Anita Arnon

He seems to have forgotten that he warned this, that the military can behave to excess.

After a revolution, watch out for the soldiers.

I mean, there is that kind of theory in that.

But I want to talk about the next trip.

I think it's more interesting.

I think it sort of maybe is a transformation that lends itself to this heroic character because he goes to Haiti.

Now, Haiti, we've covered in Empire before.

I think it's fair to say fabulous episodes on Toussaint Louverture.

Do you want to remind the class who Toussaint was and why Haiti is so important?

Not long after.

I mean, it's only sort of, you know, over a decade after, 15 years afterwards.

Well, Bolivar doesn't meet Toussaint Louverture, but he does meet Alexandre Pétion, who's the president of this newly independent Republic of Haiti.

And he is electrified by him.

Because what he sees, finally, and what he hears, finally, is that, you know what?

the black population of South America has been ignored, it has been trampled on, and they deserve something a lot better than this.

And more importantly, you know, he's got this charismatic character like Pétion to talk to him.

And Pétion is warm and he welcomes him.

You know, this is a man who's been on the run and is in a bad way because, you know, he's been sort of hammered by the Spanish.

He says, I'm going to show you what Haiti is all about.

And I'm going to, more crucially than anything else, I'm going to give you soldiers and I'm going to give you weapons