Stealing the Citadel: Icons of Nationhood and Memories of Theft in Haitian Narratives of Kout Kouto

This essay analyzes popular Haitian tales about sovereign theft by stealth which seek to expose machinations of graft and usurpation by outsiders and politicians. The foundational act for this genre of popular narratives in Haiti I argue is the indemnity that the Haitian State was forced to pay Fran...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:New West Indian Guide 2024, Vol.98 (1/2), p.1-39
Main Author: Derby, Lauren
Format: Article
Language:English
Online Access:Request full text
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Summary:This essay analyzes popular Haitian tales about sovereign theft by stealth which seek to expose machinations of graft and usurpation by outsiders and politicians. The foundational act for this genre of popular narratives in Haiti I argue is the indemnity that the Haitian State was forced to pay France of 150 million francs in exchange for international recognition to compensate for losses in property incurred by the Haitian Revolution (1791–1804) which Haitian statesman Frédéric Marcelin described as an “act of dispossession.” But popular rumors of national theft kept returning. I argue that these stories linking sovereignty, debt, and theft represent truth claims on the part of those who have long been “hermeneutically marginalized” and should be seen as a call for testimonial justice that challenges the triumphalist story of Haitian independence through revealing and denouncing deceitful chicanery on the part of those in power.
ISSN:1382-2373
2213-4360
DOI:10.1163/22134360-bja10029