January 1, 2025

BY GENERAL SECRETARY, REVOLUTIONARY YOUTH LEAGUE OF CPM-K

The Communist Party Marxist (CPM-K) extends its heartfelt solidarity with the people of Haiti as they commemorate Haitian Independence Day. This day marks the liberation of the Haitian people and their triumphant victory over Napoleon Bonaparte, Charles Victoire Emmanuel Leclerc, and the slave-owning landlords and merchants who represented slavery and colonisation. It is a day of global significance, for it marks the irreversible decline of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade, practices that were industrialised for the first time in history. Jean-Jacques Dessalines reminds us in the Haitian Declaration of Independence to “take then before him the oath of living free and independent, and to prefer death to anything that will try to place you back under the yoke. Swear at last, to pursue forever the traitors and the enemies of your independence.”

It has been 220 years since the historic Haitian Revolution, but the struggle continues, for traitors and enemies of the revolution have conspired to sabotage its gains. Let us not forget that Haiti was forced to compensate the slave owners for the loss of their human property—a sum amounting to 21 billion dollars. This unjust debt was only fully paid off in 1947, after Haiti had subjected itself to the US banking and finance systems. These historical crimes have undermined the Haitian Revolution and left the Haitian people in the clutches of an elite class, which seeks only its own profit, under the control of Western imperial forces.

Nevertheless, the Haitian Revolution lives on, as do its ideals. Just as the Haitian motto declares, “Unity is Strength,” we too must stand united in solidarity with the Haitian people against the forces of traitors and enemies seeking to undo their revolution. The Haitian War of Independence gave rise to a new consciousness in the broader struggle against exploitation and oppression—surpassing even the ideals of the French Enlightenment. As CPM-K, we recognise this and remain committed to not only dismantling American-led Western hegemony but also opposing all forms of imperialism and capitalism. As Samora Machel once said, “someday we will all be equal.”

On this day, CPM-K condemns the undemocratic process of constructing a government for Haiti that consists solely of Haitian elites, assembled by CARICOM, supported by the Dominican Republic, and supervised by the USA and the CORE Group. We demand that state-building must be centred on the people of Haiti, not as passive recipients of supposed benevolent actions. Haitians have proven since their independence that they are more than capable of constructing their own civil, administrative, and governance systems without the intervention of paternalistic and treacherous forces.

CPM-K also condemns the role the Kenyan government seeks to play in this process. While we acknowledge that our police forces are underfunded and poorly coordinated by a profiteering and lazy comprador class, we know that even a “successful” mission would do nothing more than facilitate occupation by the United States/CORE group and the installation of an illegitimate, parasitic government. Our solidarity lies with the Haitian people, and we demand an alliance with them to complete the Haitian Revolution.

The Haitian Revolution made Haiti the seat of the Pan-African world, laying the foundation for anti-colonial efforts, even as the great powers turned their capitalist forces towards the African continent. The heroes of the revolution are many—from Toussaint Louverture, Dutty Boukman, and Cecil Fatiman, to countless unnamed Haitians who fought under their leadership, broke the chains of the transatlantic slave trade, and wrested freedom from the hands of slavers in the face of death. Many lost their lives to create a world where children could be born and grow up free and happy. Many took up the machete and the gun rather than submit to exploitation disguised as a civilising mission, pushing for a world where labour does not serve kings or merchants.

The Haitian clarion call against exploitation embodies Karl Marx’s words: “From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs.” Today, we must continue the fight against wage slavery and champion a world where the collective fruits of labour are returned to the collective. Let us abide by the spirit of the Haitian Revolution, reject the comprador class from Kenya to Haiti, and overthrow the systems of exploitation to build a world of free and equal human beings.

Kiritu Chege

General Secretary, Revolutionary Youth League (RYL)

Communist Party Marxist (CPM) Kenya