Haiti and UNESCO Mark 150th Anniversary of Jean Price-Mars's Birth
Commemorative events honor the ethnologist and author of 'Ainsi parla l'Oncle,' with a hybrid tribute day set for October 30, 2026.
Haiti is commemorating the 150th anniversary of the birth of Jean Price-Mars, born October 15, 1876, in Grande-Rivière-du-Nord, according to Le Nouvelliste and icihaiti.com. A physician, diplomat, ethnologist and writer, Price-Mars died in Pétion-Ville on March 1, 1969. He is best remembered for his 1928 work 'Ainsi parla l'Oncle' (Thus Spoke Uncle), which contributed to the rehabilitation of popular traditions and African heritage within Haitian national identity. Over his lifetime he published essays in history, anthropology and literary criticism, along with more than a hundred articles, speeches and lectures, now studied and translated into several languages.
The Permanent Delegation of Haiti to UNESCO paid tribute to Price-Mars, a precursor of the indigenist movement who influenced the concept of Negritude. UNESCO's 43rd General Conference approved including the anniversary in its 2026-2027 calendar of commemorations. The Haitian National Commission for Cooperation with UNESCO, under the Ministry of National Education and in consultation with ANESRS, is organizing a hybrid commemorative day on Friday, October 30, 2026, under the theme 'Thus Spoke Uncle.' Culture Minister Emmanuel Ménard saluted Price-Mars as founder of the National Bureau of Ethnology, noting the Jean Price Mars National Prize for Haitian Thought created in his honor.