Brief History

Major Events Ordered by Date:

1492
Christopher Columbus lands and claims the island of Hispaniola for Spain. The Spanish build the New World's first settlement at La Navidad on Haiti's north coast.

1697
Spanish control over the colony ends with the Treaty of Ryswick, which divided the island into French-controlled St. Domingue and Spanish Santo Domingo.
For over 100 years the colony of St. Domingue (known as the Pearl of the Antilles) was France's most important overseas territory, which supplied it with sugar, rum, coffee and cotton. At the height of slavery, near the end of the 18th century, some 500,000 people mainly of western African origin, were enslaved by the French.

1791-1803
A slave rebellion is launched by the Jamaican-born Boukman leading to a protracted 13-year war of liberation against St. Domingue's colonists and later, Napoleon's army which was also assisted by Spanish and British forces. The slave armies were commanded by General Toussaint Louverture who was eventually betrayed by his officers Jean-Jacques Dessalines and Henri Christophe who opposed his policies, which included reconciliation with the French. He was subsequently exiled to France where he died.

1803
The Haitian blue and red flag is devised at Arcahie, by taking the French tricolor, turning it in its side and removing the white band. The Battle of Vertières marks the ultimate victory of the former slaves over the French.

1804
The hemispere's second Republic is declared on January 1, 1804 by General Jean-Jacques Dessalines. Haiti, or Ayiti in Creole, is the name given to the land by the former Taino-Arawak peoples, meaning "mountainous country."

1806
Emperor Jean-Jacques Dessalines is assassinated.

1807-20
Civil war racks the country, which divides into the northern kingdom of Henri Christophe and the southern republic governed by Alexandre Pétion. Faced with a rebellion by his own army, Christophe commits suicide, paving the way for Jean-Pierre Boyer to reunify the country and become President of the entire republic in 1820.

1821
President Boyer invades Santo Domingo following its declaration of independence from Spain. The entire island is now controlled by Haiti until 1844.

1838
France recognizes Haitian independence in exchange for a financial indemnity of 150 million francs. Most nations including the United States shunned Haiti for almost forty years, fearful that its example could stir unrest there and in other slaveholding countries. Over the next few decades Haiti is forced to take out loans of 70 million francs to repay the indemnity and gain international recognition.

1862
The United States finally grants Haiti diplomatic recognition sending Frederick Douglass as its Consular Minister.

1915
President Woodrow Wilson orders the U.S. Marines to occupy Haiti and establish control over customs-houses and port authorities. The Haitian National Guard is created by the occupying Americans. The Marines force peasants into corvée labor building roads. Peasant resistance to the occupiers grows under the leadership of Charlemagne Peralt, who is betrayed and assassinated by Marines in 1919.

1934
The U.S. withdraws from Haiti leaving the Haitian Armed Forces in place throughout the country.

1937
Thousands of Haitians living near the border of the Dominican Republic are massacred by Dominican soldiers under the orders of President General Trujillo.

1957
After several attempts to move forward democratically ultimately fail, military-controlled elections lead to victory for Dr. François Duvalier, who in 1964 declares himself President-for-Life and forms the infamous paramilitary Tonton Macoute. The corrupt Duvalier dictatorship marks one of the saddest chapters in Haitian history with tens of thousands killed or exiled.

1971
"Papa-Doc" Duvalier dies in office after naming his 19 year-old son Jean-Claude (Baby Doc) as his successor. Baby Doc proves more ruthless than his father.

1972
The first Haitian "boat people" fleeing the country land in Florida.

1976
Widespread protests against repression of the nation's press take place.

1970s-1980s
"Baby-Doc" Duvalier exploits international assistance and seeks to attract investment leading to the establishment of textile-based assembly industries. Attempts by workers and political parties to organize are quickly and regularly crushed.

1980
Hundreds of human rights workers, journalists and lawyers are arrested and exiled from the country.

1981
International aid agencies declare Haitian pigs to be carriers of African Swine Fever and institute a program for their slaughter. Attempts to replace indigenous swine with imported breeds largely fail, causing wider spread hunger and despair.

1983
Pope John Paul II visits Haiti and declares publicly that, "Things must change here."

1984
Over 200 peasants are massacred at Jean-Rabeau after demonstrating for access to land. The Haitian Bishops' Conference launches a nation-wide (but short-lived) literacy program. Anti-government riots take place in all major towns.

1985
Massive anti-Government demonstrations continue to take place around the country. Four schoolchildren are shot dead by soldiers, an event which unifies popular protest against the régime.

1986
Widespread protests against "Baby Doc" lead the U.S. to arrange for Duvalier and his family to be exiled to France. Army leader General Henri Namphy heads a new National Governing Council.

1987
A new Constitution is overwhelmingly approved by the population in March. General elections in November are aborted hours after they begin with dozens of people shot by soldiers and the Tonton Macoute in the capital and scores more around the country.

1988
Military controlled elections - widely abstained from - result in the installation of Leslie Manigat as President in January. Manigat is ousted by General Namphy four months later and in November General Prosper Avril unseats Namphy.

1989
President Avril, on a trade mission to Taiwan, returns empty-handed after grassroots-based democratic sectors inform Taiwanese authorities that the Haitian nation will not be responsible for any contracts agreed to by Avril. Avril orders massive repression against political parties, unions, students and democratic organizations.

1990
Avril declares a state of siege in January. Rising protests and urging from the American Ambassador convince Avril to resign. In a campaign marred by occasional violence and death, democratic elections finally take place on December 16, 1990. Father Jean-Bertrand Aristide a parish priest, well known throughout the country for his support of the poor, is elected President with 67.5% of the popular vote.

1991
President Aristide is inaugurated on February 7th, five years after Duvalier's fall from power. A Government is formed by Prime Minister René Préval promising to uproot the corruption of the past. In September President Aristide addresses the UN General Assembly. Three days after his return military personnel unleash a coup d'état, ousting President Aristide. Over 1,000 people are killed in the first days of the coup. The OAS calls for a hemisphere-wide embargo against the coup régime in support of the deposed constitutional authorities.

1992
Negotiations between the Washington, D.C. based exiled Government, Haiti's Parliament and representatives of the coup régime headed by General Raoul Cédras lead to the Washington Protocol, which is ultimately scuttled by the coup régime. U.S. President George Bush exempts U.S. factories from the embargo and orders U.S. Coast Guard to interdict all Haitians leaving the island in boats and to return them to Haiti. The OAS embargo fails as goods continue to be smuggled through neighboring Dominican Republic.

1993
In July, President Aristide and General Raoul Cédras sign the Governors Island Accord, which inter alia called for the early retirement of Gen. Cédras, the formation and training of a new civilian police force, and the return of the President on October 30, 1993. General Cédras refuses to step down as promised. President Aristide's Justice Minister Guy Malary, responsible for the formation of a civilian police force is shot dead in Port-au-Prince weeks after local businessman and Aristide supporter Antoine Izmery is executed outside of a local church. The UN calls for "strict implementation" of the embargo against the de facto authorities. The Civilian Mission's human rights observers are allowed to return in small numbers.

1994
In May additional sanctions were levied against the régime through a naval blockade supported by Argentine, Canadian, French, Dutch and U.S. warships. Tensions increase as human rights violations continue. On September 15th, U.S. President Clinton declares that all diplomatic initiatives were exhausted and that the US with 20 other countries would form a multinational force. On September 19th these troops land in Haiti after the coup leaders agree to step down and leave the country. On October 15th, President Aristide and his Government-in-exile return to Haiti.

1995
In June Haiti hosts the annual OAS General Assembly at Montrouis. Legislative elections take place that month and in December the presidential contest is won by former Prime Minister René Préval. (President Aristide is precluded by the Constitution from succeeding himself). In November Prime Minister Smarck Michel steps down and Foreign Minister Claudette Werleigh becomes President Aristide's fourth Prime Minister.

1996
President Préval is inaugurated in February. A Government is formed under Prime Minister Rosny Smarth.

2000
Municipal and legislative elections end in disarray because of a flawed vote count, alleged irregularities and fraud charges. The controversy triggers a boycott of the presidential elections later that year, won by Aristide.

2004
The crisis sparked by the allegedly fraudulent election deepens amid a failure of international mediation efforts, a foundering economy and growing political violence. A few weeks after the nation celebrates its 200th anniversary in January, a rebel movement seizes control of a number of towns in an uprising that leads to the resignation of Aristide on Feb. 29, 2004.

Information provided by travelhaiti.com

Kompa

 Nemours Jean Baptiste

Compas is a musical Haitian rhythm. It was created  in the fifties by the saxophonist,  writer and band leader, Nemours Jean Baptiste.  It is the result of a fusion between fundamental Haitian rhythms and the Tipico of the Dominican Republic.

Musical context

At the moment of its creation, Dominican music was very popular in Haiti. Sunday dances, celebration of marriage, feast for all occasions in Port-au-Prince were done to the tunes of the "`Tipico de Cibajino" and the "El Negrito del Batey" etc. __Haitians danced the "EL negrito del Batey" without knowing that may be it was referring to other Haitians working in the sugar cane field of the Domimican Republic__ Those musics were dominated by the saxophone and the drum. In this context we saw the appearance in Haiti of the Orchestre Atomic which featured music that were mainly based on Cuban and Dominican rhythms

Although folkloric Haitian music was the main repertoire of the very popular  Jazz des Jeunes, it had lost its momentum with the fall of President Dumarsais Estimé in 1950 and his replacement by General Paul E. Magloire. The Celebration of the Bicentennial of Port-au-Prince, during the Estimé era, in the forties,   was a huge opportunity for Haitian folkloric music which  featured some superb musical talents like the singer Lumane Casimir and the drummer Ti Roro. Those artists were still performing in the beginning of Magloire's six years term but they no longer enjoyed the huge celebrity status bestowed upon them during Estime`s time in power.

So, when Nemours Jean Baptiste started his "Ensemble Aux Calebasses" which played at a night Club of the same name in the region of Carrefour (suburb of Port-au-Prince) , Haitian music was in a stage of virtual drouth.  The sound of the Dominican Republic   and of Cuba filled the air. Celia Cruz and the Sonora Matencera provided the Bolero and the Guaracha.  Peres Prado supplied the mambo.

Other Artists like Rodolphe Legros and Guy Durosier had some popular appeal at the time of the emergence of Compas but their music, although deeply rooted in the national music of Haiti, failed to reach the level of popular attraction that will be attained by Compas.

Aside of the creation of Compas Direct, Nemours Jean Baptiste introduced electric musical instrument in Haiti .  Although he was criticized at that time by the purists who said that his musical ensemble was an electric power plant every Haitian musical group, including the very conservative Jazz des Jeunes,  followed his example.

The defenders of the attachment of Haiti to its African roots accused Nemours Jean Baptiste of betraying the ethnic fundation of Haitian music.   It appeared, at that time, that he was loosing ground, but history will prove  that he was the man of the futur. Compas Direct endured and became the musical medium of the younger generation of the sixties.

After all, compas did not betray the roots of African music.  Its base in Haitian music and Afrolatin rythms lead back to Africa. Compas is like Creole, the national language of Haiti. It is capable of incorporating any foreign expression and transform it into a piece of the Haitian experience. Compas is syntactically Haitian.
According to some source unverified by the author of this text Nemour Jean Baptiste himself believed that compas behaves like a top. You can throw it anyway you want but ultimately it will turn on its head. The turning of compas on its head means that the music returns where it begins to the main rythm, the main musical sentence: "The manman compas". As a matter of fact compas makes an extensive uses of musical quotes. Pieces of classical music, jazz and latin music can take the listener by surprise and makes him/her wonder when the artist is going to comeback to the original music. Those quotes are used as an introduction or a pleseantly surprizing piece of musical color in main portion of a composition. This is the unpredictable portion of composition. However the syntaxic constraints of compas make the music return to its rythmic foundation. It is the personal belief of this writer that this practice became current in compas composition through the creation of carnival musics which featured some very powerful musical quotes as their introduction. Nemour Jean Baptiste used them. However, Weber Sicot who was a trained musician had a higher level of mastery of the technic and of the smooth musical transition that is necessary to connect the pieces.

The next generation

Because of the appearance of electric instruments and the simplicity of Compas Direct, a plethora of young musical groups appeared in Hati. Every major section of Port-au-Prince had a musical group. Young people danced the Compas music of Les Schleu Schleu, Les Fantasistes de Carrefour, Les Ambassadeurs, Les Gypsies de PetionVille, Les :Loups noirs and the world famous Tabou Combo de PetionVille  to name a few.
 
Gradually, the groups formed by the younger generation replaced  the old timer like Nemours Jean Baptiste and his rival the talented saxophonist Weber Sicot.  During the era of Jean Claude Duvalier, the Compas sound of some very powerful bands like DPexpress and the Gemini of Ti Manno filled the airways in Haiti.  TiManno in particular became very popular not only in Haiti but in the French Antilles.

The popularity of those performers prepared the public for the next level in Compas which is dominated now by the, self proclaimed, President of Compas, the electrifying Sweet Mickey.

Compas at kwabs.com

In this first edition of Compas at kwabs.com, we are presenting a sample of the music of the seventies with musical selection from Les Gypsies de Petionville.
 For the music of today, kwabs.com present   the Twoubadou C.D. which includes Pa manyen fanm nan of Sweet MIckey.   The second selection in today's music is the new sound of Eddy Brisseau.

 Some selections of the original Compas of Nemours Jean Baptiste will be presented in the future. Presently Kwabs.com is offering a 24/7 compas radio station on the net. We are making the necessary arrangment to present older generation of compas in a music playlist.

HISTORY AND FOOD

Spain, France, the continent of Africa, and later the United States, were crucial in shaping traditional Haitian cuisine. Throughout its history, several foreign countries gained control of Haiti, introducing food and ideas from their native lands, many of which significantly affected the foods modern Haitians eat.

The island of Hispaniola, which encompasses both Haiti and the Dominican Republic, was inhabited by hunter-gatherers as early as 5000 B.C. Fruits and vegetables such as guavas, pineapples, cassava, papayas, sweet potatoes, and corn were cultivated by early Haitian tribes, particularly the Arawak and Taino Indians. It was not long before the first European arrived on the island and began introducing oranges, limes, mangoes, rice, and sugarcane. Slaves from Africa were eventually transported to Haiti to work the sugarcane plantations.

On December 6, 1492, Christopher Columbus landed on the island and named it La Isla Espanola (later named Hispaniola), or the Spanish Island, and claimed it for Spain. The Spaniards called it Santo Domingo. The Spanish established sugar plantations and made the native Indians work as slaves. Hard labor and disease nearly wiped out the indigenous population by 1520, forcing the Spaniards to ship slaves from Africa to work the plantations instead. The Africans introduced okra (also called gumbo; edible pods), ackee (red and yellow fruit), taro (edible root), pigeon peas (seeds of an African shrub), and various spices to the diet. They later introduced such Haitian specialties as red beans and rice and mirliton (or chayote; a pear-shaped vegetable) to Louisiana's Creole cuisine.

By 1700, the French had taken control of Hispaniola from Spain. The French colonists successfully cultivated sugarcane, coffee, cotton, and cocoa with the help of African slaves.

Haitians won their independence and became the first African-American republic in the New World in 1804. French rule, however, remains evident in modern Haitian society, particularly in the wide use of the French language, and in the contributions to the country's cuisine. French cheeses, desserts, and breads are commonly found at local markets and stores.

Haitian Recipies

Learn Haitian Creole!!!

Haitian Proverbs

Mwen ba w sal w ap mande salon.
I give you a room and now you want my living room.

Dan pouri gen fòs sou bannann mi.
Rotten teeth are strong on ripe bananas.

Fè koupe fè.
Iron cuts iron.

Bouch manje tout manje, men li pa pale tout pawòl.
The mouth may eat any food but should not speak on any subject. (Discretion is important.)

Yon sèl dwèt pa manje kalalou.
You cannot eat okra with one finger.
(We must all cooperate.)

Chay soti sout tèt, tonbe sou zèpòl.
The load goes from the head to the shoulder.
(Problems go from bad to worse.)

Gras a diri, ti wòch goute grès.
Thanks to the rice, the pebble tastes of grease.
(Good things rub off.)

Bon kòk chante nan tout poulaye.
A good cock sings to all his chickens.
(A good person is sought after by everyone.)

Byen pre pa lakay.
Being close by doesn't mean you're home.
(Being close to wealth doesn't make you rich.)

Pour les Aïeux, pour la Patrie
Béchons joyeux, béchons joyeux
Quand le champ fructifie
L'âme se fortifie
Béchons joyeux, béchons joyeux
Pour les Aïeux, pour la Patrie
Béchons, béchons, béchons joyeux
Pour les Aïeux, pour la Patrie

Pour le Pays et pour nos Pères
Formons des Fils, formons des Fils
Libres, forts et prospères
Toujours nous serons frères
Formons des Fils, formons des Fils
Pour le Pays et pour nos Pères
Formons, formons, formons des Fils
Pour le Pays et pour nos Pères

Pour les Aïeux, pour la Patrie
O Dieu des Preux, O Dieu des Preux!
Sous ta garde infinie
Prends nos droits, notre vie
O Dieu des Preux, O Dieu des Preux!
Pour les Aïeux, pour la Patrie
O Dieu, O Dieu, O Dieu des Preux
Pour les Aïeux, pour la Patrie

Pour le Drapeau, pour la Patrie
Mourir est beau, mourir est beau!
Notre passé nous crie:
Ayez l'âme aguerrie!
Mourir est beau, mourir est beau
Pour le Drapeau, pour la Patrie
Mourir, mourir, mourir est beau
Pour le Drapeau, pour la Patrie