Old Friends

 
Haiti occupies the smaller, western part of the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea; the eastern part of the island forms the Dominican Republic. The island was a subject of the Spanish Empire until 1697 when the French took over the western part of it. It included vast sugar plantations, worked by African slaves. The slaves revolted, and between 1794 - 1804, they fought a war of independence and liberation from their French masters - the Haitian Revolution. In so doing, it became the only nation in history to be created by a slave revolt.
 

Against this background, it can be seen why the young independent nation of Haiti took a keen interest in the Greek Revolution of 1821.
 
Equally Greece took heart from Haiti’s example. In August 1821, Adamantios Korais, one of a group of Greek exiles in Paris, wrote to President Jean-Pierre Boyer of Haiti:
 
“Generous Haitians, you have experienced the anguish of the servitude that once weighed upon you. Children of Africa, whose waters touch those of Greece, come to our aid; we need 30,000 guns and financial resources. And if this gift or loan were joined by the arrival of one of your battalions, hurried from the depths of America, it would strike fear into the souls of our cowardly executioners. The island of Hydra is the port to which you can bring help. Greece will repay you for these sacrifices. A tender friendship will be cemented between your nephews and ours in the most remote posterity. We shall bequeath them our gratitude. History will tell future generations that the flag of Haiti floating on the Mediterranean was united with that of the resurrected Greece. It will be a glorious era for both nations, and one of the finest triumphs of justice and humanity”.
 
President Boyer replied to Korais’s letter on 15 January 1822 (coincidently the date Greece first declared independence):
 
“Wishing to Heavens to protect the descendants of Leonidas, we thought to assist these brave warriors, if not with military forces and ammunition, at least with money, which will be useful for acquisition of guns, which you need. But events that have occurred and imposed financial restrictions onto our country absorbed the entire budget, including the part that could be disposed by our administration… the Republic I preside over, is in extreme poverty… if circumstances, as we wish, improve again, then we shall honourably assist you, the sons of Hellas, to the best of our abilities.
 

Citizens! Convey to your co-patriots the warm wishes that the people of Haiti send on behalf of your liberation. The descendants of ancient Hellenes look forward, in the reawakening of their history, to trophies worthy of Salamis. May they prove to be like their ancestors and guided by the commands of Miltiades, and be able, in the fields of the new Marathon, to achieve the triumph of the holy affair that they have undertaken on behalf of their rights, religion and motherland. May it be, at last, through their wise decisions, that they will be commemorated by history as the heirs of the endurance and virtues of their ancestors.”
 
Haiti was, and remains, a poor country. It did not send, and realistically was in no position to send, men, guns or money. What he did do was ship over to Greece 25 tons of Haitian coffee for Greece to sell in order to buy weapons.
 
I understand in Greek schools (and more widely), it is claimed that, by President Boyer’s letter, Haiti became the first nation to formally recognise Greece as an independent state. I think the more accurate reading of the President’s letter is simply as a warm letter of support.
 
Greece has remembered Haiti’s early support. After Haiti’s devastating 2010 earthquake), Greece -despite its own financial crisis- sent €200,000, medical personnel, rescue teams, and supplies. The Greek Orthodox Church organized major charitable efforts, including the foundation “Αλληλεγγύη” (“Solidarity”). Following another deadly quake in 2021, Greece contributed an additional €100,000, explicitly citing Haiti’s historic recognition of Greek independence.
 
After all, what are old friends for?
 
Richard Devereux