Luminous Research

It has been a while since our last post here on Tande. I hope 2014 is off to a great start for all of our readers. Thanks for checking in from time to time. We do try to keep the Calendar and Announcements pages updated, even when we're unable to post on the main page. You can thank two of our regular readers, Marc Ruben Claude (a former student of mine at ENS) and Chris Celius of Rapadoo for nudging me to post something today.

Chris asked about another carnival post, but I never really got into carnival mode this year, although I did enjoy several of the songs. It turns out that decentralizing carnival really means centralizing it in a city other than Port-au-Prince every year, with the bands not chosen to participate in the national parade unable to perform in the capital during the three days of carnival. So, we get the days off, but not the party to go with it. Unless you count the carnival festivities held before the three official Fat days. The mayor of Delmas, where I live, announced on the morning of Friday, February 21st that all schools had to close at noon so that he could hold his carnival parade. I won't even attempt to describe the madness of parents scrambling to pick up kids who had been scheduled to be released later that afternoon. Nor will I attempt to describe the incredible traffic caused by this parade. As in previous years, certain groups were banned from performing their songs live altogether, even when they were able to secure private sponsors. So, all in all, I've resigned myself to a carnival hiatus for a few years.

What I have been focusing on is research. And, let me say in passing that it would be fantastic to see more research on carnival. There's been talk about establishing a carnival museum to preserve the art created each year, but I would also love to see in-depth research on Haitian carnival: the music, the politics, the economics, the history. This research is sorely needed since there seems to be some confusion as to what the purpose of carnival is.Or at least what we want or need it to be.

I've read several articles recently about the necessity or applicability of humanities scholarship to the "real world". Newspapers, magazines and blogs debate whether or not the huanities are necessary, whether or not they matter. (I'm not including any links here because there are too many to choose from!) I have to say I've never really considered that question as a researcher. It just seems obvious to me that the ways in which we represent ourselves, our history, our culture has a concrete impact on our concrete lives and the society we live in.

I recently participated in the launch of Haiti: An Island Luminous, brainchild of Adam Silvia. I have loved the Digital Library of the Caribbean for a long time. It is a godsend for those of us scholars without regular access to research libraries. An Island Luminous is a curated online exhibit that helps put the myriad of texts to be found on dloc into context. I provided an entry on occupied novels. Over one hundred scholars from around the world participated in this remarkable project.

And to continue with the topic of collaborative research -- The Haiti Reader is still an ongoing project. I need to move it into the foreground this semester now that the special issue of Journal of Haitian Studies dedicated to Rolph Trouillot that I was guest editing is more or less done. While I do think web materials are wonderful for all sorts of reasons, I have a special love in my heart for paper books. And I do think this book, the Reader, will serve a purpose, for scholars and everyday readers alike. All of us who are dedicated to Haiti and its culture complain, and rightfully so!, when that culture is maligned or falsely portrayed. But we need to be able to have reliable sources to provide as alternatives. I think The Haiti Reader will be one of those sources for many people.

Although I value collaborative research efforts, I am also happy to see the increased emergence of individual research projects in Haiti. So many outstanding Haitian researchers have never published book-length works or only a handful of articles. While I absolutely do not condone the blind adoption of foreign professional practices – no desire to see publish or perish implemented here, thank you very much! -- I am concerned about legacy and heritage. While our oral scholarship tradition is alive and well, that scholarship needs to be preserved. How will future generations access the ideas developed by their elders otherwise? There needs to be sustained support for research at the university level. We are not there yet, but hopefully we'll get there eventually. I would love to see a research library developed here. Until there is, websites like dloc help fill the gaps. And I just discovered this one that some of you might already be familiar with.

This is all to say when we're not posting here on Tande, you can bet we are busy with our research or presenting its results.  Régine's book Conflict Bodies: The Politics of Rape Representation in The Francophone Imaginary is currently available for pre-order. I have articles forthcoming in Demanbre and Small Axe this year, as well as the actes de colloque from last year's conference dedicated to Georges Castera. This is all in addition to the various speaking engagements we both have, although one of us is currently on maternity leave!

Now that carnival is over, I leave you with this poem by Jacques Roumain which served as the inspiration for the title of Haiti: An Island Luminous.

NM

The power of the metaphor

It's that time of year again: Kanaval! Some people love it, some people hate it. I imagine some might be indifferent. But, if you love carnival and Haitian carnival in particular, chances are you've been busy these past few weeks -- listening to the different merengues, debating with friends, watching videos, settling on your top picks. Personally, I don't feel like 2012 is shaping up to be stellar as far as carnival songs go. Some of my favorite years were 2002, for example -- Chandèl's Ma Patrie and Tokay's O Senyè come to mind, and who could forget Mizik Mizik's Zoukoutap? 2009 was a good year, too. There was Carimi's catchy Zandolit, but Barikad Crew and Rockfam stole the show. I don't think I will ever forget watching those two floats surrounded by thousands on the Champ de Mars. It was magic. But, Vwadèzil's Tèt Grenn stole my heart that year.Tèt grenn pa jwe. 

This year, Vwadèzil has done it again with M p ap ka ba ou Metafò w. It is definitely a contender for this year's most popular merengue. Besides the music, what is driving this song's popularity is its play on words and the political and social commentary it contains. The text is a virulent critique of Minustah, the UN forces currently in Haiti, specifically referring to the cholera outbreak instigated by UN troops, but especially the various cases of sexual abuse and violence that they have been involved in, such as the one which occurred in Port-Salut last year. They also mention Michel Martelly's tendancy to literally drop his pants. So, of course, everyone immediately thought of the song's brash lyrics when the group's lead singer was attacked last Sunday while taking part in pre-carnival activities at Champ de Mars.


Brother's Posse's Antonio Chéramy, better known as Don Kato also faced physical retaliation for the views expressed in his music. Brother's Posse's 2012 merengue, Stayle is a big hit. Like Vwadèzil's merengue, it also criticizes both Minustah and the president.  You can read the words here. In addition, last week, Kato was on television criticizing Michel Martelly and his actions as president. That very night, the house where he was staying was attacked.

According to news reports, certain radio stations refuse to play Stayle. And both Vwadèzil and Brother's Posse were initially excluded from the national parade in Okay. It's not difficult to understand how they would pose a threat to official authority by poking fun at those in power and encouraging the crowd to do the same. As Mikhail Bakhtin explains in his analysis of carnival: “[…] festive folk laughter presents an element of victory not only over supernatural awe, over the sacred, over death; it also means the defeat of power, of earthly kings, of the earthly upper classes, of all that oppresses and restricts”.

Haitian carnival merengues have long held this function. In the final chapter of his seminal book, A Day for the Hunter, a Day for the Prey, Gage Averill reviews various carnival songs banned in the 1990s and their political signifying. Haitian carnival has always been a time for artists to attempt to convey the population’s grievances. Often the most popular song is the one who best fulfills that mission. Averill spends a lot of time on Boukman Eksperyans, and such politically charged pieces as Kè m pa sote and Kalfou Danjere. He rightly points out that mostly rasin bands do the criticisizing. But, not always. There was Sweet Mickey’s own 2002 merengue, for example, which refers to a rice scandal involving government officials.

Carnival is FUN. It's a time to relax, to party hard. But carnival in Haiti is also serious business, and both the population and authorities recognize it as such. Merengues have helped topple governments, or at least signaled their impending demise. It's the power of the metaphor. Not to be taken lightly. On another note, it is precisely because the words chanted/shouted/sung during carnival do matter that various social organizations make sure to call attention to those that are discriminatory and/or oppressive. Often, women's rights groups lead the charge. This year, an organization of citizens discriminated against due to gender or sexual orientation have published an open letter to the president on the matter of homophobic lyrics in carnival songs.

In the latest news, it looks like Brother's Posse will have a float in Okay after all. And Vwadèzil's Fresh la might be on it. It'll be interesting to see whether they remain as virulent in their critiques or if their tune will change. Other songs of note this year: Boukman Eksperyans with Banm pam ladan l and Zatrap's Moun Pa. Check out Plezikanaval for an extensive list of this year's merengues. What's your favorite?

NM