Friday, August 14, as part of the commemoration of the 224th anniversary of the Bois Caiman Ceremony, during a patriotic evening organized at KizinCreole by the Haitian Congress to Fortify Haiti with the support of the Consular Mission, Lesly Condé, the Consul General of Haiti in Chicago issued a message to the Haitian community as a whole.

Message of Lesly Condé :

"[...] Ladies and gentlemen,

We are gathered here to commemorate yet another anniversary of the Bwa Kayiman Ceremony. I will never insist enough on the importance of that colossal get together in our nation’s history and in the history of mankind. I am pleased to be in your company and to bring you the brotherly greetings of the Consulate General of Haiti in Chicago and its staff.

First of all, I must, as usual, congratulate the Haitian Congress to Fortify Haiti that is with us this year again for a resounding tribute to our forefathers. Various moments in our history make it a shining monument to freedom. The Bwa Kayiman Ceremony was a deep soul searching moment that gave rise to an unbreakable determination. For all the participants, slavery no longer existed. In fact, it had never existed because those brave men and women never adopted the beliefs of those who wanted to be their masters.

Today, historians have some interesting theories about this important event. They say that Boukman was an imam, a muslim priest, and that the meeting took place in the woods at the imam’s house. Of course, this information does not take anything away from the historical importance of Bwa Kayiman. Our generation can learn from it. We are proud of our identity and we must make our children proud of it too.

In closing, I, once again, congratulate the Haitian Congress to Fortify Haiti on its reliability when it comes to remembering the important dates in our history. I also congratulate all the other community organizations that are taking part in this patriotic event.

I thank you all for sharing my pride in the Haitian identity.

Thank you"

See also :

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-14841-icihaiti-diaspora-chicago-bois-caiman-ceremony.html

HL/ HaitiLibre