Editorial: Pumpkin Soup, a symbol of Haitian Independence and
Unity
Every January 1st, most of us around the world are celebrating the
New Year's Day. For Haitians though, the first day of the year has
added significance, since it doubles as the anniversary of our Independence
in 1804. On that day, Haitians whether in Haiti or abroad savor pumpkin
soup (soup joumou in Kreyol), in keeping with the
tradition to celebrate that event. Having this delicious soup on January
1st is rooted deep in our culture and our history. It is a statement.
During slavery, only the french colonists could drink this delicious
and aromatic meal on special occasions while slaves were to drink
simple bread soup. At the same time, it was a common saying during
slavery that "Depi nan Guinen nèg rayi nèg",
meaning that Black people have been hating each other ever since
they were back in [Guinea] Africa. Well, on January 1st 1804, during
the Independence celebration, a huge pot of pumpkin soup was concocted,
and every one present was served a bowl to show that we as descendants
of slaves could unite and produce something extraordinary.
So every time we drink this soup on January 1st it reminds us
of the injustices of slavery and our having overcoming them. it
is a declaration that never, as long as this nation exists will
we suffer domination under any form, whether physically or ideologically.
The one hundred ninety six years of Haitian independence have thus
often if not always been one hundred ninety six years of resistance
against oppression and domination. Eating pumpkin soup is thus reminding
us that the fight is not over. It also gives us courage, for it
is a symbol that there is victory for us at the end of the road.
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Recipe: Pumpkin Soup, Haitian Style
- Serves 6
1 lb.beef
stew meat
1 medium pumpkin squash
1 lb. cabbage
carrots, celery, spinash.
1 onion
6 med. potatoes
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1 malanga
or equivalent
3 medium sized turnips
3 limes
vermicelli, macaroni or other noodles
scallions, thyme, garlic, bouillon cubes, salt, pepper,
one small hot pepper and other seasonings |
1. Clean the meat with hot water and lemon.
2. Add seasoning, salt and set aside for 2 hrs.
3. Boil meat in stockpot with 3 quarts of water or until tender
(about 1 ½- 2 hrs)
4. When meat is tender, add carrots and pumpkin peeled and
sliced.
5. When pumpkin gets soft, remove and pulverize in blender.
Add back to pot.
6. Cut and add in order, potatoes, celery, turnips etc. Add
cabbage last (Essentially you want to add the itemsm requiring
more time to boil first and leave items like cabbage for later
so that they do not get too crushed)
7. Continue boiling until meat is tender and vegetables are
cooked (~1/2 hour).
8. Add pasta.
9. Taste and add seasoning at will.
10. Turn off the heat and let cool.
Serve in a medium size bowl sitting in a plate with piece
of bread on the side.
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Having pumpkin soup is also a sign of unity among us. During slavery,
the white colonists believed that blacks could never unify to achieve
any impressive action. It is principally a unity among the blacks
and the mulattos that resulted in the success of the Haitian revolution.
Thus, when we have pumpkin soup on January First, share it within
our family, and send some to our neighbors and friends, Haitians
sought to demonstrate their ability to form one people in the face
of adversityby reiterating the Haitian motto of "L’Union fait
la Force": Through Unity there is Power.
Some people often ask why we so proudly celebrate January first,
when Haiti has made so little economic and social advancement. What
tangible advancement have you made for you to still want to celebrate
January first every year? This question is often the result of poor
understanding of Haiti and its place in history.
Haitians are celebrating January First because the revolution
that gave birth to our country is the first successful revolution
in History against colonialism and slavery. Because of that characteristic
of the Haitian revolution, the young state was isolated diplomatically
by the world, which denied her independence to prevent her upheaval
from reaching other colonial shores. At the same time, the ex-slaves,
founder of the Haitian State, were mostly illiterate and had no
prior experience in state ruling. The international isolation of
the country combined with the inexperience of the founders of the
new nation determined in great part the present state of the country.
Revolution, moreover, is a lengthy process that does not happen
overnight. The Haitian Revolution aimed for freedom and the end
of slavery. On January 1st 1804, the Haitians won that freedom but
immediately faced new social and economic challenges which demanded
time to be resolved. The motto of the Haitian slaves against colonialism
was "libete ou lanmo" meaning "freedom or death".
The immediate demand was thus not how the new state was going
to be ruled or what it would achieved socially and economically,
but freedom. The energy of the former slaves, the free black and
the mulattos was thus profoundly invested into achieving this goal.
Now after 196 years of independence, Haiti is fighting for the implementation
of democratic institutions in the state and for more social and
economic justice. It is only part of the continuing revolution in
the country, and other older nations have followed a similar path.
The famous French revolution of 1789 did not automatically institute
democracy in France when the Bourbons were ousted out of the French
throne. It took the French around a hundred years to lay the roots
of democracy in their political system. The French first rejected
the old regime and dethroned the Bourbons at the head of France.
Following the beheading of Louis XVI in 1793, Robespierre and his
followers instituted a "reign of terror" in France. Then
in 1799, Napoleon seized power of the French government through
conspiracy and instituted a military dictatorship then an empire
until 1814 when a European concertation deposed and replaced him
by the Bourbons. France then went through some mini-revolution until
the rise of Napoleon III through the election of 1852. Until the
end of the 19th century, the ideals of the French revolution, of
liberty, equality and universal suffrage were not fully rooted in
their system to influence the emergence of France as a modern state
today.
But let us look closer home. Let us look at the American Revolution,
which happened in 1776, and the Haitian Revolution of 1791. The
two nations could not be more different today when we consider that
only a couple of years separated their rise as modern states. One
would understand this difference better if one considers that the
American Revolution was foremost a revolution of whites by whites
and for whites. Slavery was not abolished in this state until
1865, a state which proclaimed at its basis the principle of the
equality of men at birth. And the African-Americans would have to
wait for another century, until the 1960’s for segregation and racism
to be outlawed and their status as second-class citizens be restored
to full citizenship. Even today, African-Americans and other blacks
living in the US are still fighting to be treated as equals and
not to be discriminated upon.
The determining difference between the Haitian revolution and
that of the Americans is that the former was a revolution of blacks,
by blacks and for blacks. This factor would determine the treatment
of the country by the world. The whole nation was repressed and
kept in isolation. Deliberate propaganda and prejudices plagued
the country everyday. They are often fostered by ignorance. For
example, people go and spend one or two weeks in Haiti and at the
end of their trip they want to proclaim themselves Haitian scholars.
They want to diffuse "knowledge"” about everything Haitian
without having the slightest idea of what they are talking about.
Their western upbringing make them approach Haiti with preconceived
ideas and narrowmindedness. These people spread the view that the
vaudouist are cannibals just like the Indians were declared to be
savages in 1492. Hollywood quickly picks on the idea and develops
it into a real legend of voodoo paganism and cannibalism with Zombies
walking around the streets of Haiti days and nights. Haiti is also
described as a place of extreme insecurity where people are constantly
living in the fear of losing their lives. No doubt, Haiti like any
place on earth has its level of insecurity. But, it is certainly
not one of the most dangerous place in this world. It is not even
close to being the most dangerous place on earth. You never hear
of children killing their parents in Haiti or vice versa, nor of
teenagers shooting at their peers and professors in schools, nor
even of coworkers shooting their colleagues at work.
Other propaganda about the country are deliberate. We will not
dwell on the causes of these propaganda. However the most known
of them is the silly, baseless idea that AIDS originated from Haiti.
Just like that, Haiti, a small country in the Caribbean has the
power to contaminate the whole world of this disease it has developed.
Although Haitians have successfully fought for this stigma to be
taken off the country, its consequences were already to deep to
be prevented. Tourists thus have shunned the shores of Haiti with
the thought of the country as the origin of AIDS in mind.
Propaganda were specifically spread in the minds of the other
enslaved blacks where Haiti was portrayed as a bad example to keep
them in their condition. As long as Haiti was perceived as a "failure"
there would be no reason for them to fight for their own freedom.
But Haiti has not developed into a failure and it is with extreme
pride that we celebrate our 196 years of Independence at home and
abroad. This January 1st 2000 let us Haitians around the world eat
pumpkin soup to celebrate our victory and our dedication to fight
for the preservation of our freedom.
In our celebration, we welcome peoples of the world, of any race
and nationality who have a genuine concern and desire to learn about
Haiti with openmindness to join us on DiscoverHaiti. The goal of
DiscoverHaiti is thus to fight against these campaigns by providing
an objective view of Haiti to the world on all levels: Culture,
art, History, Literature and the places of Haiti. We are also seeking
to provide a point of connection for Haitians at home and abroad
and especially to the progenies of the Haitian Diaspora. We want
the Haitians and the Haitian-American, Haitian-French, and Haitian-Canadian
and others to discover one another through knowledge of their roots.
We have thus decided to add one more voice to Haiti and Haitians
on the Internet. Our section on History will feature monthly studies
of Haitian History from the time of the Tainos to the present. In
art and literature we will explore Haitian art, sculpture and plastic,
as well as the writing production of the country at home and abroad.
In Places, we will bring the sultry beaches of Jacmel and Labadie,
the mysterious majesty of the north and the lonely Citadelle Laferriere
to your home. The friends of fun could check our entertainment section
to know before hand the concerts and parties of the community whether
at Port-au-Prince, Paris, Cap Haitien, New York, Montreal, Miami,
or Boston. In the "Did You Know" section we will bring
you little information about Haiti and Haitians. Finally, our chat
rooms will allow Haitians at home and abroad to meet one another
and discuss topics pertaining to their country and their different
experience as Haitians.
DiscoverHaiti wants to serve you in the best way that it can.
So please do send us your suggestions on how we can better fulfill
that goal.
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