Ritual

Why Does This Soup Symbolize Freedom for Haitians?

Every year on Haitian Independence Day, Haitians celebrate their ancestors’ hard won freedom from slavery and French colonial rule by making soup joumou. Tank Ball explores what it means to use food to preserve the memory of home, and how the ritual highlights the complexities of living in a country whose government has so frequently antagonized Haiti in its historical quest for freedom.

Why Does This Soup Symbolize Freedom for Haitians?

12m 48s

Every year on Haitian Independence Day, Haitians celebrate their ancestors’ hard won freedom from slavery and French colonial rule by making soup joumou. Tank Ball explores what it means to use food to preserve the memory of home, and how the ritual highlights the complexities of living in a country whose government has so frequently antagonized Haiti in its historical quest for freedom.

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