First flag-raising for Welland’s Haitian community

May 18 is a national holiday in Haiti to remember the history of this country colonized by Europeans. After a war of independence pitting Napoleon’s party, led by General Rochambeau, against Jean-Jacques Dessalines’ Indigènes party, the Haitians regained control of their island, abolished slavery and proclaimed the world’s first free black republic.

During one of the battles in May 1803, Dessalines tore up the white part of the French flag and joined the red and blue colors, creating the new flag of Haiti. “The flag represents our history as a people, it’s the symbol of our unity. It also honors our ancestors,” explains Naromie Charles Azar, President of Regohva.

read more here https://leregional.com/un-premier-lever-de-drapeau-pour-la-communaute-haitienne-de-welland/