Did you know that Haiti is the first (and only) country in the world to be founded by a successful slave revolt? On January 1st, 1804, Commander Jean-Jacques Dessalines declared victory over the French, renaming the colony of Saint-Domingue to "Haiti" in honor of the land's original Taino name. Haiti thus became the first country in modern history to abolish slavery.
In a sense, the rest of the world has never forgiven Haiti for winning her independence. Whether it was the forced $20 billion "freedom debt" paid over the course of 100 years to France, or the US occupation of Haiti in the early 20th century where the Marines seized 40% of Haiti's wealth, the outside world has rarely been helpful to Haiti. We choose to remember the great origin story of this country, as it shapes and inspires much of Haitian culture to this day. We seriously think this country is so cool.
