Jennifer EUGÈNE: A Pen in Service of Humanity

Launch of the Engagement Award: An Initiative to Honor and Encourage Young Leaders in Haiti

August 29, 2025, will mark two exceptional events: the eighth anniversary of Pierre Marc BAPTISTE’s commitment as a young leader and social and political activist, and the official launch of the Engagement Award. This unique initiative aims to honor and encourage young leaders, professionals, and academics for their dedication and active involvement in community life. The Engagement Award’s mission is to recognize youth leadership, promote civic engagement, and highlight inspiring role models capable of positively influencing an entire generation. Through this award, Pierre Marc BAPTISTE hopes to encourage young people to get involved in concrete actions aimed at solving community problems, reducing social inequalities, and strengthening civic participation. The first edition will be particularly symbolic. Eight young leaders from the Cité Soleil plain will be honored for the social and community impact of their initiatives. In a concrete gesture of solidarity and knowledge sharing, 200 books will also be donated to the Duvivier High School library in Cité Soleil, contributing to the education and training of future generations. With this award, Pierre Marc BAPTISTE reaffirms his belief that youth engagement is an essential lever for social and political change in Haiti. This is a unique opportunity to celebrate those who are taking action to transform their community, while inspiring other young people to follow the path of action and leadership. On August 29, 2025, Haitian youth will be honored, and a new tradition of recognition and inspiration will be established to promote civic engagement and responsibility throughout the country.

Francophone Youth Parliament: A Key Institution for Bringing Together Francophone Youth

The Francophone Youth Parliament (PFJ) is an entity of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Francophonie (APF), which itself is part of the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF). Established in 1999 during the Moncton Summit in Canada, this parliament for Francophone youth provides a genuine opportunity to forge connections among young people from the Francophone world. This real platform for debate and advocacy allows young people to have their voices heard and actively participate in shaping the future of La Francophonie. The body meets sequentially, with young people from almost all Francophone backgrounds gathering at each edition to discuss contemporary issues affecting global youth, such as precariousness, a lack of faith in democracy, characterized by a high number of young people abstaining from elections, a lack of civic engagement, the fight against inequalities, climate change, and even the impact of social media on youth. It is important to note that although the decisions made during these meetings are not legally binding, they remain powerful tools to describe the real will and needs of youth in the Francophone space, with the aim of facilitating actions by leaders.

Top 10 Tourist Sites to Visit in Haiti

Haiti, with its rich culture and diverse landscapes, is a fascinating tourist destination. Here is a selection of the ten best tourist sites not to be missed during your visit to Haiti.

UNESCO, Haïti Jazz Foundation and MCC Unite for Kreyol Jazz

On Monday, April 28, 2025, UNESCO, represented by Mr. Éric Voli Bi, Director for Haiti, the Haïti Jazz Foundation, represented by Ms. Milena Sandler, Executive Director, and Mr. Joel Widmaier, Artistic Director of PAP Jazz, along with the Ministry of Culture and Communication, represented by Ms. Stéphanie Saint-Louis, Director of Cultural Affairs at the MCC, held a press conference at UNESCO’s office on Rue Geffrard in Pétion-Ville. During the event, they announced their alliance to promote Kreyol Jazz.

Plume en Quest: Celebration of Haitian Women at the Alliance Française of Jacmel.

On March 23, 2024, in an atmosphere full of emotion and reflection, the Alliance française de Jacmel witnessed a unique cultural event of its kind. In collaboration with the Jacmel Jazz Festival, Plume en Quête presented a captivating show entitled “The Haitian woman is an asset”. Under the artistic direction of Jean Kenia, this captivating show drew on the provocative writings of the famous philosopher Simone de Beauvoir. Through striking artistic performances, the audience was transported on an introspective journey about the central role of women in Haitian society. The spectators, who came in large numbers to witness this event, were deeply touched by the evocative power of the show. “It was an incredible experience,” said one spectator. “This show captured the strength and resilience of Haitian women in a striking way.” Beyond its artistic aspect, this show also raised important questions about gender equality and women’s empowerment. By highlighting the essential contribution of Haitian women to society, he called for collective reflection on the need to promote social justice and gender equality. In short, this evening at the Alliance Française was much more than just entertainment: it was a vibrant testimony to the strength, resilience and beauty of Haitian women, as well as a call to action in favor of a fairer and more equitable future for all.

Vertières, Fort Mazi: Beyond historical truth;

If you look up the word vertière in a French dictionary, you will not find it for fear that the world does not know this place represents the Achilles heels of the most powerful European army. What’s more, this one had just successfully won the eastern campaign. French historians of the time erased this geographical location from the radar of history because they did not want to tell the story as it is in the sense of explaining the first great humiliation of the expeditionary army French by bands of slaves who were totally ignorant in the art of waging war, much less in the handling of weapons. However, these illiterate wars routed the Napoleonic army, the most powerful at that time, using the means at hand. This expeditionary army, after having brought Europe to its knees, would experience its first rout by slaves in this geographical location, located in the Northern department of Haiti. Funny story, this city is not on the list of French words even though given its historical importance, it should be at the heart of universal history, far from putting an end to the invincibility of the undefeated army army. So as not to offend the white masters, no political leader has ever asked why vertière does not appear in any French dictionary? However, they celebrate this battle with great fanfare every November 18. What historic hypocrisy among our leaders! After Vertière many other historical places are strangled by historians in order to hide the extremes of atrocities of the French colonists on the slaves. It is in this context of historical strangulation that “Fort Mazi” is not mentioned in school history textbooks. This is located in Petit-Goave, 2nd municipal section, Arnoux locality. We came across this mega fort, during a mobile clinic entirely financed by the Ernest Junior foundation, a charitable foundation which works in the social sector, particularly in the field of art and music. According to residents , the oldest in this locality, this fort was built on at least 20 squares of earth by the settlers. It was a huge military complex divided into compartments, outposts, turtle rooms, rooms for treating colonists, a large Catholic church, and a cemetery. However, we never talk about this fort so much so that it is ignored by history teachers in the town of Petit-Goave. Certainly, the desired disappearance of this fort under the radar of history buries the atrocities, the barbarities, the most inhumane punishments of the colonists on the slaves. Looking closely at reality, everything seems true that it is the largest fort ever built during the period of colonization. Moreover, it probably seems the most fortified in relation to its importance. Remember that Vertière only exists in Haitian school history textbooks while Fort Mazi does not appear, much less in French dictionaries or history books. This explains why this fort was a secret place in which the settlers practiced crimes and atrocities that went beyond human understanding. Is it not a clear desire of historians to hide what this immense fort built on at least 20 tiles of earth really was? Discover the history of Haiti: A fascinating story to explore! : https://haitiwonderland.com/haiti/histoire/decouvrez-l-histoire-d-haiti--un-recit-fascinant-a-explorer/81