"Ayiti Se:" Bon Ane 2014

Happy New Year 2014!

"Neg Mawon" pre-January 12, 2010. The National Palace in the background collapsed on that day during an earthquake.

January 1st is Haiti Independence Day--an independence begun in 1804 with the establishment of the Republic of Haiti after a successful slave revolt. Haiti was the second independent nation in the New World (after the United States) and the first and only nation to gain independence from a successful slave revolt. Before 1804, Soup Joumou, a rich soup made with pumpkin, meat broth and vegetables, was reserved for the wealthy free and unavailable to the large population of slaves in Haiti. Since 1804, people all across Haiti prepare and eat this soup in celebration of the independence and in honor of the struggle to achieve it.

For the week of January 1st, I was invited to Father Lafontant's house in Port-au-Prince to enjoy time with his family and partake in a wonderful meal of Soup Joumou. I am grateful for the time I spent with them, the generosity of their hospitality, and the opportunity to experience more of Haiti through language, cuisine, history, family, music, worship, and many games of kazino.

Given that each new year in Haiti marks the celebration of Haitian independence, I thought it would be appropriate to write about Haiti as I've experienced it so far, including the festivities over the holidays. I'd like to do that by sharing the song "Ayiti Se" by Mikaben.