Slave Revolt - Haiti Observer Blog

This must be stopped and it must be done sooner rather than later. We must keep the integrity of the Haitian Pumpkin Soup, better known as Soup Joumou or Haitian Independence soup. Let me be direct, Haitian Soup Joumou must be made with beef and not chicken. The rich beef and bone marrow, was missing. Call a soup made with Chicken anything you want, but please don't call it Soup Joumou.

I have noticed a recent trend to move to a Soup Joumou made of Chicken and not beef as it is supposed to be. You might say that "Roland Mache Frite Anpil Kay Moun" or " Roland go out a lot to eat in people's houses". I don't care. However, last January, I was invited to eat my Soup Joumou in 5 homes, mainly Haitian friends and family members. I have got to tell you I was disappointed. Three of those houses served me the Soup Joumou made with chicken and not beef. I was so disappointed to the point I almost left without eating the Soup. Reasoning finally wan and I decided to take it home so that I could eat them during the week.

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August 23 of each year, is the day of observance for International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition.

The day has been designated by UNESCO to memorialize the 'transatlantic slave trade' which took place across the Atlantic Ocean from the 15th through 19th centuries. Transatlantic slave trade is one of the darkest chapters in human history. For over 400 years, more than 15 million men, women and children were the victims of this tragic practice. The commemoration of this observance recalls that the slave trade is not just a thing of the past-- with the changes of time, it has taken different shapes in the modern society. The day has a significant importance to Haiti, because during the night of August 22 to August 23, 1791, on the island of Saint Domingue (now known as Haiti), an uprising began which later became a major factor in the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade.

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Frederick Douglass, born into slavery in 1818, escaped his slave master and became a writer, speaker, and public servant. He was beaten from child- into early adulthood by his slave master. After one beating too many, he decided he was never going to tolerate another. When the slave owner tried to beat him, Frederick ferociously fought back.

By 1893, he was the leading black intellectual of his era, having penned many autobiographies detailing his life as a former slave. He put the lie to the argument slaves did not possess intelligence to lead their own lives with all the rights accorded to white citizens.

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Toussaint L'Ouverture, born circa 1741, began life on a plantation in Saint-Domingue. In 1776 he became a freed slave. Once released from servitude, he acquired properties and became a rich man.

In 1791, he assumed a role as one of the military leaders of the Haitian slave revolt. He sought support from the Spanish in Santo Domingo, which sent provisions for his battles against the French. In a ruse, L'Ouverture co-opted the philosophy of the French Revolution, ingratiating himself with the government, influencing them to abolish slavery. By then the Spanish had become alarmed about L'Ouverture's assimilation of large tracts of land that threatened their sovereignty. These two events led L'Ouverture to switch alliances from the Spanish to the French.

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