Poetry of Revolution: Romanticism and National Projects

Qu’il meure ainsi! (47-48, 52-54)

In light of these descriptions, the Ogé/Chavannes incident is the first in a series, a prelude

to the eventual epic of the Haitian Revolution. In this way, mulattos and blacks, both considered

nègres, are also both martyrs to the cause of liberty and national independence. From these

descriptions, the poem moves to evoke the infamous Rochambeau, governor-general of Saint

Domingue and his notorious cruelty:

Or, vous avez bien fait, sublime Rochambeau!

Le nègre n’a point droit à l’amour, et c’est beau

Qu’on l’opprime toujours, qu’il souffre le martyr ; [...]

De la chair et du sang du noir et du mulâtre:

Dieu voit et ne dit mot. Mais, en Dix-huit-cent-quatre,

Quand l’heure solennelle aura sonné pour nous... (67-69, 73-75)

Historian Laurent Dubois refers to the torture methods of French general Rochambeau’s

when arguing that racist delirium worked to unite factions in Saint Domingue.^287 Coicou’s

poem, like Dubois analysis, posits Rochambeau’s cruelty not only as counterproductive but also

as instrumental in this unpredicted reversal which would ultimately lead to the decisive victories

of the Haitian Revolution. It is only late in this lengthy poem that the word “mulatto” even

appears, and when it does, it is side-by-side the word “noir.” Their commonality, which

consisted largely in their resistance to white supremacy and shared subordinate position, forged a

unity which is more plausible in retrospection. More symbolic even than factual, the memory of

Chavanne and Ogé, as that of other Haitian figures, can be read as a continual reminder of racist

mentality in which any degree of “blackness” was considered inferior. This racism, prior to and

after the Haitian Revolution, of course served the capitalist interests of Western governments

who manipulated racial categories for their economic benefit. Rewriting and resurrecting some

(^287) Dubois 293.