Exactly two (2) years ago, today, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake devastated the sovereign state of Haiti, situated on the Western side of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, damaging 85% of its infrastructure.
"The epicentre was near the town of Léogâne, approximately 25 km (16 miles) west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital. The earthquake occurred at 16:53 p.m. local time (21:53 UTC)".
Haiti, known as one of the poorest countries in the Western hemisphere, could not fully recover
...and the majority of Haitians are still living in tent cities.
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I just want to say to our Haitian brothers and sisters,
That, we, your Caribbean brothers and sisters, fully empathize with you and will continue to support you in whatever ways we can.
You have been buffeted on all sides, but still you continue to rise.
No matter the disaster, your indomitable spirit will not be extinguished.
We in the rest of the Caribbean owe you a debt of gratitude...
...For it's through your first fight for independence and the abolition of slavery in 1804, that we were embolden to seek our own abolition of slavery and fight for independence.
We watch and wait for you, our sister, to rise...
...To fully trust in a God who holds the universe in His hands,
For then and only then, will your rise be unending,
and no force, human or otherwise, will stop you.
We the descendants of the African slave trade, salute you, our sister, for our forefathers' blood were intermingled,
Making us one in life, in death and in life as we know it, through us, their descendants.
Our bloodlines will never be extinguished, as long as they are linked to the single bloodline of Christ, our Saviour and Redeemer.
May the words of your National Anthem continue to ring out and embolden you, our sister...
To rise...to rise...to rise!
Haitian National Anthem (in French)
La Dessalinienne (The Song of Dessalines) as sung in the above video
Original French Words
Pour le Pays, pour les Ancêtres
Marchons unis, marchons unis
Dans nos rangs point de traîtres
Du sol soyons seuls maîtres
Marchons unis, marchons unis
Pour le Pays, pour les Ancêtres
Marchons, marchons, marchons unis
Pour le Pays, pour les Ancêtres
Pour les Aïeux, pour la Patrie
Béchons joyeux, béchons joyeux
Quand le champ fructifie
L'âme se fortifie
Béchons joyeux, béchons joyeux
Pour les Aïeux, pour la Patrie
Béchons, béchons, béchons joyeux
Pour les Aïeux, pour la Patrie
Pour le Pays et pour nos Pères
Formons des Fils, formons des Fils
Libres, forts et prospères
Toujours nous serons frères
Formons des Fils, formons des Fils
Pour le Pays et pour nos Pères
Formons, formons, formons des Fils
Pour le Pays et pour nos Pères
Pour les Aïeux, pour la Patrie
O Dieu des Preux, O Dieu des Preux
Sous ta garde infinie
Prends nos droits, notre vie
O Dieu des Preux, O Dieu des Preux
Pour les Aïeux, pour la Patrie
O Dieu, O Dieu, O Dieu des Preux
Pour les Aïeux, pour la Patrie
Pour le Drapeau, pour la Patrie
Mourir est beau, mourir est beau
Notre passé nous crie:
Ayez l'âme aguerrie
Mourir est beau, mourir est beau
Pour le Drapeau, pour la Patrie
Mourir, mourir, mourir est beau
Pour le Drapeau, pour la Patrie
source: http://www.lyricsondemand.com/
English version of Haitian National Anthem:
(The Song of Dessalines)
For our country,
For our forefathers,
United let us march.
Let there be no traitors in our ranks!
Let us be masters of our soil.
United let us march
For our country,
For our forefathers.
For our forebears,
For our country
Let us toil joyfully.
May the fields be fertile
And our souls take courage.
Let us toil joyfully
For our forebears,
For our country.
For our country
And for our forefathers,
Let us train our sons.
Free, strong, and prosperous,
We shall always be as brothers.
Let us train our sons
For our country
And for our forefathers.
For our forebears,
For our country,
Oh God of the valiant!
Take our rights and our life
Under your infinite protection,
Oh God of the valiant!
For our forebears,
For our country.
For the flag,
For our country
To die is a fine thing!
Our past cries out to us:
Have a disciplined soul!
To die is a fine thing,
For the flag,
For our country.
source: http://www.lyricsondemand.com/
Gillian
Sources Include
Haitian National anthem via Lyricsondemand, accessed January 12,2012
