Daso-Miss

Nouvèl la fin gaye kounye a. Depi 16 me, gen yon nouvo Miss Ayiti. Sarodj Bertin pral reprezante Ayiti nan konkou Miss Universe k ap fèt ozetazini nan mwa dout. (Se espre mwen fè m pa met foto Sarodj Bertin ak tèks sa a.)

Men Bertin pa genyen okenn konkou nasyonal ki ta ba l dwa al reprezante Ayiti nan konkou Miss Universe. Dapre atik ki pibliye nan jounal Le Nouvelliste, se plis yon seleksyon ki te fèt. Plizyè lòt medam ki te patisipe nan evènman dimanch 16 me a di se pa nan konkou yo te envite yo. Yo byen sezi lè yo wè kouronn ap bay. Dayè, menm si yo ta konnen se yon konpetisyon pou tit Miss Ayiti ki t ap fèt, nenpòt moun ta gen dwa konteste rezilta yo. Òganizatè evènman sa a (m pa alèz pou m t a rele l konkou) se Repiblik Dominikenn yo sòti. Preske tout manm jiri a, se panyòl yo pale jistan yon tradiktè te nesesè pou kandida yo ak jiri te ka pale youn ak lòt. M pa fin konprann poukisa se Dominiken ki t a vin chwazi yon Miss Ayiti ann Ayiti. Premye enfòmasyon k te bay te fè konprann papa Sarodj Bertin, Jean Bertin, nan gwoup òganizatè a. M pa konn nan ki peyi, nan ki konkou, li nòmal pou pitit òganizatè a ta ka patisipe nan yon konkou. Jean Bertin bay vèsyon pa l nan edisyon 28 me jounal Le Nouvelliste. Li di li pa t patisipe nan òganizasyon konpetisyon an. Li pa eksplike poukisa se li ki t ap ede chèche ajans pou jwenn medam pou kanpe anfas pitit li nan konpetisyon an. Li pa eksplike poukisa se Dominiken ki pou òganize konkou Miss Ayiti. Si gen anpil pale anpil sou istwa sa a nan medya ak sou entènèt, jiskaprezan pa gen anyen k di Sarodj Bertin p ap ka reprezante Ayiti nan konkou Miss Universe la. Kijan sa fè posib ?

Repons lan pa twò difisil. Poukisa pou Dominiken pa vin òganize konkou Miss Ayiti pou nou, lè konsèy ki pral dirije peyi nou a, se Repiblik Dominikenn l ap rankontre ? Desizyon k ap pran sou inivèsite ayisyen an, se aletranje y ap pran. Sèl fòròm sou inivèsite a k te fèt isit, ministè edikasyon Repiblik Dominikenn lan te nan òganizasyon l. Valè ONG ki debake nan peyi a depi 12 janvye, pesonn pa gen kontwòl yo, se nòmal Ministè Lakilti pa konnen gen yon konkou Miss Ayiti k ap fèt, ni nan ki kondisyon li dewoule.

Men gen bagay ki kapab fèt toujou. Ministè Lakilti kapab fè sòti yon kominike pou di li pa rekonèt Miss Ayiti sa a. Ministè a kapab di « Miss Ayiti » sa a pa otorize reprezante peyi a. Si konpayi Miss Universe la vann franchiz bay moun nan chak peyi pou òganize konkou nasyonal la, fòk leta ta chèche konnen poukisa se Dominiken ki gen franchiz pou Miss Ayiti a. Menm si ni Ministè Lakilti ni ankenn lòt òganis leta pa reyaji, se pa pou sitwayen ayisyen rete bèbè. Tout moun ki santi yo angaje nan kesyon sa a kapab fè tande vwa yo pou di sosyete ayisyen an pa rekonèt Miss Ayiti sa a, pou nou denonse kalite pratik sa yo.

Fòk nou veye pou zòt pa pran ni kilti nou ni peyi nou daso.

NM

Une forte présence haïtienne au festival Étonnants Voyageurs à Saint-Malo

Le festival de littérature et du cinéma de Saint-Malo, le festival Etonnants voyageurs, qui s’est terminé lundi soir après trois jours, a été marqué par une forte présence haïtienne, dominée par des écrivains.

À ce festival dont la Russie a été l’invitée d’honneur, une vingtaine d’auteurs haïtiens (dont Lyonel Trouillot, Dany Laferrière, Georges Castera, Frankétienne, Claude C. Pierre, Louis-Philippe Dalembert, Gary Victor, Evelyne Trouillot, Yanick Lahens, Kettly Mars, Emmelie Prophète, Jean-Euphèle Milcé, Bonel Auguste, James Noël) ont représenté avec éclat et brio leur pays en revivifiant la flamme de sa culture, de son art, de sa littérature, l’une des plus importantes dans la Caraïbe. Dans le cadre de diverses rencontres, débats, spectacles (théâtre, musique, conte) et émissions, les représentants d’Haïti ont dit ce qui caractérise leurs œuvres, les problèmes de leurs pays – sans toutefois le trahir –, la puissance de sa poésie, car on dit qu’il est un peuple de poètes.

Haïti a aussi été présente au festival de Saint-Malo par son cinéma, son art, sa musique. Plusieurs séances de projection autour des films, « Moloch tropical » du réalisateur haïtien Raoul Peck, de « La dérive douce d’un enfant de Petit-Goâve » de Pedro Ruíz sur Dany Laferrière et d’« Haïti, le pays du dehors » d’Evelyne Jousset, ont été organisées aux salles du Palais du Grand large. Toutes ces séances ont fait salle comble.

Durant les trois jours du festival, s’est tenue, à la rotonde Jacques Cartier du Palais du Grand large de Saint-Malo, une magnifique exposition de peintures (réunissant pour la plupart les œuvres de Frantz Zéphirin) et de sculpture (sur métal découpé), autour du thème ‘Célébrer Haïti’. Cette exposition, composée d’une soixantaine d’œuvres, salue la créativité de l’art haïtien, notamment la peinture du mouvement Saint-Soleil.

Dans la soirée du 22 mai, date d’ouverture du festival (laquelle a été marquée par les discours du maire de Saint-Malo et du créateur et directeur du festival Michel Le Bris), s’est déroulé au Théâtre de Saint-Malo, un spectacle intitulé « Haïti en scène». Cette soirée, organisée par Culture France, a mis sur scène des grandes voix de la littérature contemporaine haïtienne telles Franketienne, Lyonel Trouillot, Dany Laferrière, Kettly Mars et les chanteurs Beken et Marlene Dorcéna. Le ministre français de la Culture et de la Communication Fréderic Mitterrand a lu un texte de Dany Laferrière, extrait de l’ouvrage collectif, Haïti parmi les vivants. Les recettes de vente de ce livre iront à la construction du centre culturel Anne-Marie Morisset et des établissements éducatifs haïtiens, frappés par le violent séisme du 12 janvier. Des spectateurs ont été émus par les textes des auteurs haïtiens, témoignages de l’ampleur de la catastrophe du 12 janvier. Et aussi par la voix chaude, pleine de nostalgie et de chagrin de Beken qui chante la douleur, la souffrance de son pays.

Le festival Etonnants Voyageurs a été d’un grand succès. Environ soixante mille personnes ont pris part aux différentes activités: salon du livre, spectacles, cinéma, débats, café littéraire, dont l’entrée, pour la plupart, a été payante.

La présence haïtienne a été très appréciée. La plupart des ouvrages haïtiens exposés sur les stands des libraires et éditeurs ont été achetés. Les auteurs haïtiens ont été assaillis de toute part par les participants qui voulaient une signature.

Lors d’une conférence-bilan, le directeur du festival Etonnants Voyageurs a annoncé la tenue en janvier 2011 de la 2e édition de ce grand événement en Haïti. L’édition 2010 qui devait commencer le 14 janvier 2010 a été annulée suite à la catastrophe ayant frappé le pays le 12 janvier dernier. En attendant, le festival se déroulera en novembre prochain, à Bamako, au Mali. Cette deuxième édition malienne s’inscrira dans le cadre du 50e anniversaire des indépendances africaines. Michel le Bris projette déjà de consacrer, l’année prochaine, la 22e édition des Etonnants Voyageurs aux mers du sud, à ses explorateurs et aux marins, soit les littératures de l'Australie, la Nouvelle-Zélande.

-Chénald Augustin

Flag for a Day

When my friend Nancy first learned that I was born on May 18th she got so excited, telling me that I was so incredibly lucky to be born on that day, and that she was envious of my birthday. She could not imagine a better date to be born than 18 mai, the birthday of the Haitian flag. I agreed with her. Of course, the fact that I was born via c-section means that my parents got to choose my birthday, and given the importance that 18 mai occupies in Haitian culture, it is not surprising that my parents chose this date in particular. Later on, they would refer to 18 mai as a measure of my love for the country of their birth, as though my abiding interest in, curiosity about, and passion for all things Haitian were the result of a birthday prophecy fulfillment.

In my family, discussions of Flag Day are often emotionally charged and laced with requisite embellishment. My grandmother recounts with razor sharp precision her schoolgirl memories of being divided into lines, boys on one side, girls on the other to participate in nationwide Flag Day ceremonies. According to her, Jacmel, where she was born and raised brought particular beauty and flair to those celebrations. The vigor with which my father re-enacts Jean-Jacques Dessalines ripping the white out of the flag, complete with teeth clenched and arms thrusting gave me chills as a child. Perhaps because of my birthday, I always feel an overprotective personal ownership over Flag Day that is admittedly irrational at times. Of course, Nancy’s elation is a reminder that I am by no means alone in my fierce flag love. In the diaspora the flag has become the quintessential symbol of pride and solidarity. Wyclef Jean was one of the first to popularize flag wearing in the US when he sauntered onto the stage of the 1995 MTV awards draped in the flag. Since then Haitian flag imagery has become a staple of his performances. Once while I was in Haiti my cousins were noticeably amused by my obsession with the Haitian flag, which to them was another marker of my jaspora quirks...

May also marks Haitian Awareness Month in the US, encompassing dates such as the birth of Toussaint Louverture and the Haitian celebration of Mother’s Day. At major Flag Day events in Boston, New Jersey, Brooklyn and Miami, people gather to celebrate with dance, music, speeches and parades. Reflecting back with friends today we remember being those little kids, dressed in blue and red or draped with flag sashes dancing to the beats of the tanbou. These stories are not ours alone. They are the stories of our gran moun like Ma Tante Yolande, an elder who has lived in Boston for years and though she celebrated the parade with zeal, she remains bothered by flag wearing. The flag is sacred, she would say, it was not intended to be a headscarf or a piece of clothing. They are the stories of our children who will learn the words of La Dessalinienne along with the Star Spangled Banner. One of the greatest symbols of our national identity, an icon of our history, celebration of the Haitian Flag Day embodies Haitian history and Haitian stories. The iconography and the symbolism bear cultural and imagistic significance that began in 1803 and continues today through these stories.

In the post-earthquake Haiti fever that spread all over the internet, suddenly Haitian flags popped up everywhere, in people’s Facebook profile pictures, on Twitter, CNN and Google. New pictures were being formulated and old ones re-circulated. Suddenly the Haitian flag seemed to be everywhere in the US: on the television, in the news, on billboards. The flag appeared in places where I would least expect it. There was the Dancing With the Stars Haiti tribute featuring Haitian dancers Martin Barthold and Emmanuel Pierre-Antoine to honor victims of the earthquake. In the performance, which aired during the premiere of DWTS tenth season Sopin and Pierre-Antoine shared their own stories of loss from earthquake and reflected on the importance of dance in Haitian culture before dancing on a flag draped stage. Moments like the DWTS special were far more poignant than some of the fleeting flag mentions evident in the small Haitian flag icons suddenly everywhere including Starbucks, or the quick references on popular television shows (I found it fascinating that on both Gossip Girl and Brothers and Sisters, for example, main characters discussed how their romantic relationships would be impacted by the sudden opportunity to work in Haiti for long term internships).

While I was touched by the show of solidarity conveyed in many of these public manifestations, the more I thought about it I became increasingly uncomfortable with some of the implications. I was left with a nagging feeling of loss, sucked into a dangerous and reductive game of identity politics. Did the flag mean as much to these people now posting on their profiles as it did to me? Would the flag soon be discarded, forgotten as soon as the nonstop coverage ceased? Did people know or care about the history and meaning behind the flag? Did they even understand Dessalines’ historic ripping out of the white symbolizing the end of French dominion? Had they heard of Catherine Flon, the woman who subsequently sewed the flag together rumored to have used strands of her own hair to do so? Did they know that the original flag colors were vertical lines of black and red symbolizing the black skin of the former slaves and the red blood they shed? Did any of these details even matter to the new Haitian flag bearers? Was I over-analyzing this contemporary usage of the Haitian flag? Was I being too critical when I should have been more appreciative?

It seemed as though the rich and colorful history that had inspired me as a child, motivated me as a scholar, and imbued me with so much pride was somehow getting dulled in the new flag frenzy. The details of what took place at Arcahaie when the flag was made have been eclipsed over time by the emergence of flag iconography. Suddenly this flag, the bicolor, which I had used to adorn the walls of my dorm room, home and office made its way to the halls of my university and to the profiles of my friends and colleagues. Suddenly my own flag furor was thrown into question. Did I properly reverence the flag as Ma Tante Yolande had instructed? Was I holding onto the flag too tightly? For the first time, the flag was emptied of its larger significance. It became a new, sentimental way to exhibit emotions that were too unwieldy to capture through a symbol.

This year more than ever it has become automatic and almost rote to plaster the Haitian flag all over the place without critically engaging the country or the culture behind it. How real is our relationship to the flag? Does my relationship end or begin with Flag Day? I have had to ask myself hard questions about what it means to have Haitian pride as I attempt to negotiate pride and symbolism with action and respect. Because no matter how much I love Haiti May 18th is and will always be about so much more than my birthday. So much more that I do, and do not understand, so much more that I have to learn and hope to teach.

Today, like every year on May 18th Haitians everywhere, in Haiti and abroad celebrate the creation of our flag. These celebrations are also informed by the tragedy that began the year of 2010. But the celebration reminds us, as Nadève’s post last week was entitled, that we are here. Nou la! After the coverage has waned, after the flags have disappeared, after the tributes have ceased we are still here. Nou la! Our flag is ours, our celebration, our symbol, our history is ours as well as ours to share. We need to make sure that we understand and honor its meaning in the sacred way it deserves.

RMJC

Nou la – Or how not to package Haitian culture

On May 9th, a friend and I went to Le Villate in Pétionville to attend Nou la, a concert to benefit The Haitian Red Cross. I meant to bring my camera, but forgot it. I’m still developing my blogger reflexes!

It felt a bit strange to go out on the town. I remember the first time I went to a restaurant after the earthquake. It was mid February and I was surprised at the number of other patrons there. I guess I expected everyone to be camping out outdoors somewhere waiting for the next aftershock.

But the nightlife here has been stirring from its slumber for a while. The smaller bars and clubs reopened their doors months ago. Recently, there have been performances by RAM, Djakout and Kreyòl La.

I didn’t attend any of those shows. I felt most comfortable reentering the night scene with a benefit concert. I especially appreciated the fact that 80% of the proceeds were slated to go to the Haitian Red Cross. There have been massive donations to the International Red Cross, but actually very little of it has made its way to the Haitian branch. Unfortunately, I don’t think it made much money from this event, as not too many people showed up. I’m sure the rain had a lot to do with that. The Minister of Culture, Marie-Laurence Jocelyn Lassègue was in attendance, as was the actress Gessica Généus.

As my friend and I set out for Pétionville from Delmas, it started to rain heavily. We wondered whether the concert would even happen, but since it was an indoor venue, we decided to take our chances. When we got to Le Villate at a little after 5pm, the woman who greeted us asked us if we were there to perform. We were a bit taken aback and wondered aloud whether the artists had even arrived. She assured us that they had.

Well, about an hour later, we were invited into the performance area where we waited some more. We also watched several artists filing in. When the show finally got underway, the MC started off by apologizing for the delay and blaming it on the rain.

The concert began with a rendition of the National Anthem, a choice that can only be applauded. I cannot tell you who performed it, however, because his name was never given. There was no program distributed and the performers’ names were rarely announced. When they were, it was by whichever artist followed them on stage. Several well-known artists performed, such as Beken, Renette Désir, Stanley Georges and Mystic 703. But some of the lesser known artists were quite good and it’s a pity that they weren’t properly introduced. For example, there was a comic act that got a lot of laughs from the audience, but I have no idea who they were.

Nou la. A fitting title, for although many Haitians were lost in the earthquake, the majority of us are still here. Nou la, but now what? How does Haitian culture move forward after January 12th 2010? From the very first days after the earthquake, people insisted upon the importance of Haitian culture as a source of pride and richness. And I certainly don’t disagree. But I think so much more can be done to promote and showcase that culture.

The May 9th event was an opportunity to celebrate life, Haitian culture and the Haitian spirit. That came across well. It just seems a shame that more wasn’t done to showcase the talent present. I was first intrigued by the poster announcing the event. A drum, guitar and other instruments on a pile of rubble. The simple yet powerful words: Nou la. The commercials on TV grabbed my attention as well. Artists alone or in groups in front of a black background saying that we won’t forget what happened, we can’t forget those who are gone, but we are here. I would have liked to see some of the attention to detail demonstrated in the ad campaign on the night of the actual show.

Although the focus was on music, with both traditional songs and original compositions represented, other talent was on display as well. There were several paintings mounted on and surrounding the stage area representing a female Haiti rising. (Of course, I have no idea who signed them as it was never stated; the paintings were never even mentioned by the MC.) Several singers stated that many of the outfits worn by the performers were created by Haitian designer Phélicia Dell. A few skits and declamations were included in the performance.

My goal here is not to simply criticize this one event. I enjoyed the show. The idea for a Haitian benefit concert to benefit the Haitian Red Cross is a wonderful one. I just think that beyond stating how rich and vibrant our culture is, it’s time to start treating it as such. Packaging says a lot about how we feel about the content. If we really value Haitian culture, the way we choose to frame it must reflect that. The Nou la benefit concert did not do a good job of framing the artists who participated.

I have no memento of this event. No picture (my fault for forgetting the camera!), no ticket stub and no program. There were about twenty sponsors listed, among them Voilà and FOKAL, so I’d think programs would have been a possibility. Perhaps a cd will be forthcoming. One can always hope.

NM