In 2006 Haitian artist Edouard Duval-Carrié, painted a portrait of the formerly enslaved revolutionary Toussaint Louverture.

#Louverture led the first successful slave revolution. He outlawed slavery, instituted a fair constitution, was elected ruler for life, but stepped down, in a deal with France, to stop them from invading. Again. He was captured by napoleon and died in French prison. Haiti is so poor because they’ve paid 21 billion dollars to France, well into the 20th century, as punishment for freeing themselves.

I tell you that story, because Haitian-Italian designer Stella Jean designed the suits for the #Haitian athletes to reference the famous painting. The day of opening ceremonies, the #Olympic committee said they had to take Louverture off the uniforms, or they would not be allowed to compete or walk in ceremonies. Ms Jean pulled it off, painting for hours, but this just pissed me right the hell off.

Talk about erasure, right out in the open. Shameful.

On this Day in April 7th, 1803, the imprisoned François-Dominique Toussaint #Louverture, Haitian national hero of African descent as well as one of the first leaders of the Latin American independence movement and the liberation of black slaves, died from the conditions of his imprisonment after eight months in his cell at the Château de Joux. More about #Haiti
Toussaint Louverture - Wikipedia

On this Day in April 7th, 1803, the imprisoned François-Dominique Toussaint #Louverture, Haitian national hero of African descent as well as one of the first leaders of the Latin American independence movement and the liberation of black slaves, died from the conditions of his imprisonment after eight months in his cell at the Château de Joux. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toussaint_Louverture #Haiti
Toussaint Louverture - Wikipedia

Philippe #Pichot , l'homme qui fera visiter à Napoléon #Macron le tombeau de Toussaint #Louverture n'a certes pas sa langue dans sa poche.

Certains le traitent de #Fasciste mais lui préfère se définir comme un #trublion inclassable.

Inclassable, je sais pas, mais claquable, ça c'est sur.

On this Day in April 7th, 1803, the imprisoned François-Dominique Toussaint #Louverture, Haitian national hero of African descent as well as one of the first leaders of the Latin American independence movement and the liberation of black slaves, died from the conditions of his imprisonment after eight months in his cell at the Château de Joux. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toussaint_Louverture #Haiti
Toussaint Louverture - Wikipedia

Is #biography just hopeless as a #method for understanding #politics? Am reading Sudhir Hazareesingh's admirable life of a fascinating figure, #Toussaint #Louverture, "Black Spartacus" & learning so much. BUT reading this, with its hero at the centre of every paragraph & every action gives the impression that one remarkable man made politics turn around him year after year. Politics simply doesn't work like that; it emerges from myriad interactions in which even 'great men' are but a small part.