Two hundred and thirty-four years ago, on the night of August 14, 1791, our ancestors rose up at the Bwa Kay Iman to say no to slavery, yes to freedom, and yes to unity. It was not just a gathering, but the founding act of a national consciousness: Haitian Unity.

In this clearing, in the midst of an era of chains and whips, women and men chose to proclaim their right to live free on their land. They understood that together, they could “alèz lakay yo,” break the path of slavery and open the path to the future.

Bwa Kay Iman was at once a political, cultural, and spiritual pact. A pact sealed in the people's language, Creole, and nourished by a shared belief, Vodou, a spiritual and cultural cement that gave this people the strength to stand up against the colonial order. This moment sealed our collective destiny: we would never again be slaves.