Haiti and the Greek War of Independence

The Athens Institute, established successful 1995 arsenic an independent, world-wide assemblage of academics and researchers, organises small world meetings while besides promoting probe and producing publications. Over 1000 such world events person been organised since 1995 attended by scholars from each implicit the world. Besides the work of implicit 200 books, a bid of league papers person besides been published arsenic well arsenic the instauration of a bid of e-journals.

For Greece’s nationalist day marking the War of Independence of 1821 against implicit 400 years of Ottoman rule, the Athens Institute held its 3rd Special Event under the auspices of the Athenian Academic Periodical, titled “Revolutions of National Independence and the Birth of the Nation-State during the 18th and 19th Centuries” connected Monday, March 30, 2026. The topic chosen is very due arsenic it refers to the struggle for independency that reshaped the ideas of sovereignty, citizenship and individuality not lone connected a section standard but connected a planetary 1 arsenic well done the political, κοινωνικά and taste magnitude that it expressed. This transition from empires to sovereign states was filled with wars and conflicts, ideologies and planetary interventions arsenic well arsenic the power of transatlantic revolutionary ideas. It was a clip when the ‘Old World’ was coming to an extremity and the ‘New World’ beginning.The day of March 25th for celebrating the Greek War of Independence is profoundly symbolic arsenic it combines some spiritual meaning and nationalist identity. It was not chosen to people the nonstop opening of the war for independency arsenic uprisings had started overmuch earlier successful various parts of the Peloponnese, but due to the fact that it symbolically blends religion and freedom. March 25th is the time of the Annunciation successful the Orthodox Christian calendar, the infinitesimal when the Archangel Gabriel announces to the Virgin Mary she will springiness commencement to Jesus Christ. This symbolises bully quality and anticipation arsenic well arsenic a caller opening for humanity. By linking the war of independency to this day, the uprising was portrayed arsenic a spiritual rebirth of Greece, unifying scattered uprisings and strengthening the transportation betwixt Greek individuality and Orthodox Christianity. It turns the gyration into not conscionable a governmental revolt, but a motivation and spiritual mission.

The lecture by Obrillant Damus (Full Professor, State University of Haiti, Haiti, Visiting Professor, Laval University & adjunct professor, University of Sherbrooke, Quebec) threw airy connected different facet of the Greek War of Independence arsenic it referred to the benefits gained from Haiti’s ‘regenerative and restorative pedagogy’, which refers to ‘a acceptable of methods and cognition aimed astatine regenerating ourselves, regenerating others, and repairing the past and the contiguous with a view to human, ecological and planetary sustainability.’ (Damus, 2024). This cognition is important arsenic it helps the oppressed to flooded the traumas that they experienced under suppressive regimes such arsenic that of the Ottoman Empire. These traumas and experiences are passed connected from 1 procreation to the adjacent and so it is important for some sides, the oppressed and the oppressor, to understand this and to travel to terms with it. This is the hard part.

Greece benefited from Haiti’s regenerative and restorative pedagogy due to the fact that Haiti not lone sent a shipment of java that could beryllium sold for the buying of arms, but besides motivation support by sending 100 volunteers to combat alongside the Greeks successful their combat for freedom, who unluckily mislaid their lives connected the way to Greece. This supportive enactment bolstered the self-confidence, the self-esteem, and the determination of the Hellenes to enactment an extremity to centuries of Ottoman ‘cultural genocide oregon ethnocide, carnal genocide, the demolition of the Byzantine heritage, and the demolition of spiritual architectural heritage.’ (Excerpt from Obrillant Damus’s lecture titled “Towards an Analysis of Haiti’s Contribution to Greek Independence successful Terms of Regenerative and Restorative Pedagogy, arsenic well arsenic Global Citizenship Education”, Athens Institute connected March 30, 2026)

https://jeretiens.net/le-genocide-grec-pontique-1914-1923

Haiti, being the archetypal “Black” republic, acceptable an illustration for others to travel arsenic its independency successful 1804 aft a 12-year combat against France marked a turning constituent for those under assemblage regularisation and slavery. The success of their combat led to the support of different nationalist struggles such arsenic the Greek War of Independence successful 1821, ” universalizing quality rights and citizenship” (Excerpt from Professor Obrillant Damus’s lecture astatine the Athens Institute connected March 30, 2026)

Although Greece was still warring for its state against Ottoman rule, the 1st National Assembly convened astatine the township of Epidaurus, where a Decree was signed successful January 1822 abolishing slavery. This made Greece the archetypal state successful modern Europe to abolish slavery connected its soil and globally the 2nd lone to Haiti. Such examples of motivation and worldly support acceptable a standard for others to follow.

Haiti responded to the telephone for assistance sent connected August 20, 1821, by the Greek intelligence Adamantios Korais, a subordinate of the Philhellenic Committee of Paris. The remainder of Europe preferred to disregard this plea arsenic they did not want to disturb the status quo.

On January 15, 1822 (the 19th year of Haiti’s independence), Jean-Pierre Boyer, Haitian subject serviceman and president of Haiti from 1818 to 1843, replied to Korais’ letter. A portion of his missive was directed to the Greek citizens, giving them the motivation strength to proceed their struggle.”Citizens! Convey to your co-patriots the warm wishes that the radical of Haiti nonstop connected the behalf of your liberation. The descendants of past Hellenes look forward, successful the reawakening of their history, to trophies worthy of Salamis. May they beryllium to beryllium similar their ancestors and guided by the commands of Miltiades, and beryllium able, successful the fields of caller Marathon, to execute the triumph of the beatified matter that they person undertaken connected behalf of their rights, religion and motherland. May it be, astatine last, done their wise decisions, that they will beryllium commemorated by past arsenic the heirs of the endurance and virtues of their ancestors.” Source: Hellenic Republic Ministry of Foreign Affairs Service of Diplomatic & Historical Archives.

It tin beryllium said that Jean-Pierre Boyer was besides influenced by the past Greek officers and statesmen such arsenic Leonidas, Miltiades and Themistocles, who had besides fixed their lives for the state and independency of their state against the Persian invasion. Such examples are interconnected arsenic 1 influences the other.

“The regenerative and restorative pedagogy implemented by the New State of Haiti helped to curb the processes of individuality demolition (identicide)—whether state-sponsored, religious, oregon linguistic—in Greece. The motivation and governmental support Greece received from Haiti served arsenic fertile crushed for the country’s de-Ottomanization (strengthening of Christianity, simplification of the process of taste mixing, peculiarly successful the areas of language, music, and cuisine). It is worth noting present the relation of the Orthodox Church successful preserving the Greek connection and civilization successful the look of centuries-long Ottoman oppression.) Source: Excerpt from Professor Obrillant Damus’s lecture astatine the Athens Institute connected March 30, 2026.

In conclusion, the political, social, and taste dimensions of struggles for independency proceed to power countries agelong aft oppressed peoples person succeeded successful attaining their state and sovereignty. The defeated state indispensable besides undergo a play of accommodation to the caller world so that tensions betwixt the two sides tin scope a equilibrium of acceptance. Otherwise, this whitethorn pb to further tensions and adjacent to war, arsenic tin beryllium observed today successful galore regions of the world. Countries that summation their freedom, successful bid to afloat bask it, indispensable proceed to support it and indispensable not yield successful the look of immoderate adversity that whitethorn arise.

*Despena Dalmaris is an English teacher, writer and columnist based successful Athens, Greece.