It is black history month and the African Union, A.U. has been asked to recognise Haiti, a country from the Caribbeans, as one of its member-states.
Jean Robert Pillard, Haitian former ambassador to the United Kingdom, re-echoed the request in a paper titled;
“Haiti and Africa: Reclaiming Our Shared Narrative” during the celebration of black history month at the Pan-African University of Science and Technology in Abuja.
February is Black History Month.
This month-long observance is a chance to celebrate Black achievement and provide a fresh reminder to take stock of where systemic racism persists and give visibility to the people and organizations creating change.
Black History Month was created to focus attention on the contributions of African Americans to the United States.
The month is used to honour all Black people from all periods of U.S. history, from the enslaved people first brought over from Africa in the early 17th century to African Americans living in the United States today.
The African union has been an umbrella body for countries in the only black dominated continent, and Haiti, a non-member , although predominantly black, yearns to be recognised as a member
Records show that Haiti and Africa share a rich and complex history with many cultural, historical, and philosophical ties.
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Jean Pillard, a former Haitian envoy to the United Kingdom, is a strong advocate for the AU to recognise what he calls one of their own.
According to the books, Haiti is home to the largest African diaspora community in the Caribbean, with many Haitians tracing their ancestry back to African countries such as the Congo, Senegal, and Guinea, the AU member dream may look realisable.
But, with a sub-regional body like ECOWAS foot-dragging in recognising Morocco as a member, questions abound if Haiti from the Caribbean will get the chance of being an AU member
A former Nigerian foreign affairs ministry permanent secretary, ambassador Joe Keshi, and a former lawmaker who is now head of the centre for Pan-Africa and peace studies, Chudi Nwazurike shed more light on Haiti’s quest
There is a growing movement to revive and celebrate African and Haitian cultural heritage, including language, music, dance, and spiritual practices, no wonder the urgent need for African countries to establish trade relations with Haiti resonates with the 2025 black history month celebration
( Editor : Paul Akhagbemhe )
