By Watson Denis, Ph.D.*
Submitted to AlterPresse
A flag, beyond a piece or several pieces of fabric bearing colors and insignia, attached to a pole, represents the historical and political identity of an entire country. It therefore symbolizes strong moments from its past, the palpitations which illustrate its present and possibly which determine its future. As such, the flag of a State conveys values shared by the members of a community or a large part of it. One of the values that the Haitian flag carries, from its origin to the present day, is the cardinal principle of freedom—freedom for all without distinction.
As such, a flag is therefore a symbol, a political symbol, of cohesion, of political cohesion. It is this emblem which represents the soul of a people, the standard of a State, the banner of a country, the emanation of a nation, the banner of a national community. The Haitian flag is the living symbol of Haiti in the concert of nations. It is therefore the banner of the Haitian soul capable of vibrating the chords and the feelings of compatriots with regard to the beloved homeland.
On the creation of the Haitian flag
A flag is therefore a strong symbol of national sovereignty. It makes it possible to establish the particularities of a State vis-à-vis other States of the international community.
The creation of a national flag marks a turning point in the life of a people. In general, it arises in a historical context in which a people is seeking to define its path to emancipation, to recover its identity in relation to another people or other peoples.
The origins of the unifying Haitian flag date back to the political congress which took place in the Faubourg de l’Arcahaie on May 18, 1803. On this occasion numerous generals and other high-ranking officers from several military contingents, old and new free from the French colony of Santo Domingo, in the presence of the participants, including soldiers, officers and armed farmers, swore obedience, loyalty and fidelity to General Jean-Jacques Dessalines, who then became general-in-chief of the Indigenous Army in training . Everyone then decided to fight together, in unity and under the ramparts of the newly created flag, with a view to driving the French out of the colony and achieving the proclamation of the independence of the island. Thus, a major political alliance was thrown into the baptismal font.
The flag adopted for the occasion, blue and red, sewn by the lady Catherine Flon, became a symbol of unity and rallying, which accompanied the revolutionary troops in their struggles against the French expeditionary army. And the revolution resolutely set in motion in June 1802 (with the arrest by treason of General-Governor Toussaint-Louverture and his express deportation to France) became triumphant with the proclamation of the independence of Haiti on January 1, 1804.
Flag Symbolism, Past and Present
With this historic triumph, of great universal significance, the flag of Arcahaie henceforth symbolized the rejection of slavery, colonialism and discrimination of several orders.
The creation of the flag therefore preceded the formation of the Haitian state.
Over time and changes in political regimes in Haiti, the national flag has undergone modifications. Today, according to article 3 of the 1987 Constitution amended in 2012, it is composed of:
• Two (2) strips of fabric of equal dimensions, blue at the top and red at the bottom, placed horizontally;
• In the center, on a square of white fabric, appears the Arms of the Republic, which are: the palm leaf topped with the cap of liberty and, shading its palm leaves, a trophy of arms with the legend: “The Union is strength.”
Also, it should be noted that these arms of the Republic or coat of arms consist, among other things, of six rifles with bayonets and two cannons, one on the left and the other on the right.
The colors of the flag of Haiti are symptomatic: blue represents the color of the sea, symbolizing the universal dimension of the project of political emancipation projected by the Haitians and red which embodies the blood shed by the latter for the freedom acquired at the price enormous sacrifices and the country’s hard-won independence.
For historical unity around the flag
Since 1804, less than a year after the Arcahaie Congress, the Haitian flag has flown on the horizons. He inspired and continues to inspire several personalities and liberating movements in the Americas, Europe and Africa — the Alma-mater. This flag continues to fly, in Haiti and also with emphasis and glitter in the Haitian diaspora around the world during patriotic festivities, cultural events and community commemorations. It keeps floating here and there. Sometimes, during troubled circumstances affecting the political and economic life of the Haitian people, its undulations occur with less panache than one would have liked because major objectives of the Haitian Revolution have yet to materialize.
All the same, 221 years after its creation, the Haitian flag remains standing; despite pitfalls and upheavals of all kinds. It still needs relief, a great political capacity to impose itself, literally and figuratively, on the regional scene and on the international stage. It is the duty of the Haitian people, in all its components, in Haiti and elsewhere, to work for the necessary historical unity in order to make this liberating flag shine in all its splendor.
………………
* Dr. Watson Denis is professor of history, international relations and social thought at the State University of Haiti, author, among others: Haiti: changing the course of history (2016).
