Ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of the Haitian club at UMass-Boston and as “alumnus” of the university, I am proud to be here for this great event reminding me of my people 190 years ago. For you who are not quite familiar with the history of Haiti, Bataille de Vertières means so much to me and it happened once in the history of my country.

On November 18, 1803, we had a common goal: liberating ourselves, breaking the chains of slavery, the chains that Toussaint, Dessalines and other Haitian heroes were trying to break long before. Today, I can still remember a famous quote from Toussaint when he was arrested by the French: “Vous avez arraché l’arbre de la liberté des Noirs. Il repoussera par des racines parcequ’elles sont profondes et nombreuses” (You’ve uprooted the tree of liberty of the Blacks, it will spring up again through its roots because they are enormous and deep in the ground).

These roots that General Toussaint had mentioned gave birth to November 18, 1803. Today, if someone ask me: “Are you happy? Are you happy celebrating Bataille de Vertière? Are you happy with the glory that Haitians have in history? Are you happy with the title that they give Haiti as the First Independent Black Nation in the world?” My answer is “yes” and “no”. On one hand, yes when I remember these Haitian heroes who were ready to scarify themselves for the liberation of my people and my country. Yes, when I remember Dessalines saying: “We should live free or die”. Yes, when I remember Toussaint’s last word leaving his country to be imprisoned in Fort Dejoux in the Jura Mountains in France. On the other hand, “no” because we Haitians still have a long way to go. After 190 years as a nation, we should have been an example of nation helping others. We shouldn’t have hunger at home, we shouldn’t have little Haitians begging and sleeping in the streets, we shouldn’t have an illiteracy rate of 85%, poor health care… We should have had free schools for all Haitians. We shouldn’t have Haitians killing their brothers and sisters for no reason.

Haiti today is not the Haiti of 1803. I see it more as a divided nation where the ruling class is oppressing the rest of the population. A country that has an army killing its own people every day just because they want to have a taste of democracy.

Today, I cannot be proud of my country when I see what my brothers have done on September 30, 1991. I cannot be proud when almost ten thousand Haitians have lost their lives in less than two years because they have voted a candidate of their choice. I cannot be proud when I know that my people are persecuted by the army, the attachés and the zenglendos. I cannot be proud when I see them risking their lives in high seas, trying to reach Miami. I cannot be proud when the sharks are celebrating because my people are leaving their country. I cannot be proud of the way they are being treated in Guantanamo.

I am not happy the way they are treated abroad. I am not happy the way the media portray us, choosing us as a escape goat in many circumstances. We Haitians have come from a long way and we still have a long way to go.

If Toussaint, Dessalines, Capois Lamort, Charlemagane Peralte were alive today, I don’t think they would be proud either of the Haiti today. We still have to work hard; we need to be educated; we need to struggle for a second independence, struggle to regain our pride in history.

In memory of these Haitian heroes who were ready to die for the freedom of their people, the liberation of their native land, for democracy and justice for all in the 18 th, 19 th and 20 th century, I dedicate this poem, “ If I were, I would…”, to them.

Diskou Bataille de Vertière

(Emmanuel W. VEDRINE),
University of Massachusetts-Boston, novanm 1994

Mesyedam, o non Klib Ayisyen nan UMass-Boston e kòm ansyen etidyan nan inivèsite a, mwen fyè pou reponn prezan nan gran evennman sa a ki raple m pèp mwen an 190 ane pase. Pou moun ki pa familye ak Istwa Ayiti, Bataille de Vertière vle di anpil bagay pou mwen epi l te fèt yon sèl fwa nan istwa peyi m.

18 Novanm 1803, nou te gen yon sèl bi: libere tèt nou, kase chenn esklavay la, chenn ke Toussaint, Dessalines ak lòt ewo ayisyen t ap eseye kase depi lontan. Jodiya, mwen sonje ankò yon pawòl selèb ke Toussaint te di lè fransè yo te kidnape l: «Ou rache pyebwa libète Nwa yo. L ap repouse atravè rasin li yo paske yo fon nan tè epi yo anpil».

Rasin sa yo ke Toussaint te mansyone yo akouche 18 Novanm 1803. Jodiya, si yo ta mande m: «Èske ou kontan?Èske ou kontan pou selebre Bataille de Vertière? Èske ou kontan ak glwa Ayisyen gen lan listwa? Èske ou kontan ak tit yo bay Ayiti kòm Premye Repiblik Nwa nan lemonn?». Repons mwen se wi ak non. Mwen di wi lè m sonje ewo ayisyen sa yo ki te prè pou sakrifye tèt yo pou libere pèp mwen ak peyi m, lè m sonje Dessalines ki te di: «Nou dwe viv lib oubyen nou mouri». Wi, mwen sonje dènye mo Toussaint yo lè li t ap kite peyi l pou yo t al anprizone l Fort Dejoux nan Montay Jura an Frans. Mwen di non paske nou menm Ayisyen, nou gen yon chemen long pou n pakouri. Apre 190 ane kòm nasyon, nou te sipoze egzanp nasyon k ap ede lòt. Nou pa t sipoze gen grangou lakay nou, nou pa t sipoze gen ti Ayisyen k ap mande, dòmi nan lari; nou pa t sipoze gen yon to analfabèt 85%, swen medikal pòv. Nou te sipoze gen lekòl gratis pou tout Ayisyen. Nou pa t sipoze gen Ayisyen k ap touye frè ak sè yo san rezon.

Ayiti jodiya pa Ayiti 1803 a. Mwen wè l plis kòm yon nasyon ki divize kote klas k ap gouvène a oprese rès popilasyon an. Yon peyi ki gen yon ame k ap touye pwòp pèp li jis paske l vle pran gou demokrasi.

Jodiya, mwen pa ka fyè de peyi m lè m wè sa frè m yo fè 30 Septanm 1991. Mwen pa ka fyè lè prèske dismil Ayisyen pèdi lavi yo nan mwens pase dezan paske yo te vote yon kandida ke yo te chwazi. Mwen pa ka fyè lè m konnen lame a ak zenglendo ap pèsekite pèp mwen an, lè atache ak zenglendo ap pèsekite yo. Mwen pa ka fyè lè m wè y ap riske vi yo nan gwo lanmè pou eseye rive Miyami. Mwen pa ka fyè lè reken yo ap selebre paske pèp mwen an ap kite peyi l. Mwen pa ka fyè fason yo trete yo Guantanamo.

Mwen pa kontan fason yo trete yo aletranje. Mwen pa kontan fason laprès montre yo, chwazi yo kòm bouk emisè nan plizyè sikonstans. Nou menm Ayisyen, nou soti lwen epi nou gen chemen long pou n pakouri toujou.

Si Toussaint, Dessalines, Capois Lamort, Charlemagne Péralte te vivan jodiya, mwen pa panse yo t ap fyè nonplis pou jan Ayiti ye jodiya. Nou gen pou n travay di, nou bezwen edike, nou bezwen lite pou yon Dezyèm Endepandans, lite pou repran fyète nou nan listwa.

An memwa ewo ayisyen sa yo ki te prè pou mouri pou libète pèp yo, liberasyon patri yo yo, pou demokrasi ak jistis nan dizuityèm, disnevyèm ak ventyèm syèk, mwen dedye powèm sa a, «Si m te, m ta…», pou yo.

Si m te, m ta....

 

If I were, I would...

Contact information

E. W. VEDRINE CREOLE PROJECT, Inc.
P.O.B. 255962; Boston, MA. 02125-5110 ( USA)
E-mails: evedrine@hotmail.com , e_vedrine@yahoo.com