Toussaint L'ouverture was a leader of the Haitian Revolution. Born in Saint-Domingue,in a long struggle for independence Toussaint led enslaved Africans andAfro-Haitians to victory over French colonisers, abolished slavery, andsecured 'native' control over the colony, Haiti.
Former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide lives is a linguist educator who works for social justice. Before serving as Haiti's first democratically elected president, Aristide was an ordained Catholic priest. His second term in office was cut short by a coup d'etat that forced him into exile. In 2007 he earned a Doctor of Literature and Philosophy in African Languages from the University of South Africa. He has recently returned to Haiti from exile in South Africa.