This journey is just the beginning. For those who want to go deeper, it leads to Nan Jaden Amoni, a work of Haitian Kreyòl literature by Marleen Julien. Classic fables and original stories, in authentic Kreyòl. Available now. Find out more in Week 5.

Vwayaj la
0 / 4

Week 3 · May 15–21

Drapo Ayiti · Flag & Symbols

On May 18, 1803, Dessalines removed the white from the French tricolor, and Catherine Flon sewed the blue and red together. In that moment, the Haitian flag was born.

Listen:

🏰

Èske W Te Konnen? · Did You Know?

The Citadelle: A Symbol of Black Freedom

Sitadèl la: Yon Senbòl Libète Nwa yo

The Citadelle Laferrière is part of Haiti's National History Park — along with Sans Souci and Ramiers — recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. UNESCO describes it as "a universal symbol of liberty tied to Haiti's independence."

📖 UNESCO World Heritage Site
Drapo · The Flag
Haitian Flag

Drapo Ayiti · 1803

May 18 · Fèt Drapo · Flag Day

Ble · Blue

Unity of Black and mixed-race Haitians, one united people

Wouj · Red

Blood shed during the Haitian Revolution

One common interpretation is that blue and red represent the unity of Black and mixed-race Haitians who came together in the struggle for independence. Red also reminds us of the blood shed by the ancestors who fought for freedom. The colors come from the French tricolor: by removing the white, Haitians rejected colonialism and slavery.

Catherine Flon

Dessalines' goddaughter. After Dessalines tore the white from the French flag, Catherine sewed the blue and red together, giving Haiti its first flag.

Coat of Arms

A royal palm (palmis) flanked by cannons, topped with the Phrygian cap of liberty. Motto: L'Union Fait La Force — Ansanm nou fò.

Tap to mark as seen

Im Nasyonal · La Dessalinienne

The National Anthem of Haiti

La Dessalinienne has been the national anthem of Haiti since 1904. Poet Justin Lhérisson wrote the lyrics and Fabre Nicolas Geffrard composed the music. The Haitian Kreyòl translation is the work of Raymond A. Moïse, though it has not yet been officially approved. The title honors Jean-Jacques Dessalines (Janjak Desalin), the first Emperor of Haiti.

✳ Vèsè 1 · Verse 1

Pou Ayiti peyi Zansèt yo
Se pou n mache men nan lamen
Nan mitan n pa fèt pou gen trèt
Nou fèt pou n sèl mèt tèt nou.
An nou mache men nan lamen
Pou Ayiti ka vin pi bèl
An nou, an nou, met tèt ansanm
Pou Ayiti onon tout Zansèt yo.

For Haiti, land of our ancestors,
We must walk hand in hand.
Among us there must be no traitors —
We must be the only masters of our fate.

✳ Vèsè 2 · Verse 2

Pou Ayiti onon Zansèt yo
Se pou n sekle se pou n plante
Se nan tè tout fòs nou chita
Se li k ba nou manje
An n bite tè, an n voye wou
Ak kè kontan, fòk tè a bay
Sekle, wouze, fanm tankou gason
Pou n rive viv ak sèl fòs ponyèt nou.

For Haiti, land of our ancestors,
God who gave us liberty —
For our rights alone we will fight
Until the last drop of our blood.

✳ Vèsè 3 · Verse 3

Pou Ayiti ak pou Zansèt yo
Fò nou kapab vanyan gason
Moun pa fèt pou ret avèk moun
Se sa k fè tout Manman ak tout Papa
Dwe pou voye Timoun lekòl
Pou yo aprann, pou yo konnen
Sa Tousen, Desalin, Kristòf, Petyon
Te fè pou wet Ayisyen anba kòd blan.

For Haiti and for our Ancestors — we must be capable, brave souls. People are not meant to remain under others — that is why every mother and father must send their children to school, so they may learn and understand what Toussaint, Dessalines, Christophe, and Pétion did to free Haitians from colonialism.

✳ Vèsè 4 · Verse 4

Pou Ayiti onon Zansèt yo
An n leve tèt nou gad anlè
Pou tout moun mande Granmèt la
Pou l ba nou pwoteksyon
Pou move zanj pa detounen n
Pou n ka mache nan bon chimen
Pou libète ka libète
Fòk lajistis blayi sou peyi a!

For Haiti, in the name of our Ancestors — let us raise our heads and look upward. Let all people ask the Creator for protection, so that evil spirits do not lead us astray, so that we walk the right path, so that liberty may truly be free — justice must reign over this land!

✳ Vèsè 5 · Verse 5 (Flag verse)

Nou gen drapo tankou tout pèp
Se pou n renmen l mouri pou li
Se pa kado blan te fè nou
Se san Zansèt nou yo ki te koule
Pou nou kenbe drapo nou wo
Se pou n travay met tèt ansanm.
Pou lòt peyi ka respekte l
Drapo sila a se nanm tout Ayisyen.

We have a flag like every nation —
We must love it and die for it.
That flag is the soul of every Haitian.

🎵 Poukisa Im sa a enpòtan?

Why This Anthem Matters

La Dessalinienne was written in 1903 — not as celebration but as a declaration of resistance. Every verse asks the same question: what do we owe this country, and to each other? The answer is always the same: everything. When Haitians sing this anthem, they are renewing a pact with their ancestors.

Tap to mark this chapter complete

🧭 Konesans · Knowledge

“Mande chemen pa di pèdi pou sa.”

Asking your way does not mean you are lost.

This proverb treats curiosity as a form of strength, not weakness. Asking questions is how knowledge grows — and how we find our way through unfamiliar territory. It is a Haitian affirmation of inquiry, learning, and the wisdom of not pretending to know.

How does asking questions help us grow — in language, in life, in everything?

Tès Drapo · Flag Quiz

Loading...

💡 Grammar Spotlight

Adjektif yo · Adjectives

Describe AFTER you name

In Kreyòl, adjectives come AFTER the noun — the opposite of French.

KreyòlEnglish
yon gwo drapoa big flag
yon bèl koulèa beautiful color
drapo wouj lathe red flag
ble ak woujblue and red

Drapo Ayiti bèl.

The Haitian flag is beautiful.

Li gen koulè wouj ak ble.

It has red and blue colors.

📌 "The" also comes after the noun: liv la = the book, drapo a = the flag.

Koulè yo · Colors of Haiti

Colors of Haiti

Learn the colors in Haitian Kreyòl — each one carries meaning in Haitian culture.

Listen:

Vire Mo Yo · Tap to flip — hit Listen on the back

Wouj

Tap to flip

Red

Half of the Haitian flag. Represents mixed-race Haitians — unity with Black Hait...

Ble

Tap to flip

Blue

Half of the Haitian flag. Represents the unity of Black and mixed-race Haitians, one united people.

Jòn

Tap to flip

Yellow

The color of the sun — solèy. Hope and warmth. Used on the Haitian coat of arms.

Vèt

Tap to flip

Green

Nature, life, growth. The color of the mountains that give Haiti its name.

Nwa

Tap to flip

Black

Strength and African heritage. The first word of Black pride — nou nwa, nou fò.

Blan

Tap to flip

White

The color Jean-Jacques Dessalines removed from the French flag in 1803 — the color of col...

Woz

Tap to flip

Pink

Gentleness and love. One of the three butterflies in Ti Papiyon — the pink one s...

Mawon

Tap to flip

Brown / Maroon

From "marron" — the runaway enslaved who fled to the mountains and fought for fr...

An Nou Pratike · Listen & Record

Choose a word — listen to it — then record yourself and compare.

Jwèt Pou Ou · Word Quiz

Question 1 of 5

Ki koulè ki sou drapo Ayiti? · Which TWO colors are on the Haitian flag?

Tap to mark this chapter complete
Tap to mark this chapter complete

Continue your journey

1

May 1–7

Identity

 2

May 8–14

History

 3

May 15–21

Flag

✨ Available now
🔒4

May 22–25

Language

🔒5

May 26–31

Stories

🦋

Kont

Ti Papiyon

Kontinye vwayaj ou · Continue the journey

Your journey is just beginning.

Finish Week 5 and pass the quiz by May 31 to enter the drawing for 10 signed copies of Nan Jaden Amoni. Plus a new fable from the second edition, published in Week 5 first.

🔒 Week 4 unlocks May 22

Pataje · Share:

FacebookX / TwitterLinkedInWhatsApp

Need Haitian Kreyòl language services?

Translation · Interpretation · Voice-Over · Cultural Consulting

📞 Book a Consultation 📝 Order Language Services

The flag, the anthem, the coat of arms — symbols carry stories. Nan Jaden Amoni carries fifteen of them. Each one is a kont — a fable told the way Haitian grandmothers and grandfathers told them, with rhythm, humor, and a lesson that stays long after the story ends.

Up next: Week 4

The Haitian Kreyòl language: words, sounds, and what it means to speak Kreyòl. Come back May 22 to continue your journey.

🔒 Semèn 4 unlocks May 22
🇭🇹

Felisitasyon! Ou fini Week 3.

You saw the flag, learned the anthem, named the colors, and know the story behind them. Catherine Flon, May 18, 1803. The symbols are yours now. Week 4 opens on May 22.