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| Toussaint L'Ouverture |
Lest we forget, the 23rd of August is African Remembrance Day, marking the day when enslaved Africans on the island of Haiti rose up against their oppressors and freed themselves.
The Haitian people, under leaders including Toussaint L'Ouverture and Jean Jacques Dessalines, fought off the French, British and Spanish armies, and then fought off the French again under Napoleon. The Haitians were never defeated.
The use of traditional African spirituality was a significant factor in the victory of the Haitian people and their emancipation from slavery. Click here to read more about the use of African spirituality.
However, a treaty signed by Haiti required them to pay reparations to their former masters, which has led to the impoverishment of people in what was once the most prosperous island in the Caribbean. The devastation of the Haiti earthquake in early 2010 was greatly compounded by the impoverishment of the population and the lack of resources in Haiti.
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