I was in Cape Haitian recently, and I was surprised to find the magnificent and huge cathedral of the city filled like an egg by school students for the commemoration of the death of King Henry Christophe, who ruled the northern part of Haiti from 1806 to 1820.
It was not a national holiday but a local one, spurred on a son of the city, who passed away few days before this celebration. Henry Christophe, who was born in Grenada but migrated to Haiti at a young age, was a combatant at the battle of Savannah and helped the United States win its independence from Great Britain.
He became general in chief of the indigenous army that battled colonial French soldiers until they left the country. On the death of Haiti's founding founder, Jean Jacques Dessalines, Christophe ruled the north of Haiti with a progressive but iron hand.
The Citadel Laferriere, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as well as the royal palace in Milot, are two signal edifices that he left for posterity. The commemoration of his untimely death on October 8, 1820, was the manifestation of regained patriotism that I have not seen in Haiti since I was a lad in the 1960s.
I have also observed, in Cape Haitian as well as in the capital, several schools, mainly the private ones, engaging in the daily exercise of saluting the flag before the beginning of classes. It is a first in a country where the democratic fiesta went all the way to the other side, as the government cannot conduct its business in peace without demonstrations by opposition groups claiming they are promoting democracy.
Haiti, as in 1804, has been a pioneer in democratic revolution, rebuffing the dictatorial regime of the Duvaliers on February 7, 1986. The Philippines, Poland, Peru, Brazil, Argentina, Honduras, the satellites states of the Soviet Union, the Arab Spring of Tunisia and Egypt, etc., were all replicas of the people's movement initiated by Haiti some 25 years ago.
But, in Haiti, as well as in the rest of the world, the democratic revolution did not bring much democracy. Haiti sunk into the militarism, and the illiberal democracy of regimes that cared little about the welfare of its people. The sentiment of nationalism was relegated to a corner, where each one was there for self, as President Rene Preval exhorted: "Swim to get out on your own".
Patriotism is the glue that links people of the same country together. Political crises often break that glue. It took some 25 years for Haiti's citizens to openly affirm love for their nation. It was totally strange for high school students to find themselves submitted to a formal flag raising in the morning. They are not accustomed to such a public demonstration of love and respect for their own country.
The new minister of education, Nesmy Manigat, who insists on quality education, might have some bearing on the new flamboyance. He has recently published the results of the official exams, school by school and county by county. As such, to retain their pupils, the directors and the teachers must try harder in providing a culture of learning and leadership beneficial to the students and to the nation.
Patriotism and nationalism might be the true solution to the internecine wars raging in the Middle East as well as in Africa. The reverence for the founding fathers and the willingness to continue together building and improving the legacy of the ancestors should serve as a reminder that there can be no fight between the children of the same nation.
The sentiment of patriotism in the United States, as well as in the rest of the world, is often clouded with the veil of xenophobic fear and passion. It remains that cherishing one's country, embellishing the house bequeathed by the founding fathers is key to peace, harmony and prosperity.
The experience of democracy in nations newly liberated from the horror of dictatorship has been a failed one because there was not enough international support in fostering le vivre en commun. Apart from Poland, Chile and Slovenia, there are very few success stories to frame and give as a model either of the Soviet bloc, the Arab Spring, or plain capitalist countries such as the Philippines or Haiti.
We have, instead, people from the same country, brethren from the same womb, killing each other because they are either of different tribes, different religions or different political affiliations.
The renewal of patriotism might be the new tool that can be utilized by the international community to heal Iraq, Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo or Mali of their internecine wars. Apart from the military supply of killing tools to defeat the insurgents, funding for working on the grey matter of these citizens might lead to faster peace and prosperity in a world where conflict and war is a common staple.
o Jean H. Charles, LLB MSW, JD, is a syndicated columnist with Caribbean News Now. He can be reached at: jeancharles@aol.com #mce_temp_url#and followed at Caribbeannewsnow/Haiti. This is published with the permission of Caribbean News Now.

Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian