Enugu State governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, yesterday received a Haitian delegation at the Government House, Enugu, the state capital, after 218 years they had attempted to trace their root to Igboland.
The 10-man delegation led by Senator Moise Jean-Charles, were on a home-coming mission to Enugu, the historic capital of Igboland, to perform conventional Igbo rituals such as traditional naming and name adoption, after tracing their roots to the Igboland.
While addressing the delegation, Ugwuanyi who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Prof. Simon Ortuanya, commended them for the bold step.
While emphasising the significance of the visit, he said, “Today is a new beginning for all of us. We open our doors to you and we are ready as we have demonstrated. We also want you to know that changing your names is in agreement with the Igbo tradition that you have a new name for a new born. Today, you are born new in Enugu State and in the land of your fathers. Congratulations!”
The leader of the delegation, Jean-Charles, who described the visit to Enugu as home-coming, rooting back to their origin in Igboland, thanked the governor for the hospitality accorded them in the state.
“I have not come here as a foreign person, I have come back home. I want to, on behalf of all Haitians, all the blacks in Haiti, thank you for receiving us after 218 years,” he said.
