On October 6th, 1811, King Henri Christophe and Queen Marie Louise descended the steps of Sans Souci Palace on their way to attend a service in the King's honor. It was Christophe's 44th birthday, and the first of many which he hoped to celebrate as the newly crowned King and rightful ruler of Haiti. At the gate of the palace, a jubilant crowd applauded as the royal couple made their way to the entrance of the Chapel. Christophe and the Queen stood momentarily to acknowledge the cheering crowd. With a slight bow of his head, Christophe expressed his gratitude to the throng of admirers who had come to wish him well.
“Long Live Christophe,Long Live the Kingdom!” the crowd bellowed as the Chapel bells began to ring.They rang forty four times, echoing the cheers of the citizens who had come from near and far, from cities and towns to greet the King.From the most humble shoe shine boys to the builders of the Citadelle Fortress, from grenadiers to teachers,from vendors to rural farmers, all who had gathered to celebrate this special day felt a profound sense of promise and of excitement. From Cape Henri to Milot, the streets of northern Haiti were filled with hope, with joy, with pageantry as King Christophe congregated with his family and royal court to receive God’s blessings on this royal birthday, the king’s forty fourth year on earth.
>>To be Continued
The Voice of Writer Edwidge Danticat
Women in Haiti and throughout the diaspora must remain engaged in the rebuilding of the country. We will honor our dead by building a better life for the living.
The Heroism of Alain Armand
There are many heroes in our community who are helping with the relief effort in Haiti. NBC news focused on one such hero, Alain Armand, the son of Lucien and Margaret M. Armand who themselves have given much to our community. Alain's humanism and heroism shows that "san papèdi." Click on the NBC link below to view the story of this hero who calls himself "The Haitian". NBC entitles the story: Tweets Guide U.S. Do-Gooder in Haiti (Archives: Jan 23)
Nigerian Writer, Adichie Warns of the dangers of the single story
Nigerian writer, Chimamanda Adichie warns of the danger of stereotyping and reducing individuals and cultures with a single story. Haiti is the perfect example of a nation that has become a victim of the single story.
A special thanks to Margaret Mitchell Armand for sharing this link.
Avatar Takes the Haitian Notion of Dedouble to the Silver Screen
Avatar Takes the Haitian Notion of Dedouble to the Silver Screen
Some people in Haiti say that they believe that a person can send a double of theirs on a mission. That double functions in the real world as though it occupies time and space. People interact with the double and cannot distinguish it from other elements of reality around them. Hollywood filled the silver screen with Avatar, a version of a story told countless times because whether in Haiti or in Hollywood the human imagination works in much the same way.
Avatar is a high grossing movie because it appeals to the human imagination as well as to the human heart. The film creates an entirely new world with never before seen creatures and humanlike entities. The humanoids are complete with religion anchored around their connection with their ancestors as a gateway to God. The humanoids lack the technology of their invaders but their moral philosophy is second to none.
Unlike in the real world where superior military might usually wins the day, in this film the writers show how mighty the pen is and write a plot that tilts victory to the humanoids on planet Pandora. The humanoids of Pandora manage to preserve their lifestyle despite the greed of their invaders who sought to deprive them of their mineral wealth as well as of their traditional lifestyle. This movie comes painfully close to the Christian conquest and evangelization of various people around the world. The parallel is not hidden. The invaders site the name of Jesus several times revealing their religious perspective and the humanoids appeal to their ancestors for protection against the barbaric invaders. The story on the screen is as convoluted as what occurred in the era of enslavement and of the conquest of the Americas. No group of people behaved in a monolithic manner. Not all Christians were barbaric conquerors. Some gave up their lives to defend the rights of the abused. In Avatar, it is a group of invaders who changes allegiance and helps the humanoids succeed in defending their lifestyle and religion. In this way, Avatar succeeds in being a movie about human kindness triumphing over human greed, restoring confidence in humans of whatever faith.
It is because the story is as complex as real life that the movie unfolds over a long 2 hours and 40 minutes. In its complexity, it reveals the great philosophical underpinning of Vodou as practiced by the humanoids and yet a leading character in the movie makes a fleeting negative comment about Vodou and about European traditional faiths. But such is life. It is filled with ironies and different viewpoints. One of the things the movie does best is to encourage people to respect mother Earth, its trees, its creatures, and the diversity of its religious faiths. Avatar does all this well while exploiting the Haitian notion of dedouble.
