes slavery, grants residents full citizenship rights, protects property, and administers the death penalty for murder.

Title II. Sets up organization of government, appointing Henry Christophe President and Commander-in-Chief of the military. Empowers him to appoint his successor, sign treaties, and declare war.

Title III. Establishes Council of State and its functions under the President. Creates an Office of the Budget, presided over by a Budget Finance Director.

Title IV. Budget Finance Director shall also handle administration of Navy and Interior.

Title V. Creates a Secretary of State responsible for all intra- and inter-departmental correspondence, preparation of official government documents, and co-signatory duties.

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The Haitian government is led by a president, who shares his/her executive power with the prime minister. Once elected by popular vote, the president will run the country for five years. After the term, the president could not run in the next election. He/she has to wait for five years in order to seek a second term. Haiti presidents can only serve for a maximum of two terms.

Not everyone can run for president as there are certain qualifications and requirements to be eligible for the seat. Only candidates with Haitian citizenship by birth can run for the position, as well as those who are at least 35 years of age. Jail sentence, loss of civil rights and lack of property ownership and residency can make a candidate ineligible to assume the position.

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One of the Nord Department's municipalities is one of the most popular sites in the northern area of Haiti. Milot is a leading tourist attraction of the country, housing several historical landmarks and sites and having a rich history.

Milot is 20 kilometres from Cap-Haitien, a popular coastal city in the northern part of Haiti. In the 1800s, it was proclaimed as the country's first site capital by King Henri Christophe. Under King Henri I's rule, the beautiful Sans-Souci Palace was constructed from 1810 to 1813. The construction also included the building of eight smaller palaces, fifteen chateaus, several forts and summer homes, as well as twenty plantations, all owned and managed by the then royal family. The Palace is the notorious site of King Henri I's suicide in 1820. In 1842, it was destroyed by a strong earthquake and was never rebuilt. Despite its rough shape, it remains one of the most enamouring sites to see in Haiti, resulting in its designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982.

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As a reminder, Independence day in Haiti is an important holiday. we are fortunate to celebrate two important events on this day: On January 1, Haitians all over the world celebrate both New Year's Day and Independence Day.

This little nation made history on January 1, 1804 by becoming the first Black Country to gain its independence. At the same time we change the name of the country back to its original name "Ayiti", name given by the original inhabitants and before Christopher Columbus so called discovered the Island in 1492. At that point the island was named "Hispaniola"

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Did you see the show that President Michel Martelly when he visited the Citadelle Laferrière this year?

The staff that was present at the time was blamed for the state of disrepair of our National pride Citadelle Laferrière.

Michel Martelly was not willing to either listen to or accept any justification provided by the employees or representatives from ISPAN.

Present during the encounter at Citadelle Laferriere were: the Minister of Culture, Mario Dupuy, officials of the Institute for the Protection of National Heritage (ISPAN), responsible for the restoration of the citadel, Minister of Tourism, Stephanie Balmir Villedrouin, Gregory Mayard-Paul and other journalists.

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Cap-Haitian also known formerly as le Cap, Cap-Henri and Cap-Francais is located on Haiti's northern coast. It is the capital of the Department of Nord and is located near Milot, a historic town. It has around 190,000 inhabitants with indigenous migrants from South and Central America. During the colonial rule it was an important city where it served as the capital of the French Colony of Saint Dominigue from 1711 to 1770.

Anti Government And Revolutionary Movements

The capital was moved to Port-au-Prince. Initially, under the rule of King Henri Christophe, it was Kingdom of Northern Haiti's first capital. Infrastructure for transportation was not very good during that time. The city was destroyed by the 7th May 1842 earthquake.

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On Thursday, July 19, 2012, the president of Haiti, Mitchel Martely was full of anger. This was due to the state of the conditions he found at the Citadelle Laferrière. The president had made a tour at the citadel and was accompanied by various senior officials in the government. Among them included the president's advisor Gregory Mayard Paul, the Minister of Culture, Stephanie Balmir Villedrouin, the Minister of Tourism, Mr. Yvone Alteon and other senior officials at the Institute for the Protection of National Heritage, ISPAN. ISPAN has the responsibility for the restoration of the Citadelle which is a tourist attraction site in Haiti.

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