It is a symbol of the Haitian people's independence—a sculpture of a black man, his ankles and wrists shackled, though the chains are broken. He is a slave, fighting for his freedom; in his left hand, he holds a conch shell to his lips, blowing to call others to join the revolt.On August 14, 1791, on a hilltop called Bwa Kayiman in Haiti a self educated Jamaican born slave Dutty Boukman (Boukman Dutty), led other slaves in a rebellion against the French. This rebellion is said by many to be the catalyst to the slave uprising that marked the beginning of the Haïtian Revolution.