On the eve of the 223rd anniversary of the creation of the Haitian national flag, former Haitian Foreign Minister and former Ambassador Bocchit Edmond issued a public message to all Haitian people at home and abroad, calling for a return to the founding spirit that birthed the world’s first Black republic to pull the nation out of its current crisis.
Two centuries and two decades ago, in the midst of a revolution against colonial slavery, Haiti’s founding fathers united to create what would become the enduring symbol of Haitian identity: the iconic bicolor national flag. Edmond emphasized that this banner is far more than a stitched combination of two pieces of fabric. It represents the historic, unyielding choice of the Haitian people to claim freedom, national dignity and collective unity in the face of brutal, dehumanizing oppression. Credit for crafting the original flag, he recalled, goes to Catherine Flon, whose skilled hands and passionate commitment sewed the first banner that would become a global symbol of liberation for all oppressed peoples.
Today, as the nation marks this milestone, Edmond said, the legacy of that founding act demands more remembrance than ever. While the flag itself has survived centuries of upheaval and challenge, the Haitian nation is currently navigating one of its darkest periods in modern history. The country is fractured by ongoing instability, he acknowledged, describing Haiti as being “in tatters” — but he stressed that the same people who overcame impossible odds to win freedom and found a nation can rebuild once again.
Edmond called on every Haitian citizen to come together, comparing national reconstruction to re-stitching the torn fragments of the flag itself. He urged Haitians to combine their strength, intellect and collective will to revive the unity that gave birth to the Haitian Republic, noting that while the nation’s founding leaders broke the physical chains of slavery, the current generation’s task is to break the modern chains of division, national indifference and collective despair.
“Haiti deserves to live. Haiti deserves to be a livable place for all its sons and daughters, wherever they may be on this earth,” Edmond said. Closing his message with the Creole phrase “Solèy la dwe klere pou tout Ayisyen alawon badè” — meaning the sun must shine for all Haitians across the world — he called on the public to honor the sacrifice of Haiti’s founding ancestors not just with ceremonial words, but with tangible action focused on unity, solidarity and national reconstruction. He closed with rallying cries: “Long live Haiti! Long live the Haitian flag! Long live solidarity! Long live national dignity!”