Last week, a 10-man delegation from Haiti flew from the North American country to Enugu state in Nigeria in search of their Igbo ancestral origin.
The delegation was led by Senator Moise Jean Charles on the search mission.
They were welcomed by the secretary to the state government, Professor Simon Ortuanya who stood in for Enugu state governor, Mr. Ifeanyi Ugwuenyi as they take the bold step to adopt the new Igbo names to complete their process.
The secretary said in his speech that, the governor “appreciates them for keeping a date with history, for following your heart and for following your roots and getting back to your roots.”
He added that “today is a new beginning for all of us. We open our doors to you and we are ready as we have demonstrated. We also want you to know that changing your names is in agreement with the Igbo tradition that you have a new for a newborn. Today, you are born new in Enugu State and in the land of your fathers. Congratulations”
The delegates were thankful for being welcomed back to their roots after 218 years.
Sean Jean-Charles who is part of the delegation stated “I have visited many countries, many places around the world but this is the first time I have visited a country that everybody looks like me. I have not come here as a foreign person. I have come home. Before I keep talking, I want to on behalf of all Haitians, all the blocks in Haiti to thank you for receiving us after 218 years.”
He went further to add that, “we have decided that people in the whole continent of Africa and all of us who are there in Haiti is a wind following the bird from the African continent and it has brought bear in America, which means all of us are one.”
There have been some striking similarities in the cultures of the Igbos and Haitians and history has it that, Haiti was in the days made up of a record number of captives, mostly of Igbo extraction who got their freedom in places around the United States of America.