Rare: Muhammad Ali and Haitian dictator photo

PARIS, France (sentinel.ht) – The son of former Haitian dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier shared a rare, never before seen, photo of the late heavyweight champion, Muhammad Ali, and his father.

Nicolas Duvalier tweeted the image of his father and the former Heavyweight Champion of the World over the weekend. His father and grandfather, Francois Duvalier, held a brutal reign in Haiti from 1957-1986.

The authenticity and context of the photo could not be determined by The Sentinel but many famous African-Americans visited Haiti regularly in the late 1970s. Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali) and Arthur Ashe “made yearly visits”, wrote historian, Philippe Girard, in his book.

In January of 2010, Muhammad Ali and multi-Grammy Award winner, Christina Aguilera, teamed up to raise money for the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) following the earthquake days earlier. The two appeared in a public service announcement together.

Earlier Ali had participated in the internationally televised “Hope for Haiti Now” celebrity telethon where he appeared with actor, director, comedian, Chris Rock.