Haitian community in British Columbia celebrates Independence Day with traditional soup
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A small group of Haitian-Canadians celebrated the island nation’s Independence Day at a British Columbia church on Thursday by serving soup that symbolizes freedom.
It has been 222 years since Haiti celebrated its victory over French colonizers, with the nation’s Independence Day celebrated by Haitians and the diaspora around the world on January 1.
Traditionally, the day is marked by the serving of joumou soup – a dish made from kabocha squash, which Haitian slaves were forbidden to eat, but which the community has now re-appropriated as a symbol of unity.
About 50 Haitian-Canadians gathered Thursday at the Christian Reformed Church in New Westminster to celebrate an occasion they say remains significant for black people around the world.
Debbie MacNab, of Abbotsford, British Columbia, said Thursday’s event was the first major Haitian Independence Day celebration she has attended in 15 years.
“It’s nice to see a lot of Haitians, especially on New Year’s Eve. So it’s like home,” she said.
About 1,200 people in British Columbia reported their Haitian ethnic or cultural origin in the 2021 census.
Chef Elie Chery said he was proud to prepare the soup for the event organized by the Canadian-Haitian Cultural Association of British Columbia (CHCA-BC).
“It’s a way of coming together, of seeing each other, of reconnecting with our community,” he said.
Chery said the soup didn’t have a traditional recipe, but he added carrots, cabbage, beef and goat meat, along with the all-important squash and spices.
For the leader, Independence Day this year has special meaning for the Haitian community around the world, given that the small country qualified for the FIFA World Cup for the first time in more than 50 years.
“It’s this year. This soup is like [bringing] us more joy,” he said.
Saul Ferolus, president of CHCA-BC, said Haitian Independence Day symbolizes freedom for all black people around the world.
Haiti was recognized as the world’s first black republic, liberating itself after decades of slave-led rebellion.
Ferolus said that when Haiti became independent on January 1, 1804, it symbolized that there was a way to freedom from any oppressive system, as long as people were united.
“No matter your color, no matter your language, no matter your origins, no matter the culture in which you grew up [in] “We can still come together to solve a problem that is destroying the world or society,” he said.
