Lenord Fortuné, plus connu sous son nom de scène, Azor, est mort le samedi 16 juillet 2011 à l’Hôpital Bernard Mevs. L’artiste participait à la fête annuelle de Saut d’Eau quand il fut pris d’un malaise.
Reconnu comme Trésor National en 2006, Azor était connu en Haïti et à travers le monde pour sa voix puissante et ses talents de percussioniste, surtout de tambourineur.
Mais au-delà de son statut de musicien consacré, Azor, c’est aussi un symbole. Symbole de la tendance racine, de la religion vaudoue dans toute sa dignité. Symbole d’une culture qui en dépit des nombreuses tentatives de l’occulter, de la réprimer, de la culpabiliser, n’a jamais cessé de s’épanouir. Azor c’est la fierté de l’âme haïtienne.
Nul ne peut nier qu’âgé de 46 ans, Azor est mort trop tôt. Mais il n'est pas parti. Sa voix, son tambour continuent de résonner. On reproche souvent aux Haïtiens d'oublier trop vite. Notre histoire. Nos urgences. Nos héros. Nos artistes. Aujourd’hui, je constate que ce n'est pas toujours le cas. Les stations de radio haïtiennes repassent les tubes d’Azor, les stations de télévision retransmettent ses vidéos clip. Il est salué par les nombreux blogs haïtiens. Hier soir, la Ministre de la Culture lui a rendu hommage à la Télévision Nationale. Pendant ce temps, nombreuses activités de quartier à travers Port-au-Prince vibraient au rythme du tambour d’Azor. Le Président de la République s’incline devant sa dépouille. Aujourd’hui, Azor est encore avec nous. Gardons-le pour toujours.
Dernière prière -- photo taken from JRD official website
Summer is finally here. It's been a long academic year! If you're wondering why we haven't been posting as frequently, it's because we're out and about. Here's a recap of just a few events I've attended in Port-au-Prince recently. Unfortunately, I don't have any original pictures or video, due to technical difficulties (and maybe just a touch of laziness), but I hope you can still appreciate the fun.
On Thursday, May 26th, I went to hear Tamara Suffren sing at the French Institute. It is always a pleasure to listen to Tamara's superb voice. As usual, she performed a mix of traditional and contemporary Haitian folk songs: Manman m voye m peze kafe, Yoyo, Pòs Machan... I've been looking forward to the release of her first cd for some time now. Still no word on when that will happen, but she is featured on Wooly St. Louis Jean's second cd, which should be available soon.
Les Mots Vulnerables was the title chosen for the event held at the French Insitute as part of La Quinzaine du Livre on Friday, June 24th. A theater group presented a short sketch and several authors (Edwidge Danticat, Kettly Mars, Verly Dabel, Lyonel Trouillot, and Georges Castera, among others) read excerpts of their published works and other short texts. The crowd seemed to especially appreciate Dabel's take on Haiti's post-earthquake situation, including his critique of the international community and various NGO's. Live music was provided by Belo, BIC with Queen B and K.Libr' of Mystik 703. Belo's performance was a bit more timid than usual, but the other artists really got the crowd going. K'Libr' performed both the French and Creole versions of his Kestion a Dieu. You can check it out here, it's definitely worth it. (He came back later to demonstrate his talents as a reader with an excerpt from Jean-Euphele Milce's latest novel.) BIC and Queen B continued with Yon Ti Kalkil and 1+1=1 from his latest album,Kreyòl chante Kreyòl Konprann. It was clear that most of the audience knew the words to all of these songs, which point to interesting developments in the Rap Kreyòl movement.
On Thursday, July 7th, I finally attended one of Centre Jean-René Delsoin's Jeudi de la danse activities. I've been meaning to for a while and I'm really glad I went. I did not enjoy having to wait over 15 minutes in a cramped yard and would hope that in the future, they'd seat people right away, but the show itself was wonderful. I love that the lighting was actually used to enhance what was going on on stage and that there was a diversity of styles and techniques showcased. Of course, I preferred some to others. My absolute favorite was "Divinement guidés," choreographed by Delsoin himself and performed by two male dancers. Wow. Awesome. Breathtaking. Those are the words that come to mind. Unfortunately, one of the dancers hurt his knee during this number and was unable to dance for the remainder of the night. I have mixed feelings about "Marley's songs," choreographed to a medley of, yes, you guessed it, Bob Marley's songs. Although certain parts were beautiful, I could have done without it. I hate when people mess with Marley. Unless you're going to be brilliant, just leave him alone. (Which reminds me of a certain tribute I attended on May 6th. The two musicians who organized it usually deliver quality events, but sadly, this was not one of them. The event was pricey, several singers forgot or messed up song lyrics (!), the MC was a disaster and well, I just wasn't feeling it.Thank goodness for Fefe, is all I can say. Well, and the musicians were good.)
Finally, this past Saturday, July 9th, again at the French Institute, Wooly St. Louis Jean was in concert to announce the release of his second album entitled Se ou menm fanm later this month. I did miss Tamara Suffren, who usually accompanies Wooly, and is a great complement to his voice, but she is currently in Belgium perfecting her craft. Wooly started off with a couple of songs from his first album, Quand la parole se fait chanson. He's known for putting Haitian poems to music and several of the poets who wrote what have since become lyrics to his songs were actually in attendance. Among them: Georges Castera, James Noël, and Lyonel Trouillot. There was a brief interlude during which Mark Mulholland performed a couple of numbers. It seemed a bit odd since his presence was unexpected and he definitely wasn't singing Haitian folk songs. There was a definite shift in mood when he was on stage, but the crowd was patient, understanding that Wooly probably needed a break. It was definitely an enjoyable evening, with Wooly taking many requests from the audience, including several songs by Manno Charlemagne and of course, Hasta Siempre, a crowd favorite. It was a very laid-back, casual atmosphere. A few people read poems, but I'm trying to block that part of the evening from my mind.
Of course, all of these events are in addition to the book-related activities I've been attending lately. So, as you can see, there is a lot going on this summer as far as Haitian culture is concerned. There is no way we can report on, attend, or even let you know about everything going on. But we will try our best. So, please remember to check out our calendar from time to time.
La revue Callaloo projette de faire un numéro spécial consacré à la littérature haïtienne contemporaine. Vous êtes tous invités à soumettre vos textes. Vous trouverez les détails sur leur site. Les éditeurs cherchent aussi des dessinateurs, plasticiens et photographes. A noter que la date limite est le 1er décembre 2011. A vos plumes!
Semenn sa yo plen aktivite liv nan vil Pòtoprens. Te gen dizyèm edisyon Fête du livre jeunesse 28 me ki sot pase a. Dènyèman mwen te ekri sou timoun ayisyen ki pa jwenn ase liv pou yo li. Fèt liv jenès sa a gen 10 an depi l ap ankouraje timoun li, ankouraje paran ak lekòl achte liv pou timoun. Ane sa a li te fèt Petyonvil, nan espas lekòl Frères de Pétionville. Plizyè konpayi edisyon te gen stann tankou EDITHA, CUC, Choucoune… Anplis akitivite ki te òganize pou amize timoun yo tankou kont, devinèt ak maryonèt, gen yon espas lekti ki te amenaje kote timoun te ka chita li. Te gen yon seleksyon liv tout edisyon ki te la yo disponib pou sa.
Si nan mwa me, nou te jwenn chans achte liv timoun pi bon mache, nan mwa jwen an, se tout kalite liv k ap disponib nan Livres en Folie. Depi 17 lane, se yon okazyon pou tout kalite moun rasanble pou vann liv, achte liv, pale sou liv… Gen moun tankou m ki eseye achte pi fò liv y ap bezwen pou ane nan okazyon sa a kòm se lè sa a liv yo pi bon mache.
Ane sa a gen anpil inovasyon ki fèt nan kad Livres en Folie. Òganizatè yo met ansanm pou lanse La Quinzaine du Livre. Gen pyès teyat k ap jwe, gen atelye sou edisyon, konferans k ap bay, pwojeksyon fim... Kalandriye aktivite yo disponib sou site Le Nouvelliste. Menm jan sa fèt chak ane, ane sa a ankò gen yon envite spesyal : Edwidge Danticat. Edisyon Près Nasyonal edite 4 liv li nan okazyon sa a.
Nan kad aktivite Livres en Folie yo, yè swa te gen yon seremoni omaj pou Paulette Poujol-Oriol ki mouri nan mwa mas. Fanmi otè a te la, zanmi li ak anpil moun ki rekonèt valè li genyen pou kilti peyi a. Otè, pwofesè, komedyen, Paulette Poujol-Oriol se yon moun ki te fè anpil pou pataje konesans li, kilti li ak jenerasyon ki vin apre l.
Se vre aktivite tankou Fête du livre jeunesse ak Livres en Folie pa ka rezoud pwoblèm aksè liv ki genyen ann Ayiti. Men nou kapab di aktivite sa yo kontribye nan ankouraje moun li, nan fè pwomosyon liv, nan kreye espas pou moun pale sou sa yo ekri, sou sa yo li.
Konsatou, nou espere pote kontribisyon pa nou nan pwomosyon kilti ayisyen. Se poutèt sa, anplis paj liv la, nou ajoute yon kalandriye ki ka mete lektè nou yo okouran kèk aktivite kiltirèl k ap fèt Pòtoprens ak lòt kote tou. Ou kapab toujou fè nou konnen ki aktivite k ap fèt nan zonn pa w la, ann Ayiti oswa nan nenpòt lòt peyi. Fè nou konnen tou sa w panse de « look » sit la ki chanje ! Kontakte nou nan nadeve.regine@gmail.com.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
This new novel by Mars goes into the 19th 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!
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?
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
