Fond Des Blancs

Fond des Blancs: A Tapestry of Resilience and Beauty
Fond des Blancs, nestled in the southern mountains of Haiti, is more than just a place on a map; it's a vibrant testament to the unyielding spirit of its people and the breathtaking beauty of its natural landscape. This community, though often facing adversity, shines with an inner light, much like the fertile valleys that give it its name.

Imagine waking to the gentle mist clinging to emerald green hills, the air alive with the scent of rich earth and blooming flora. The sounds of daily life, a symphony of resilience, begin: the distant echo of a goat's bleat, the quiet murmur of conversations, and perhaps the joyful laughter of children on their way to school.

The people of Fond des Blancs embody strength, warmth, and an unwavering sense of community. Their hands work the land with dedication, cultivating the very sustenance that sustains their lives and traditions. Every smile shared, every helping hand extended, paints a picture of a profound interconnectedness that defines this special place.

Fond des Blancs reminds us that true beauty lies not just in picturesque vistas, but in the heart of a community that perseveres, innovates, and cherishes its heritage amidst all challenges. It is a place where hope springs eternal, a true gem in the heart of Haiti.

Marie Claire Heureuse Félicité Bonheur (1758-8 août 1858), fut impératrice d'Haïti (1804-1806) en tant qu'épouse de Jean-Jacques Dessalines.

Marie Claire Heureuse Félicité BonheurFélicité naquit à Léogane dans une famille pauvre mais libre. Elle était la fille de Guillaume Bonheur et de Marie-Élisabeth Sainte-Lobelot. Elle fut éduquée par sa tante Élise Lobelot, gouvernante d'un ordre religieux. Elle épousa Pierre Lunic, maître charron des Frères de Saint-Jean de Dieu, mais devint v***e en 1795.

Lors du siège de Jacmel en 1800, elle se fit un nom en œuvrant auprès des blessés et des affamés. Elle parvint à convaincre Dessalines, l'un des assiégeants de la ville, d'autoriser l'ouverture de certaines routes afin que les blessés puissent recevoir de l'aide. Elle conduisit un cortège de femmes et d'enfants chargés de nourriture, de vêtements et de médicaments, puis fit préparer les repas dans les rues.

Le 2 avril 1800, elle épousa Jean-Jacques Dessalines, avec qui elle entretint une longue relation. Elle fut faite impératrice Félicité d'Haïti lors de la création de la monarchie d'Haïti et couronnée avec son époux en l'église du Champ-de-Mars le 8 octobre 1804. Ils eurent quatre filles et trois garçons, dont des jumeaux. Elle légitima également les nombreux enfants issus des adultères de Dessalines.

L'impératrice Félicité travaillait dans les domaines de l'éducation et de la santé comme infirmière, s'occupant des plus démunis. Plus âgée que Dessalines, c'est elle qui lui inculqua les rudiments de la lecture et de l'écriture. On la décrivait comme une femme bienveillante et clémente, aux manières élégantes et cordiales ; elle contrastait avec son mari par sa tolérance, son soutien et sa gentillesse aveugle envers les personnes de toutes couleurs. Elle veillait aux besoins des prisonniers et, malgré la colère de son mari, n'hésita pas à en sauver nombre d'entre eux lors du massacre d'Haïti de 1804 organisé par son époux. On raconte qu'elle se serait agenouillée devant lui pour le supplier d'épargner leurs vies et qu'elle aurait caché l'un d'eux, Descourtilz, sous son lit pour le sauver.

Après la mort de Dessalines en 1806, elle refusa l'offre d'Henri Christophe de s'installer chez sa famille. V***e, elle fut titrée princesse douairière le 17 octobre 1806. Les biens de son défunt mari ayant été confisqués, elle vécut dans la pauvreté à Saint-Marc jusqu'en août 1843, date à laquelle elle reçut une pension de 1 200 gourdes.

En 1849, lorsque Faustin Ier d'Haïti devint empereur, il augmenta la pension de Marie-Claire en signe d'admiration pour Dessalines. Marie-Claire refusa l'argent et s'installa chez sa petite-fille. Elle mourut le 8 août 1858 aux Gonaïves.

En son honneur, la Fondation Marie-Claire Heureuse Félicité Bonheur Dessalines, aussi connue sous le nom de Fondasyon Félicité (FF), a été créée par le Dr Bayyinah Bello en 1999 pour mener des actions humanitaires, sociales et éducatives en Haïti. Peu après le tremblement de terre de 2010, l'association à but non lucratif Les Amis de la Fondation Félicité a été créée pour soutenir la FF dans son action auprès du peuple haïtien pour la reconstruction de son pays.

Marie Claire Heureuse Félicité Bonheur (1758-August 8, 1858 ), was the Empress of Haiti (1804-1806) as the spouse of Jean-Jacques Dessalines.

Marie Claire Heureuse Félicité BonheurFélicité was born in Léogane to a poor but free family as the daughter of Guillaume Bonheur and Marie-Élisabeth Sainte-Lobelot. She was educated by her aunt Elise Lobelot, who was the governess of a religious order. She married Pierre Lunic, master-cartwright to the Brothers of Saint-Jean de Dieu, but became a widow in 1795.

During the siege of Jacmel in 1800, she made a name for herself working for the wounded and starving. She managed to convince Dessalines, who was one of the parties besieging the city, to allow some roads to the city to be opened, so that the wounded could receive help. She led a procession of women and children with food, clothes and medicine back to the city, and then arranged for the food to be cooked on the streets.

On April 2 1800, she married Jean-Jacques Dessalines, with whom she had a long-time relationship. She was made Empress Félicité of Haiti upon the creation of the monarchy of Haiti, and crowned with her husband at the Church of Champ-de-Mars on 8th October 1804. They had four daughters and three sons together, including a pair of twins. She also legitimized the numerous children produced by Dessalines’ adulterous affairs.

Empress Félicité worked in the fields of education and health as a nurse, tending to the needs of the poor. Older than Dessalines, it was she who instilled in him the rudiments of reading and writing. She was described as kind and merciful with an elegant and cordial manner; she was a contrast to her husband in her tolerance and support and by showing indiscriminate kindness to people of all colors. She saw to the needs of the prisoners, and she did not hesitate, despite her husband’s anger, to save many of them from the 1804 Haiti Massacre arranged by her husband. She is reported to have fallen to her knees before him to beg him to spare their lives and is said to have hidden one of them, Descourtilz, under her own bed to save him.

After the death of Dessalines in 1806, she denied the offer from Henry Christophe to move in with his family. As a widow, she was styled Princess Dowager on 17 October 1806. As the property of her late husband was confiscated, she lived in poverty in Saint-Marc until August 1843, when she was granted a pension 1,200 gourdes.

In 1849, when Faustin I of Haiti became Emperor, he enlarged Marie-Claire’s pension as a sign of his admiration of Dessalines. Marie-Claire refused the money, and moved in with her granddaughter. She died on August 8, 1858 in Gonaïves.

In her honour, the Fondation Marie-Claire Heureuse Félicité Bonheur Dessalines, also known as the Fondasyon Félicité (FF), was established by Dr Bayyinah Bello in 1999 to undertake humanitarian, social and educational work in Haiti. Soon after the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the non-profit organization Friends of Fondation Félicité was set up to support FF in helping the Haitian people to rebuild their country.

Ouanaminthe - L'union fait la force.

La Sirene, La Baleine The Song From My Childhood.

La Sirene, La Baleine Provided to YouTube by CDBabyLa Sirene, La Baleine · Issa El SaiehEl Maestro℗ 2010 Frederic PaulReleased on: 2010-01-14Auto-generated by YouTube.

The precontact Taíno culture occupying the island of Haiti (also indigenously referred to as Quisqueya or Bohio) was a well-organized communal society divided among five caciquats or “kingdoms.” In Taíno, Haiti means “high ground” or “mountainous land.” However, the Taíno population (Taíno meaning “good” or “noble”) was primarily concentrated on the island’s coastal plains and interior valleys. Each caciquat was governed by a cacique (chief). Christopher Columbus renamed the island Española (Hispaniola) meaning “little Spain.” On December 5, 1492, Columbus anchored off the northern shoreline of Haiti, near modern Cap-Haïtien. On Christmas Eve 1492, the Santa Maria (Columbus’ flagship) sank just off of an inlet Columbus would later name La Nativida. The Taíno cacique, Guacanagarí, allowed Columbus to leave 39 men behind at the settlement of Nativida. On his return in 1493, Columbus moved his coastal base of operations 70 miles east to what is now the Dominican Republic and established the settlement of La Isabela, the first permanent Spanish settlement in the Americas.

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It is uncertain how many Taíno were living in Hispaniola at first contact. Estimates of the population range from several hundred thousand to over a million.[1] Soon after Columbus’ return, more Spanish settlers arrived; and by 1504 the last major Taíno cacique was deposed during the War of Higüey. Over the subsequent ten years, living conditions for the Taíno declined steadily. The Spaniards exploited the island’s gold mines and reduced the Taíno to slavery. Within twenty-five years of Columbus’ arrival in Haiti, most of the Taíno had died from enslavement, massacre, or disease. By 1514, only 32,000 Taíno survived in Hispaniola.

~Russell Schimmer, GSP, Yale University