The HARWA Department of History

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 “To control a people you must first control what they think about themselves and how they regard their history and culture. And when your conqueror makes you ashamed of your culture and your history, he needs no prison walls or no chain to hold you.”

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Dr. John Henrik Clarke

The History Department at HARWA reflects the basic tenets of academic authenticity in Haiti. We feels it is imperative that the pupils graduate HARWA with a general understanding of the main events that have shaped our world through history and current events. Therefore, the members of the history department divide Haitian history in 3 parts: 1) Haitian/Afrikan history prior to the conquest of the Arabs and Europeans, and after, 2) Slavery in Haiti, and 3) 1804 – Present.

The department will place great emphasis on the importance of current events involving Haitian social structure, American-Afrikan experience, Afrika, Latin America, East Asia (Israel & Palestine conflict,) and Europe. Students must be able to show critical thinking skills in the analysis of these concepts, and to articulate events with ease.

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Insofar as Haitian history was written by ill-intended freebooters while Haitians were still under the yoke of slavery, we learn throughout Maafa, century after century, slaves were not allowed to learn to read and write so to prevent them from writing their own history, and to learn about their Afrikan civilizations prior to the conquests of the Arabs and Europeans. At HARWA we regard the proposed Haitian history as a conundrum that has to be studied through hypothesis and juxtaposition of suspicious archival materials, and extract only honest truths from it. Haitians did not write their own History throughout the centuries of agony imposed upon them. Since the proposed Haitian history is based on lies, propaganda, and prejudice, we believe it to be immature, traumatic and irresponsible to teach it as presented to us.

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Henceforth, students do not simply study the History of Haiti, but rather the history of the Haitian people as an overall experience, which allow them to have a mirror of their identity and what they have been through throughout the centuries as far as back as HARWA can reach.