At this point, Carrol F. Coates should be given some sort of medal for the deft translation of so many great works from literature originally written in French.

This said, let us discuss General Sun, My Brother (CARAF Books), a book translated by Coates, and written by Jacques Stephen Alexis, who in short, is one of Haiti’s biggest literary talents. He died in 1961, but his literary legacy has only grown with each decade after his death.

Alexis was a doctor, a highly esteemed profession but his protagonist Hilarion Hilarius, is the lowest of Haitian society, a serial petty thief who brings dishonor to his family and grief to his mother.

One of the biggest contrasts that is made in the novel is the relationship between Hilarion Hilarius with Pierre Roumel, a son of Haiti’s aristocracy. They are being held at the same prison—Fort Dimanche—Hilarion for stealing and Pierre for his part in organizing a strike against the U.S. Occupation of Haiti. But even behind bars, Roumel can change lives and wields power, and upon Hilarion’s release, he gives him an introduction letter that will help land Hilarion a job. A rather minor aspect of the plot of General Sun, My Brother? Or a slick message from Jacques Stephen Alexis about the power of collaboration among Haiti’s social classes? For this letter literally changes the life of Hilarion and makes him see new possibilities in himself.

As a result of Pierre Roumel’s gesture, Hilarion develops a sense of responsibility that will help him in making one of the first adult decisions of his life, and that is to enter in a relationship with Claire-Hereuse, not coincidentally named after Haitian founding father Jean-Jacques Dessalines’ wife Marie-Claire Hereuse. It’s the desire to make a more promising future for himself and their daughter Désiré (after a failed business—more like a cruelly burned down business venture) that partly leads Hilarion to go work the fields in the neighboring Dominican Republic cane fields.

General Sun, My Brother isn’t just Hilarion’s story. It’s the story of his sister Zuléma, who is raped by an important aristocrat in Port-au-Prince; and through the book we catch glimpses of the empty lives of Haiti’s high society ladies, caught “in the clutches of boredom” and “collecting adventure”—as Jacques Stephen Alexis puts it ever so eloquently.

General Sun, My Brother is a fine novel, and captures the courageous spirit of Haitians sugar cane workers, at the historical slaughter at the Massacre River, a pivotal time in Dominican-Haitian relations. But the biggest lesson that it teaches is that it is far better to nurse one’s problems at home, then seek greener grasses elsewhere.

Toussaint had been arrested and sent to Fort-de-Joux, heavily guarded, on April 7 1803, he passed away. Certainly he suffered from exposure and cold, and was said to have suffered from loneliness. An autopsy attributed his death to lung disease.
–
Toussaint avait été arrêté et envoyé à Fort-de-Joux, sous haute surveillance, le 7 avril 1803, il est décédé. Certes, il souffrait de froid et d’exposition et aurait souffert de solitude. Une autopsie a attribué sa mort à une maladie pulmonaire.
–
Yo te arete Toussaint Ayiti epi yo te voye l nan Fort-de-Joux, nan prizon a yo te byen veye li, nan dat 7 avril 1803, li te mouri. Sètènman li te soufri nan kondisyon fredi nan kacho a, e yo di li te soufri solitid. Yon otopsi atribiye lanmò li ak maladi poumon.
–
Source: Victor Schoelcher, book Vie de Toussaint Louverture
1.Main) Bust of Toussaint Louverture
2.Prison of Fort de Joux, where Toussaint died. Kote Toussaint te mouri.
3.Memorial plate.
4.Memorial place with his remains. Simityè kote yo antere li.
.
.
.
.
.
#haiti #hayti #tousaint #toussaintlouverture #louverture #fortdejoux #joux #france #prison #prisonner #prisonnier #memorial #haitians #haitianrevolution #revolution #slavery #abolition #breda #blackspartacus #freedom #general #slaverebellion #indigenous #spartacus

He was an officer in the Haitian Army under Alexandre Pétion against Henri Christophe. He was declared President of Haiti on 4 April 1843 and forced from office by revolutionaries on 3 May 1844.
Hérard was chief among the conspirators who ousted President Jean-Pierre Boyer during the 1843 Revolution. Soon afterward, General Hérard, who had the loyalty of the army, seized control of the government and declared himself President of Haiti.
–
Il était officier dans l’armée haïtienne sous Alexandre Pétion contre Henri Christophe. Il a été déclaré président d’Haïti le 4 avril 1843. Les révolutionnaires l’ont démis de ses fonctions le 3 mai 1844.
Hérard était le principal des conspirateurs qui ont destitué le président Jean-Pierre Boyer lors de la révolution de 1843. Peu après, le général Hérard, fidèle à l’armée, prend le contrôle du gouvernement et se déclare président d’Haïti.
–
Li te yon ofisye nan lame ayisyen anba Alexandre Pétion pandan li te kont Henri Christophe. Li te deklare Prezidan an Ayiti sou 4 avril 1843. Revolisyonè yo te fòse li kite pouvwa a 3 me 1844.
Hérard te chèf nan mitan konspiratè yo ki te ranvèse Prezidan Jean-Pierre Boyer pandan Revolisyon 1843 la. Yon ti tan apre sa, Jeneral Hérard, ki te lwayote lame a, te pran kontwòl gouvènman an epi li te deklare tèt li Prezidan an Ayiti.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
#haiti #hayti #ayiti #charlesherard #henrichristope #jeanpierreboyer #boyer #haitianrevolution #presidentofhaiti #alexandrepetion #revolution #army #haitianarmy #1843 #generalherard #general #chief #army #selfproclaimed #presidentavie #dominicanrepublic #haitians #government #pouvoir #power #caribbean #westindies

Lamartiniere, the second in command after Jean-Jacques Dessalines, at the battle of La Crete-a-Pierrot: Lamartinière looked in vain for Dessalines to come forth from the fortress with relief forces but only an old man, pretending to be an idiot, had worked his way through the French forces, to advise Lamartiniere that the fort was to be evacuated that night. After dark, on March 24, 1802, the besieged rebels opened by bayonet a corridor through more than 10,000 French troops. Most escaped to fight another day. –
Lamartiniere, dezyèm nan kòmandman apre Jean-Jacques Dessalines, nan batay Krèt-a-Pyewo: Lamartinière tap véye gade pou lè Dessalines ap soti nan fò a ak fòs sekou men se sèlman yon vye granmoun ki te pran pòz tankou se te yon moun sòt. Li te travay pou li jwenn wout li nan pami fòs franse yo, pou avize Lamartiniere ke fort a te dwe evakye lannwit sa a. Aprè fènwa, nan 24 mas 1802, rebèl yo te sènen, ak bayonèt yo, solda yo te arive fè yon jan pou yo pase nan mitan yon two franse de 10,000 moun. Pifò réyisi sove pou yo kapab al goumen yon lòt jou.
–
Source: Heroes of Haiti, and Papa Toussaint,Wikipedia .
.
.
.
.
.
.
#haiti #hayti #ayiti #istwa #istwa1804 #history #histoire #lamartiniere #dessalines #rebels #haitians #haitianrevolution #revolution #troops #independence #1802 #1804 #war #france #general #leclerc #generalleclerc #alexandrepetion #petion

By the time he was 69 years old, Hyppolite had not been in good health for some time. Nonetheless, he refused to rest as he had been advised to do. Against the advice of his doctor he decided to undertake a long journey to Jacmel to put down an uprising there. He started on March 24, 1896, at three o’clock in the morning, but before he even had time to leave Port-au-Prince he fell from his horse dead, in a “fit of apoplexy”, at a short distance from the Executive Mansion. His funeral took place on the March 26.
–
Lè li gen 69 lane, sante Présidan Hyppolite pat two bon dépi kèk tan déja. Malgre doktè li te konséye li pou li te pran repo li te déside pa tande li. Li déside antreprann yon vwayaj nan Jakmèl pou tèt yon soulèvman popilè. Nan maten 24 Mas, 1896, a twa è nan maten , anvan li menm gen tan kite Pòtoprens li te tonbe pandan li te sou chwal li, li te fè yon kriz kadyak ki koz li tou mouri. Finéray li te fèt 26 mas.
–
-Source/Sous: Wikipedia
.
.
.
.
#haiti #hayti #general #president #istwa #istwa1804 #1804 #24march #haitians #history #hyppolite #caphaitien #okap #kreyol #poison #jacmel #apoplexy

Jean-Nicolas Nissage Saget succeeded Sylvain Salnave as President of Haiti in 1869. Coming into power by coup, however, it is on March 19th, 1870 that the National Assembly elected General Nissage Saget as President of Haiti for a term of four years, the first president of the country to serve out his full term of office.
Source: Wikipedia
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
#haiti #ayiti #istwa1804 #1804 #history #black #president #general #hayti #stmarc #nationalparty #nissagesaget #latibonit #artibonite #coupdetat #militarycoup #haitian #constitution #1867 #1870 #liberals

The Battle of Ravine-à-Couleuvres (Haitian Creole: Batay Ravin Koulèv), also known as the Battle of Snake Gully, was a major battle of the Haitian Revolution held on 23 February 1802.

A French division under General Donatien de Rochambeau was advancing down a ravine (the Ravine-à-Couleuvres), towards Lacroix, Artibonite, where they attacked the army of Toussaint Louverture.
Louverture’s forces resisted the attack strongly, but had to retreat across the Petite-Rivière after suffering 800 deaths.

In a statement made at the Fort de Joux, Louverture claimed that his forces consisted of 300 grenadiers and 60 cavalry, although other sources indicate that his forces contained over 3,000 regular infantry troops.
However, it is almost certain that a large number of his forces – up to 2,000 men – were agricultural workers who joined the rebel forces.
Louverture wrote that the French forces contained over 4,000 infantry soldiers, but according to the novelist and historian Madison Smartt Bell, Rochambeau probably landed at Fort-Liberté with 1,800 men, but not all of these would have marched on Gonaïves.

Prior to the battle on 22 February 1802, the French occupied the heights of Morne Barade and were attacked by rebel troops; the battle raged throughout the night and the French forces successfully resisted the attack. The following morning, the Haitian forces advanced out of the Ravine-à-Couleuvres as the French were travelling down it towards Lacroix, while Louverture rallied his cavalry.
According to Bell, the losses of Louverture’s army were minor.

Source: Wikipedia .
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
#battle #ravine #couleuvre #snake #gully #haiti #haitian #revolution #haitianrevolution #february #feb23rd #1802 #french #general #rochambeau #lacroix #latibonit #lartibonite #toussaint #toussaintlouverture #grenadier #fortdejoux #fortliberte #ayiti #caribbean #caraibes

Charles-Victor-Emmanuel Leclerc, was a French general, brother-in-law of Napoleon, who attempted to suppress the Haitian revolt led by the former slave Toussaint Louverture.
–
Leclerc joined the army in 1792 and distinguished himself at the siege of Toulon. It was in this campaign that he met Napoleon Bonaparte, who developed a great affection for him; Leclerc would serve Napoleon faithfully for the rest of his life. Leclerc was promoted to general after duty in Napoleon’s Italian campaign. The relationship was further strengthened by Leclerc’s marriage (1797) to Napoleon’s sister Pauline Bonaparte. In 1799 Leclerc played a decisive role in the coup that brought Napoleon to power.
–
After proving his abilities as a general both in the Egyptian campaign and in Germany (1800), Leclerc was sent by Napoleon to subdue the rebellion in Haiti, at that time known as Saint-Domingue.
Source: Encyclopedia Britannica
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
#general #generalleclerc #french #frenchgeneral #napoleon #napoleonbonaparte #haitian #revolt #slave #haiti #ayiti #brotherinlaw #france #1804 #istwa1804 #history #herstory #mystory #colony #colonie #yellow #fever

After Dessalines was assassinated, Christophe retreated to the Plaine-du-Nord and created a separate government. On February 17th 1807, he was elected President of the State of Haiti, as he named that area. Alexandre Pétion was elected president in the South. A constitution for the State of Haiti declares him president for life. For more details follow our IG page and stay updated!
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
#HenriChristophe #Henri #Christophe #state #haiti #ayiti #hayti #haitian #1804 #independance #constitution #president #life #presidentforlife #1807 #conflict #senate #petion #general #nord #artibonite #latibonit #istwa1804

Jean Bertrand Aristide’s first term only lasted 7 months (1991) due to a « coup d’état » led by Brigadier General Raoul Cedras. As a results, the Brigadier General overthrows the government.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
#aristide #jeanbertrand #portssalut #coupdetat #militarycoup #military #coup #facts #general #raoul #cedras #raoulcedras #government #gouvernement #haiti #ayiti #istwa1804 #1804 #titid #lavalas #president