Toussaint L'Ouverture was the leader of the Haitian Revolution (1794-1804) against the French. Haiti was the first black republic and the second independent modern nation in the Western Hemisphere. Through the illustrations of paintings by Jacob Lawrence and Edouard Duval-Carrie among others, the re-enactment of the lasts days of Toussaint L'Ouverture and the story of the Haitian Revolution unfolds. This film features actors Danny Glover as narrator and Glenn Plummer in the role of Toussaint, interviews with Dr. Cornel West and Wyclef Jean who also composed original music.

Created for the Museum of the African Diaspora. All rights and permissions belong to the museum.

I recently saw this series in Cleveland at the Cleveland Museum of Art. It was great:

Jacob Lawrence: The Toussaint L’Ouverture Series

Saturday, October 11, 2014 to Sunday, January 4, 2015

James and Hannah Bartlett Gallery

Influenced by the Harlem Renaissance, Jacob Lawrence (1917–2000) believed that art should be a quest for both personal and communal identity, a philosophy he advocated throughout his long and distinguished career. On several occasions, he developed multi-paneled series of works exploring heroic stories and themes. His first of these monumental efforts, The Life of Toussaint L’Ouverture, created in 1936–38, is showcased in this exhibition. Consisting of 41 images—for which Lawrence also composed captions—the series brings to life L’Ouverture’s feats in emancipating Haiti from European rule, thereby establishing the first black republic in the Western Hemisphere.

Courtesy of the Amistad Research Center, New Orleans, LA.