Wilner Joseph sparks controversy over Dessalines birthplace claim

Wilner Joseph, a presidential candidate for the VIKTWA/PHTK platform, has sparked controversy following remarks made during a political visit to Gonaïves. Joseph claimed that Jean-Jacques Dessalines, the founding father of Haiti, was born in Gonaïves.

Historians and critics have pointed out that Dessalines was actually born in 1758 in Cormiers (Grande-Rivière-du-Nord). While Gonaïves holds immense historical significance as the site where Haitian independence was proclaimed on January 1, 1804, it is not the biological birthplace of the leader.

The discrepancy has led to public debate regarding Joseph's historical knowledge and suitability for leadership. Supporters and commentators have offered varying interpretations, with some viewing his statement as a metaphorical reference to Dessalines’s historical emergence in the city, while others criticize it as a fundamental factual error.