Haitian students at Senghor University in Alexandria, Egypt celebrated 220 years of Haiti’s independence with students from various countries on the African continent, including Benin. Exchanges and debates on the history of Haitian independence and the sharing of “Joumou” soup were the highlights of the event.
To celebrate the 220th anniversary of Haiti’s independence, the Haitian students of the 19th promotion of the Senghor University of Alexandria organized on Monday 1 January 2024 a day of reflection and sharing of the giraumon soup, the traditional dish prepared and shared for the Day of ‘Haitian independence. both in rural areas and cities across the country.
In an atmosphere of friendship and brotherhood, the students invited to this celebration learned about the national anthem of Haiti, the Dessalinienne; strong moments that led to the independence of Haiti including the general slave revolt of the night of August 14, 1791 known as the Bois-Caïman ceremony and the Battle of Vertières of November 18, 1803; They also took time to discuss the symbolism of the “Joumou” soup, a dish that reflects social cohesion, brotherhood and revolution because it was forbidden to slaves and reserved for colonists during the colonization period. All seasoned by tasting the soup.
Walner Olivier, a Haitian student from the Department of Culture at Senghor University, highlighted the tradition that encourages the consumption of the soup by all Haitians in Haiti and abroad on January 1st of each year; also on the consecration of the soup by UNESCO as an intangible heritage of humanity from December 2021.
“Joumou soup is no longer the property of Haiti or Haitians. Now it belongs to humanity.” , he said.
For his part, Erroce Ezechiel Ekundayo Yanclo, representative of the Beninese community and project management student, did not hide his satisfaction. “This beautiful moment shared together made us really happy. Thank you very much to the Haitian community,” he expressed.
Furthermore, Johnson Phycien, a Haitian student of governance and public management, who motivated the entire Haitian community to carry out the activity, said he was satisfied with this first one and intends to plan others with the Haitian community on the occasion of important dates for Haiti.
“Thank you for giving us the honor of being here today. This activity, our first, aims to strengthen our ties with students, especially with the Beninese with whom Haiti has historical, cultural and spiritual ties,” she said.
The celebration was attended by development master’s students from Senghor University of Alexandria from Benin, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea, Cameroon, Mali, Djibouti, Madagascar and Senegal.
James Nonant
2024-01-05 05:08:41
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