The 1st of January marks the independence of Haiti from France in 1804. It is a day traditionally marked by cooking and sharing Soup Joumou – a pumpkin based soup. During slavery the soup was denied to the slaves, therfore, after independence it was the first thing used to celebrate the victory.

Haitians cook soup Joumou every first of January and swap with their neighbors. The Haitian Heritage Group UK cooks and shares it with our respected community at an annual independence day dinner filled with history, games and entertainment.

In addition to celebrating its independence, Haiti celebrates the creation of its flag. The process was equally as liberating as freeing themselves from slaver as it signifies tearing away the last attachment to France by removing the white from the flag and creating the red and blue.

Although the current flag is what we celebrate, many in the Haitian community feel that the original black and red flag introduced by the father of the nation Jean Jacque Dessalines, is more representative of the nation-state.

In 2014, Guilaine was elected as the Minority and Ethnic officer at the university. She did not subscribe to the idea of the allocated month for human history, so she started holding an event at the West Indian Community Center in Leeds called Black History is World History. It was an amazing display of cultural unity. In that spirit, HHG will create a series of workshops and activities around Haitian history, historical figures and specific eras, highlighting Haiti’s link to the world.