On Friday, June 14, Ambassador Hervé H. Denis, the newly appointed Chargé d’Affaires of Haiti to the United States hosted the young professionals of DC for a cultural evening. Co-hosted with Embassy Experiences and Things to do DC, the evening featured Haitian cuisine, art, and music as an effort to showcase Haiti’s beauty and richness.

Upon arrival, the guests were greeted by the Ambassador and introduced the Embassy as their new home. Considered as one of the most visited on Embassy row by the Washington Post, the Embassy hosts a number of events ranging from cultural evenings, art exhibits, happy hours, and receptions throughout the year as part of its public diplomacy initiative.

During his remarks, Ambassador Denis shared his excitement for his new post  “When I received the call from the President of Haiti to serve in this post a few months ago, I knew it would be a unique opportunity to share the Haiti that I know and love. An opportunity to share a different perspective of the country in the nation’s capital, one that is often misperceived. When I look around the room tonight, I see Haiti in each of you. Haiti exemplifies strength, resilience, courage, pride, creativity, entrepreneurship, freedom and legacy.” The transcript of his remarks is available below.

The Embassy is looking forward to future collaborations with the community at large.

Photos of the evening are available below. 

Photo Credit: Things to Do DC and Nandoy Nagy.

 

Welcoming Remarks Full Transcript

Thank you for the kind introduction, Nicholas.

Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the Embassy of Haiti, one of the most visited on Embassy Row. I am pleased to share with you that today you are officially on Haitian territory. I welcome you each with joy and pride. This evening, I trust that you will have an enjoyable time learning about our culture, history, heritage, music and food.

When I received the call from the President of Haiti to serve in this post a few months ago, I knew it would be a unique opportunity to share the Haiti that I know and love. It would be a special invitation to share a different perspective of the country in the nation’s capital, one that is often misperceived. When I look around the room tonight, I see Haiti in each of you, Haiti exemplifies strength, resilience, courage, pride, creativity, entrepreneurship, freedom and legacy.

In January 1804, something significant happened the world had never seen before.  A group of slaves strategized to fight the greatest army of all times for their freedom and liberty, and they won. Ruling the country in which they had been enslaved. Haiti became the first black nation to successfully defeat the French army, establishing themselves as the first black republic not just in the Western Hemisphere, but in the world. This triumph became an inspiration to many nations experiencing oppression and enslavement. Even right here in America, the Haitian revolution inspired free and enslaved blacks in the U.S. to strive for their own freedom. In fact, Haiti and the U.S. share an important similarity, one that binds them as the two oldest republics in the world.

I welcome you into a new conversation around Haiti. I personally invite you to connect with the Embassy more and learn about some of our initiatives, you’ll find that some include art exhibits, speaker series, brunches, happy hours and more.

I hope you enjoy the remainder of the evening.

Thank you.