Pou manman yo...

Summer Reading 2011

The summer after I finished graduate school I sent around a message to my friends and family members about forming a summer reading list.  Throughout graduate school I regularly passed over  reading "leisure" books as my reading became increasingly linked to my research focus.  I am going back to that tradition with a twist this summer, especially because I will be on leave with a fellowship for the entire academic year to focus on my writing and research.  So instead of devoting a good portion of the summer to preparing for my fall classes, I will catch up on books I have been meaning to read over the past several months, completing my book manuscript, and beginning the research for my second project on performance theory and Haitian cultural production.  Below are some of the books on my summer reading list.

1.  The Haitian Creole Language:  History, Structure, Use and Education, eds. Carole Berotte Joseph and Arthur K. Spears (2011)

How I wish this book had been out when I taught my fall classes on Haiti!   It is a multilingual,  thorough, well written and exceedingly useful volume for the history and instruction of Kreyol dealing with issues that range from linguistic to literary and featuring many prominent scholars.

2.  Tout bouge autour de moi by Dany Laferrière (2010)

This book falls into the newly formed category of “post-earthquake writing,"  much like Haiti parmi les vivants and others, the book is primarily Laferrière's testimony from the day of the earthquake and in its aftermath.  

3.  The Loneliness of Angels by Myriam Chancy (2010)

Myriam Chancy is one of my favorite writers living  in the diaspora.  You can always expect complex, multifaceted and complicated characters in her novels and the Loneliness of Angels, which was published last year promises to be no different.  The narrative centers on a Syrian-Haitian woman living in Port-au-Prince but, true to Chancy’s styles it is told in multiple voices in a non-linear fashion.    

4.  Haiti noir,  ed. Edwidge Danticat  (2010)

I snatched up a copy of this wonderful collection when it first came out several months ago but have not gotten to it yet.  Edited by Edwidge Danticat, the collection boasts a number of great authors both known (Evelyne Trouillot, Gary Victor) and relatively new voices as well.  I especially like that it is a part of the Akashic Books' "Noir" series which takes on the genre in different contexts. 

5.   Beyond the Slave Narrative:  Politics, Sex and Manuscripts in the Haitian Revolution by Deborah Jenson (2011)
A professor of Romance Studies at Duke University, Jenson is one of the foremost US academics working on Haitian history, literature and cultural studies  The breadth of her work goes from the 18th century through the present.  This book on the literary legacies of the Haitian Revolution, will be a great complement to studies that tend to focus on the Revolution from philosophical, political, or historic perspectives.

6.  Le prince noir de Lillian Russell by Kettly Mars and Leslie Péan (2011)

This new novel by Mars goes into the 19^th century to explore a forbidden love between a vaudeville queen and a Haitian naval officer.  I am looking forward to seeing Mars apply her writing prowess to another century as well as a different setting!

7.  Haiti After the Earthquake by Paul Farmer (2011)

Farmer, who has been working in Haiti for decades, argues that the earthquake was an “unnatural disaster” because of the pre-existing issues that made it so catastrophic in scope.  Like many of the others that have emerged over the past two years, the book also includes testimonies by people who were there during the earthquake and in its aftermath.

8.  Geographies of the Haitian Diaspora, ed.  Régine Ostine Jackson (2011)
Régine Ostine Jackson is a sociologist from Emory University who has been doing work on the Haitian diaspora in the social sciences.  Her volume offers an interdisciplinary perspective on issues relevant to the formation of Haitian diasporic communities.   The book includes scholars such as anthropologist Gina Athena Ulysse and historian Chantalle Verna.

What about you?  What are you looking forward to reading this summer?  What are some new (or old) books by and about Haitians that top your list of favorites?

RMJC

De la lecture...

La semaine dernière, à la fin de mon cours sur La Nouvelle haïtienne, un des étudiants m'a confié n'avoir lu son premier livre de fiction qu'après son entrée a la faculté. Un autre a renchéri en disant avoir lu Gouverneurs de la Rosée de Jacques Roumain en classe terminale. Ce qui m'attriste, c'est de savoir que ces deux étudiants sont représentatifs de la majorité en Haïti. Il nous manque des livres – dans les écoles, dans les bibliothèques, dans les maisons.

Toujours la semaine dernière, le Centre Culturel Anne-Marie Morisset a organisé deux jours d’activités autour de Jacques Stephen Alexis -- des conférences (y compris deux par Elisabeth Mudimbe-Boyi), des lectures, un après-midi culturel. Le public était composé majoritairement d'élèves d’établissements secondaires, privés et publiques. La vaste majorité n'avait jamais lu un seul livre de Jacques Stephen Alexis. Certains ne savaient même pas qui il était. Emmelie Prophète de la Direction Nationale du Livre a évoqué la démocratisation du livre. Selon elle, il faut rendre le livre moins cher sur le marché haïtien, et donc plus accessible à la population. Pour Evelyne Trouillot, c'est le Ministère de l'Education Nationale qui est le principal concerné. C'est à lui de renouveler le curriculum des cours de littérature, faire que les élèves lisent de textes plus récents que ceux d'Etzer Vilaire a l'école. Parce que la passion pour les livres et la lecture est bien vivante, même quand les livres font défaut.

Deux inaugurations d'écoles figurent dans Le Nouvelliste cette semaine. Une première a Zoranje, école de l’ONG Happy Hearts. Une deuxième a St. Marc, un effort conjoint des haïtiens, des américains et des français réunis au sein de Hand in Hand for Haiti. Cette école « va réunir les meilleurs des systèmes éducatifs français et américains. » Personne ne peut nier le fait qu'il existe une carence d'écoles en Haïti. Mais, est-ce pour cette raison que n'importe qui est libre d'ouvrir une école dans le pays? Quel programme sera suivi dans ces écoles? Elles seront sous la supervision de qui? Leurs élèves, seront-ils intégrés dans le système national ou orienté vers l'ailleurs? Etant donné que le nouveau lycée de St. Marc est modelé sur le lycée français en Haïti, on est en droit de se poser ces questions.


Les élèves de ces écoles, liront-ils Jacques Stephen Alexis? 

-NM

Écrits d'Haïti: 5 years in the making!

Last month, after five years of hard work, international collaboration, countless revisions and the use of postal services in three different countries, my first book, Écrits d'Haïti, Perspectives sur la littérature haïtienne contemporaine (1986-2006) was finally released. It contains 24 articles on contemporary Haitian literature by critics such as Marie-José N'Zengou-Tayo, Joëlle Vitiello, Martin Munro, Kaiama Glover, Yves Chemla and of course, Régine Michelle Jean-Charles. There are also interviews with 11 of today's important Haitian writers, including Georges Castera, Yanick Lahens, Louis-Philippe Dalembert, Jean Métellus and Gary Victor. The book does not have an overarching theme. That was a very deliberate choice. Rather than insist upon a supposed violent or nostalgic essence to Haitian writing, I wanted to just let the works breathe a little. Just let them be. I wanted to see what fun and new ideas that scholars would come up with. I think it paid off with articles like Jason Herbeck's "Le polar aux Antilles et le cas de Rosalie l’infâme d'Evelyne Trouillot" and Michel Magniez's "Le héros homosexuel dans les récits en Haïti" or Jean-Marie Théodat's "Autogéographie du Faubourg".

Another goal was to gather in one conversation literary critics based in the US and Europe, in Canada and the Caribbean. So that they could talk with and against each other. However, as I mention in the introduction, that objective was only partly attained. I invited several local colleagues to participate in the project, but for various reasons, they were mostly unable to. Only one of the many literary critics involved in the project, Pierre Maxwell Bellefleur, is based in Haiti. This speaks volumes to the difficulties of scholarship here. This morning, I went to ENS after being in France for two months. Our librarian is just now reshelving a portion of our collection. We've received metal bookcases, but still don't have a secure space in which to shelve the entirety of the library's holdings. Imagine finding research material in such a situation. Then, there is of course the basic issue of salary. Professors in the Haitian higher education system do not earn enough to be able to devote themselves full time to an academic career. We also teach high school, work as journalists, administrators, and consultants. Or teach so many hours that there's little time left for course prep and grading, let alone for writing.

It was important to me that Ecrits d'Haïti be published in one of Haiti's official languages. It is incredibly frustrating as a professor to be unable to assign pertinent articles on works we study in class because they're not written in a language my students can understand. Without trying to dictate the linguistic choices of fellow scholars, I wanted to ensure that my students would be able to participate in the discussion generated by this book. Of course, its cost makes it highly unlikely that my students will purchase their own copies, but I'll be donating a copy to our library and Karthala is selling the book at a lesser price in Haiti and Africa. (20 euros instead of 29. Still a lot, I know, but it's something).

All things considered, I am hopeful that Ecrits d'Haiti will be an important contribution to the field of Haitian literary studies. Once you get a chance to look at it, please come back and let us know what you think!

-NM

Football Fanatics

Last Saturday I had a great time watching the Haitian National Soccer Team play against Harvard University men’s soccer team in a friendly demonstration match.  Boston Haitians came out in droves for this event to support the Haitian national team.  Over 11,000 (that’s more than ¼ of MA’s Haitian population!) were present and made sure our presence was felt, erupting into screams, yells, laughter, cheers and claps at different moments throughout.  To add to the festive atmosphere a live rara band regaled us with horns and drumming from the stands.  The level of enthusiasm was reminiscent of a World Cup Game. Prior to the match there was a deejay spinning the latest konpa tracks, Haitian delicacies to enjoy, and booths selling  t-shirts and other types of paraphanellia for loyal fanatics. The event was hosted by Partners in Health as a fundraising effort to assist in ongoing post earthquake relief and reconstruction efforts.   Haiti’s team won the game in penalty kicks 4-1. 

The event really had me thinking about the power of football as a cultural unifier and signifier as well as the particularly Haitian passion for the game.  Indeed the Haitian fervor for football is ubiquitous.  For many years Haiti was the first team in the Caribbean to qualify for the World Cup and although teams have performed dismally sense, nothing could diminish the love of the game for Haitians at home and abroad.  As we are reminded every four years when the World Cup happens football is by far the most loved sport in the world.  Or, as David Goldblatt reminds us in his book The Ball is Round, "there may be no cultural practice more global than soccer."  Likewise academics like Laurent Dubois have weighed in on the importance of soccer as a not only a global phenomenon, but also one that is particularly useful for parsing out the dynamics of empire and postcolonial politics in his book Soccer Empire:  The World Cup and The Future of France.  Sports in general can serve as cultural markers of belonging help to foster solidarity, and promote awareness about different causes as the match on Saturday clearly indicated.  What was most encouraging for me was to witness this level of enthusiasm and passion not only in the context of the game, but in terms of the force of this particular community’s love for Haiti.  Granted, I am not the biggest sports fan (please don't judge me too harshly), but what moved me more than the match itself was the joyful spirit of those in attendance.   --RMJC

Joyeux anniversaire!

Tande fête son premier anniversaire aujourd'hui! Nous vous remercions du support que vous nous avez apporté jusqu’à présent et souhaitons que nous saurions continuer a vous interpeller en discutant de la culture haïtienne.


D’après les statistiques du site, on a des lecteurs de par le monde: en Haiti et aux Etats-Unis, certes, mais aussi en France et en Allemagne, aux Pays-Bas et au Brésil, au Royaume-Uni et en Australie, au Japon et au Canada, en Afrique du Sud et en Norvège, en Mauritanie et en Russie. 


Nous aimerions savoir qui vous êtes, ce qui vous intéresse, et comment vous avez trouvé le blog. Laissez-nous donc des commentaires. Nous vous prions aussi de répondre aux questions ci-dessus pour que nous puissions enrichir les conversations -- et pour satisfaire notre curiosité! 


(Remember to use Google Translate if necessary! Sonje sèvi ak Google Translate si w ta bezwen l!)

Ayiti toupatou

Depi yon mwa, mwen enstale nan vil Pari nan peyi Lafrans. M toujou renmen vwayaje, ki se yon okazyon pou mwen dekouvri lòt kilti, rankontre lòt moun, louvri pèspektiv mwen sou plizyè sijè. Vwayaj sa a pèmèt mwen fè tou sa. Men, gen anpil bagay tou ki raple m lakay. Gendelè, m gen enpresyon Ayiti toupatou.

Lòt jou, pandan m ap mache pou m tounen nan apatman m, m remake yon liv nan vitrin yon libreri : Tifi en Haïti. Se pa yon libreri ki spesyalize nan literati ayisyen. Ni li pat ekspoze plizyè liv sou Ayiti. Sèl liv sa a ki te  nan vitrin lan, pami yon bann lòt. Ki fè m kòmanse poze tèt mwen kesyon sou plas Ayiti vin genyen nan imajinè abitan peyi Lafrans.

Haiti: écrire en état d'urgence et ensuite? 

Salon du livre vil Pari a te fèt mwa sa, ant 18 ak 21 mas. Plizyè otè ayisyen te patisipe, sa kap viv ann Ayiti kou sa k ap viv aletranje. Nou kapab site Kettly Mars, Marvin Victor, Makenzy Orcel, Lyonel Trouillot, Dany Laferrière, Robert Berrouet-Oriol… Anplis omaj ki ti fèt pou Ayiti ak pou powèt Anthony Phelps ki te la, te gen yon rankont sou edisyon ann Ayiti, ròl li, fonksyonnman l, defi l rankontre. Emmelie Prophète, Hérard Jadotte, Rodney St. Eloi, Anaïse Chavenet ak Willems Edouard te patisipe nan rankont sa a. Mwen te byen kontan wè nan Salon an te gen anpil liv ayisyen ki te disponib, pami yo liv ki pibliye ann Ayiti.

La reconstruction: l'avenir de l’édition 

haïtienne

Madi 15 mas, m te patisipe nan yon rankont ki te fèt Lekòl Nòmal Siperyè sou tèm frankofoni : kisa li ye ? kijan moun etidye l, pale de li an Frans, ozetazini, ann Ayiti ? Youn nan pwoblèm mwen te soulve se kesyon aksè liv yo. Wi, ann Ayiti, li kapab difisil pou nou jwenn aksè liv otè lòt peyi frankofòn, sitou lè yo pa pibliye an Frans. Nou pale de sa isi a deja. Men pwoblèm aksè a poze nan lòt sans lan tou. Anpil fwa, lè moun aletranje ap pale de literati ayisyen, y ap pale de detwa otè yo konnen ki pibliye Kanada oubyen an Frans oubyen ozetazini. Yo pap pale de liv ki pibliye ann Ayiti. Donk, gendefwa, prezans ayisyen an la, men se yon prezans ki pa vrèman reprezante tout richès ki genyen nan domenn lan. 

Mwen isi a kòm pwofèsè envite nan inivèsite Pari 8. Mwen te fè yon kou sou nouvèl ayisyen, avèk anpil fotokopi ! pou m te ka etidye tèks otè tankou Paulette Poujol-Oriol, Cynthia Bastien, Virginie Sampeur, Claude Dambreville ak Christophe Charles. Etidyan yo te montre anpil enterè pou tèks yo nou te fè anpil diskisyon enteresan. Mwen swete enterè sa a ap kontinye devlope. Pou l devlope, fok li jwenn zouti, nan ka sa a liv. Ki ta parèt fasil, men ti tan m pase isi a montre m bagay yo pa senp konsa. Nou kapab poze tet nou kesyon tou pou n konnen nan ki sans enterè sa a ap devlope. 

Plizyè kolèg pale m de etidyan yo genyen k ap prepare tèz sou Ayiti nan diferan domenn : nan literati, nan istwa, nan ibanis ak achitekti. Sanble tout kote mwen gade, moun enterese nan Ayiti. Se premye fwa m vin an Frans, m wè Ayiti toupatou konsa. Se vre kontèks la diferan. Apre 12 janvye 2010, Ayiti vin pi prezan lan lespri anpil moun. Kapab tou, se mwen  kap gade yon lòt jan kounyè a. Kòm map travay sou Ayiti nan domenn inivèsitè a, se nòmal pou m rankontre moun ki gen menm enterè a.

Kan menm, m ta renmen chèche konprann kote enterè sa a prale, ki kote l ap abouti.  Edisyon Karthala fè konnen liv J’apprends le créole haïtien vann anpil. Nou tout konnen, depi kèk lane, men plis toujou depi  janvye 2010, gen yon prezans etranje masiv ann Ayiti. Pa gen anyen ki di sitiyasyon sa a pral chanje nan lane kap vini yo. Kidonk, fòk nou kapab travay pou gen yon lòt kalite prezans, ki baze sou echanj ki ekilibre, kote youn pale ak lòt kòm egalego, kote gen yon brasaj lide ak enfòmasyon tout bon. Fòk enterè ki genyen pou Ayiti kounyè depase stad sipèfisyèl la, ale pi lwen pase yon bagay ki alamòd. 

Ayisyen kou etranje gen tandans di peyi Dayiti se yon peyi apa, pa gen lòt tankou l. Se kapab vre, men listwa montre nou tou ke sitiyasyon nou abitye viv ann Ayiti pa tèlman diferan pase sa moun atravè lemonn ap viv. Nou kapab wè sa nan Tinizi, nan Kotdivwa, nan peyi Japon. Li lè pou Ayisyen kou etranje kòmanse reflechi Ayiti yon lòt jan, reflechi sou sa ki fè l san parèy, men sa l pataje tou avèk lòt peyi. Gen anpil vre koneksyon ki kapab fèt, ki ta dwe fèt.

NM