Haiti and UNESCO Mark 150th Anniversary of Jean Price-Mars's Birth
Commemorative day set for October 30 as UNESCO adds the ethnologist's anniversary to its 2026-2027 calendar.
Haiti is marking the 150th anniversary of the birth of Jean Price-Mars, who was born on October 15, 1876, in Grande-Rivière-du-Nord, according to Le Nouvelliste and icihaiti.com. A physician, ethnologist, writer, educator, diplomat and politician, Price-Mars published his major work, 'Ainsi parla l'Oncle' (Thus Spoke Uncle), in 1928 and remained active until his death in Pétion-Ville on March 1, 1969. His writings, numbering more than a hundred articles, speeches and essays, are studied and translated into several languages.
The Permanent Delegation of Haiti to UNESCO paid tribute to Price-Mars as a precursor of the indigenist movement who influenced the concept of Negritude. The 43rd session of the UNESCO General Conference approved including the 150th anniversary in its calendar of anniversaries for 2026-2027, icihaiti.com reported.
The Haitian National Commission for Cooperation with UNESCO, under the Ministry of National Education and in consultation with ANESRS, is organizing a commemorative day on Friday, October 30, 2026, in hybrid format under the theme 'Thus Spoke Uncle.' Minister of Culture Emmanuel Ménard saluted Price-Mars as founder of the National Bureau of Ethnology and noted the Jean Price Mars National Prize for Haitian Thought.