Ambassador Jean Pillard has urged Nigerian leaders to strategically look towards Haiti for partnership and economic cooperation for the future of both nations.
In a speech delivered at the Whelan Research Academy in Owerri, Southeastern Nigeria, Pillard said: “We need to forge partnerships that transcend the superficiality of aid.
“It’s time to invest in sustainable futures that respect our sovereignty and celebrate our cultural legacies. Let Technology be our bridge and fair trade our path to mutual prosperity.”
He urged business magnates to approach Haiti with strategic interest, saying: “Bring your expertise, your resources, and your respect, and together,
let us cultivate a future where the children of Haiti can stand on equal footing with the children of Africa and with children globally.”
Read full speech below:
Ambassador Jean PILLARD, Speech delivered at the WHELAN RESEARCH ACADEMY, in Owerri, Nigeria.
DEWO – Onè/Réspè is what we say inHaiti. You welcome me with open heart, I shall enter with open heart. Before I address you all today, I carry the heavy heart of Haitian folklore that dreams of “Afrik Ginen — Lòt Bò Dlo”- our ancestral Africa—across the sea, a place said to be reached only in death. Yet here I stand, alive on African soil, a privilege denied to many of my people.
We remember the 300,000 lives lost in Haiti’s earthquake in 2010; may their spirits feel at home among us now. Our ancestors were forced from this land without consent, and today, we find ourselves needing permission to return. As we seek visas from distant governments and navigate the absence of direct flights, my deepest hope is for every Haitian to experience this return—not as a final rest but as a living reunion.
Excellencies, traditional chiefs, all protocols observed, Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed leaders, and my cherished brothers and sisters of Africa,
Today, I stand before you in the heart of Igbo land, where the pulse of our great continent beats with undying strength and enduring unity.
Here, on this sacred ground infused with centuries of wisdom and courage, our gathering transcends mere ceremony. We are here, under the boundless African sky, to reclaim a shared heritage, to heal the wounds of forced displacement, and to forge a future resplendent with promise.
Over 4 centuries have passed since the sons and daughters of Africa, torn from this vibrant continent, found themselves in the embrace of the Caribbean. It was not a gentle embrace, but one of iron chains and brutal servitude. Yet, in the hills of Haiti, the spirit of Africa refused to die.
Those forced into slavery, treated as objects to be bought and sold, faced the cannons of the world’s most formidable armies. First it was Spain, then England and finally France. The army of Napoleon, a dozen years before its defeat at the Battle of Waterloo, was routed by an army of enslaved Africans under the leadership of two great sons of Africa, Toussaint Louverture and Jean-Jacques Dessalines. – The sons of Africa prevailed. Africa prevailed. We prevailed.
On the first dawn of 1804, Haiti rose, a free nation, the first black republic in the world, marking a victory not just for its people but for Africans and oppressed people everywhere, a beacon of hope and a testament to the unquenchable fire of freedom that burns in every African heart. But Haiti’s struggle was not without cost. The audacity to be free came with a price– from the oppressive independence debt forced upon it, through to foreign occupations and protracted sanctions- A price we are still paying to this day.
In Haiti, the palm tree rises on our flag—a towering symbol of triumph and resilience. It is a sacred echo of the palms that grace this land, a symbol woven into the fabric of Igbo culture, representing victory, peace, and the eternal connection between us. These trees are not mere vegetation; they are the spiritual links that bind the Caribbean to Africa, whispering through the winds that our souls are one.
The narrative of Haiti, just like that of Africa, has too often been dictated by those who do not know our heart. It has been depicted again and again by certain news media in the dull colours and by the broad brushstrokes of strife. It is true that the country has been going through a rough patch, particularly after the cowardly assassination of President Jovenel Moise, but today, I call on you to see through that veil of distortion. See Haiti in a wider context for what it truly is—a reservoir of untapped potential, a crucible of rich culture, a wellspring of indomitable spirit.
We are not the impoverished nation the world believes us to be; we are a piece of Africa, resilient and vibrant, with open arms that reach across the Atlantic, yearning for home.
Just as South Africa shattered the chains of apartheid, Rwanda transcended the scars of division, so too must we recognize and resist the manipulative forces that seek to cut the ties that bind us. We must reject these forces unequivocally and reclaim our narrative. Haiti is not a story of despair but a story of immense strength, a testament to the enduring spirit of Africa itself.
Today, I summon the leaders, the visionaries, the change makers gathered here: This is our clarion call to all who will listen. We need to forge partnerships that transcend the superficiality of aid.
It’s time to invest in sustainable futures that respect our sovereignty and celebrate our cultural legacies. Let Technology be our bridge and fair trade our path to mutual prosperity.
To the business magnates present, I implore you to look to Haiti not just with sympathy but with strategic interest. Bring your expertise, your resources, and your respect, and together, let us cultivate a future where the children of Haiti can stand on equal footing with the children of Africa and with children globally.
I know I’m not the first to say this but I simply must repeat it. I have a dream. I dream of our educators and innovators caught up together in a grand alliance of learning and wisdom, with Port-au-Prince in partnership with Lagos, Cap Haitien with Cape Town, Les Cayes with Cairo, and our universities transformed into lighthouses of knowledge and innovation that guide the world.
And to every soul listening to my voice, embrace the spirit of Ubuntu—I am because we are. We are not dissimilar peoples; we are one Africa, mighty and unbroken. Let the world witness that Africa’s embrace is wide enough to gather all her children, from the shores of the Caribbean to the peaks of Kilimanjaro.
Let us be the generation that bends the arc of history toward unity. Let us declare with one voice, “Yes, we can.” Yes, we can craft a thriving Haiti within a flourishing Africa. Yes, we can dispel the shadows cast by our troubled pasts.
And yes, we will stride side by side, as equals, as relatives, into the dawn of an era marked by our collective strength and shared destiny.
Now, let us march toward that hopeful horizon together. Let us sing a chorus that echoes from the mountains of Haiti to the plains of the Serengeti. Let us carry the torch that was lit in 1804, not just for Haiti but for all of Africa. Let us stand united and declare, once and for all, that we are one people, from the Nile to the Niger, from the Cape to the Caribbean.
Together, let us turn the challenges we face into the bridges that connect us. Let us transform the energy of our struggles into the strength of our unity. Let us not just dream of returning to the soil of our ancestors; let us make it a reality.Let this day be remembered not as a moment of speeches, but as the day when mother Africa, in all her glory, extended her arms to reach across the ocean and brought her children home.
Thank you, and may our unity bring forth a future where every African, anywhere in the world, can say with pride ,” I am home
