53 Quotes About Haiti

You cannot avoid hearing drums in Haiti.

Les loas sont les dieux des nègres d’Afrique. Dieu est universel. Les loas se vengent de la désertion des nègres car ils ont été esclaves et persécutés et que le vaudou sera, un jour, leur point de ralliement

There are and always will be some who, ashamed of the behaviour of their ancestors, try to prove that slavery was not so bad after all, that its evils and its cruelty were the exaggerations of propagandists and not the habitual lot of the slaves. Men will say (and accept) anything in order to foster national pride or soothe a troubled conscience.

Imperialism vaunts its exploitation of the wealth of Africa for the benefit of civilisation. In reality, from the very nature of its system of production for profit it strangles the real wealth of the continent -the creative capacity of the African people.

Only, in Haiti, I realized, is it possible to drink rum and haggle with a god.

My biggest fear is seeing myself in a grave without becoming the President of Haiti one day to save my country.

It was amusing to look at that colorful case so symbolic of an entire nation. Haiti, it is said, is the place to discover how much can be done with little.

Shit, man, if you see a dog scratching at the dirt trying to dig something up, walk away real fast,” he said, then pulled a little square of paper from his pocket and swallowed whatever was folded inside.

Bearing witness from the sides of the room, ten or more lepers shouted at the bizarre scene, “Diable! Diable!” And then chants of some sort, or prayers, followed by more shouts of “Diable!” They were hurling these words at Moreau like stones.