Earlier than gaining its independence, Haiti was referred to as Saint-Domingue, a colony that accounted for 60% of all espresso and 50% of sugar consumed on the earth in addition to being the main exporter of cotton, indigo and cacao.
“The richest colony on the earth, richer than america on the time, was run by a Black man who was an ex-slave,” stated Haitian writer Daniel J.D. Bayard. “Clarify that!”
Exploring the period from 1771 to 1845, Bayard’s five-book narrative, Triumph to Tragedy, does simply that. Curious to know what actually went on within the 1700s, Bayard started his decade-long analysis course of looking for his household roots. Through the Jean Value-Mars Cultural Group’s “Salon du Livre Haïtien de Miami,” Bayard shared with BLACK ENTERPRISE how he traced again to his first ancestor, Philippe Bayard, born in 1689 in Lille, France, who arrived in Saint-Domingue as a younger boy in 1710.
Ebook One: Intrigue-Romance-Betrayal And The Haitian Revolution 1771-1793 begins the journey of two lovers, Jean Baptiste Bayard and Marie Jasmine, navigating their lives by way of the primary slave rebellion of 1791. “There have been Black troopers from the colony that truly fought within the American Revolution,” stated Bayard, whose ancestor was a type of troopers. In Triumph to Tragedy, readers will uncover how Haitian generals, troopers, businessmen, and property homeowners outmaneuvered a number of the strongest armies on the earth.
Ebook Two: The Rise of Toussaint Louverture 1793-1799 continues the saga, introducing Haitian hero Toussaint Louverture, the first-born son of a West African prince. Louverture grew to become Governor-Basic of Saint-Domingue and led France in its defeat of the Spanish and British armies making an attempt to beat it. Bayard described Louverture as “some of the excellent people on the earth” who established navy and political management over the colony, dominated his rivals, sought autonomous rule, and negotiated commerce agreements with then world powers. “America had an enormous drawback as a result of it didn’t have sufficient sailors. So, guess who they have been hiring? Ex-slaves. Think about younger Black boys pulling into Charleston, South Carolina, or Savannah, Georgia, with cash of their pockets, speaking to the slaves working the dock. Slave homeowners have been petrified as a result of they didn’t need their slaves to revolt like Haiti.”
In Ebook Three: The Fall of Toussaint and Rise of Dessalines 1799-1804, readers strategy the takeover of Jean-Jacques Dessalines after Toussaint was arrested and murdered in France as Napoleon Bonaparte sought to re-enslave the island. Nevertheless, in accordance with Bayard, if Bonaparte have been “sensible, he would have labored with Toussaint who was working an excellent colony on the time, however as a substitute he wished to exchange him with a white authorities that was pro-slavery.” Ebook three leads into the Haitian Civil Battle, the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte, and the start of Haiti’s Republic in 1804.
By Ebook 4: The Conflict of Pétion and Christophe 1804-1820, readers will discover a brand new period for the brand new nation of Ayiti. As Commander of the Revolutionary Military, Dessalines assembled 40,000 women and men to defeat Napoleon’s French Military making an attempt to re-enslave them. He was joined by Christophe and Basic Alexandre Pétion. Readers will comply with the principle characters of Triumph to Tragedy as they face the aftermath of liberation. When Dessalines was assassinated, Christophe sought final rule, with the roadblock of the Senate enforced by Pétion. “I didn’t know what actual conversations the characters have been having, however I did a number of analysis on their personalities to current a compelling story,” Bayard stated.
Triumph to Tragedy emphasizes the meals, tradition, households and highly effective girls of Haiti like Suzanne Simone Louverture, Marie-Claire Heureuse Dessalines, Marie-Louise Christophe, and Marie-Madeleine “Joute” Lachenais. To finest painting the books’ contents, Bayard selected the work of longtime buddy and Haitian artist Carl Craig. Describing his artwork type as symbolic expressionism, Craig’s cowl designs merge complexity and ease to have a good time the individuals of Haiti. “Since we began on this venture, I’ve been completely consumed by this work as a result of I imagine what he’s providing will not be solely info and historical past, but in addition his household story,” Craig instructed BE. Lunches with Bayard spanned a number of hours to debate tales within the books. “We each understand there’s an significance for the story of Haiti to be instructed. He introduced out issues that different historians have did not convey forth,” stated Craig.
The March 29 e book honest marked the primary time the North Miami Public Library hosted the Jean Value-Mars Cultural Group’s occasion at its Miami location. Bayard was amongst a number of Haitian authors featured on the occasion, together with filmmaker and philanthropist Langlichmie Normile, playwright and humanities advocate Jean Mapou, novelist Kettly Mars, and author Lyonel Gertes.
Bayard and Craig are scheduled to seem in La Romana, Dominican Republic, on the Casa de Campo resort for the Oct. 4 launch of Ebook 5, and it’s clever cowl, which covers the years 1820-1845. Readers will proceed by way of the saga as Haiti consolidates the island of Hispaniola into one nation, from 1822-1844, uncovering stunning particulars of the Dominican Battle of Independence in opposition to Haiti – a e book positive to curiosity residents of the Dominican Republic. Discover character visuals, buy the books, and discover out extra about Haiti’s historical past on the web site.
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