Haïti: Cinéma & Littérature

Ce cours offrira une introduction à quelques écrits d'auteurs haïtien d'importance et à une série de film haïtiens ou étrangers en écho à ces écrits. 

This class will offer an introduction to some of the writings of major Haitian authors and to a series of Haitian and foreign films echoing these writings. 

Class meets Wednesday nights on these dates: March 12, March 26, April 9, April 23, May 7, May 21 at 5:30 p.m. at 4522 Prytania Street.

Texts will be given in French and English so the students will have the opportunity to choose the language and the class will be given in French and English depending on the level of the students.

Fee: $110 for the full series.

Wednesday, March 12

Gouverneurs de la rosée de Jacques Roumain & film of the same name

In this class we will read and discuss the book Gouverneurs de la rosée de Jacques Roumain and to supplement it, students will also watch the film adaptation of the book.

Gouverneurs de la rosée de Jacques Roumain - A great classic of Haitian literature, Gouverneurs de la Rosée was published in 1944, the year of Roumain's death. Heir to Greek tragedy, the text is both in the vein of the rural novel and that of militant literature. If it completely avoids the folklorism of earthy novels and the naivety of ideological texts, it is because it is, in the words of Jacques Stephen Alexis, “a book perhaps unique in world literature, because it is unreservedly the book of love”. The hero Manuel, like the author, has known other horizons; the son of peasants, he became a worker, worked in Cuba and returned to the country with a wealth of experience of trade union struggle. Rejecting resignation, he set out to combat the drought that was desertifying the countryside and to find water, the source of life. 

GOUVERNEURS DE LA ROSÉE was shot in Haiti in 1974 and released in France in 1975.. A cinematic adaptation of the eponymous masterpiece by Haitian writer Jacques Roumain, this feature film by French director Maurice Failevic is also a remake of the 1964 Spanish film CUMBITE ou COUMBITE, also a transposition by Cuban filmmaker Tomás Gutiérrez Alea of J. Roumain's novel Gouverneurs de la Rosée, published posthumously in 1944. The film's popularity among young people today, almost 50 years after its release, proves how the transition from “the written word to the screen” can help immortalize certain literary works, particularly novels, in a world where teenagers and young people hardly take the time to read any more. The film won several prestigious awards in France, including the Prix de la Confrérie des Arts in 1975 and the Prix de la SACD in 1976.

Grand classique de la littérature haïtienne, Gouverneurs de la Rosée est paru en 1944, année de la mort de Roumain. Héritier de la tragédie grecque, le texte s’inscrit à la fois dans la veine du roman rural et dans celle de la littérature militante. S’il échappe totalement à l’écueil du folklorisme des romans de la terre et à la naïveté des textes idéologiques c’est qu’il est, selon Jacques Stephen Alexis « un livre peut-être unique dans la littérature mondiale parce qu’il est sans réserve le livre de l’amour ». Le héros Manuel a, comme l’auteur, connu d’autres horizons ; fils de paysans il est devenu ouvrier, a travaillé à Cuba et revient au pays riche d’une expérience de lutte syndicale. Refusant la résignation, il entreprend de lutter contre la sécheresse qui désertifie les campagnes et part à la recherche de l’eau, source de vie. 

GOUVERNEURS DE LA ROSÉE est un film tourné en Haïti en 1974 et sorti en France en 1975. Une adaptation cinématographique du chef-d'oeuvre éponyme de l'écrivain haïtien Jacques Roumain, ce long-métrage du réalisateur français Maurice Failevic est aussi une reprise du film espagnol CUMBITE ou COUMBITE, sorti en 1964, et qui lui aussi est une transposition par le cinéaste cubain Tomás Gutiérrez Alea du roman Gouverneurs de la Rosée de J. Roumain qui fut publié posthumément en 1944.

La popularité du film chez les jeunes d’aujourd’hui, presque 50 ans après sa sortie, prouve comment le passage de "l'écrit à l'écran" peut aider à immortaliser certaines œuvres littéraires, notamment des romans, dans un monde où les adolescents et les jeunes ne prennent presque plus le temps de lire. Ce film a reçu plusieurs prix prestigieux en France tels que Prix de la Confrérie des Arts 1975 et Prix de la SACD en 1976.

Wednesday, March 26

Hadriana dans tous mes rêves de René Depestre & Divine Horsemen: The living gods of Haiti by Maya Deren

In this class we will read and discuss about Hadriana dans tous mes rêves de René Depestre and to supplement it students will also watch the film Divine Horsemen: The living gods of Haiti, 1977 from Mayen Daren.

Hadriana dans tous mes rêves de René Depestre: Winner of the 1988 Renaudot Prize, this novel is a magnificent illustration of the marvelous reality that permeates René Depestre's work.  Forced to leave Haiti following the revolutionary movement of 1946, Depestre never considered himself in exile, but never ceased to restore the vitality of his island in all his texts, novels and poems.  With the wedding of the sumptuous Hadriana, who falls dead at the foot of the altar on her wedding day as she pronounces the sacramental “yes”, before resurrecting as a zombie, Hadriana dans tous mes rêves puts voodoo magic at the heart of the story.

Hadriana dans tous mes rêves de René Depestre: Prix Renaudot 1988, ce roman illustre magnifiquement le réel merveilleux dont toute l’œuvre de René Depestre est porteuse. Obligé de quitter Haïti à la suite du mouvement révolutionnaire de 1946, Depestre ne s’est jamais considéré en exil mais n’a cessé de restituer la vitalité de son île dans tous ses textes, romans ou poèmes. Avec les noces de la somptueuse Hadriana qui tombe raide morte au pied de l’autel le jour de ses noces au moment où elle prononce le « oui » sacramentel, avant de ressusciter sous la forme d’une zombie, Hadriana dans tous mes rêves met la magie vaudou au cœur du récit. 

Divine Horsemen: The living gods of Haiti is a black and white documentary film about dance and possession in Haitian vodou that was shot by experimental filmmaker Maya Deren between 1947 and 1952.  Maya Deren, born Eleanora Derenkovskaya on April 29, 1917 -1961 in New York, was an American film director. A major figure in American experimental cinema in the 1940s, Maya Deren made a number of short films inspired by surrealism and psychoanalysis, and inspired by Jean Cocteau. She tried unsuccessfully to join the North American avant-garde federation in the early 1950s. 

Wednesday, April 9

History of Radio Haiti, first independent radio station, 1968 & The Agronomist film by Jonathan Demme, 2003
Radio Haiti-Inter was the first independent radio station in Haiti. The station was notable for its use of the Haitian Creole language, spoken by most Haitians, while most other media broadcast in French, and also for its broadcasting of international and local news.

The Agronomist film by Jonathan Demme, 2003. The documentary follows the life of Dominique, who ran Haiti's first independent radio station, Radio Haiti-Inter, during multiple repressive regimes.

Wednesday, April 23

Amour, Colère et Folie, (Love, Anger, and Madness) by Marie Vieux Chauvet

Some books come to us preceded by an aura of scandal. Their steamy fragrance attracts readers eager to uncover their dangerous secret. In the case of Amour, Colère et Folie (Love, Anger, and Madness), a splendid book by Marie Vieux Chauvet, you immediately know why. First published in 1968 by Gallimard, Amour, Colère et Folie was immediately withdrawn from all publication circuits by its author due to fears that the novel could threaten her Haiti-based family, while she, at that time, lived in exile in New York.

Amour, Colère et Folie is not only Marie Vieux Chauvet’s masterpiece, it is also the major literary work of the Duvalier’s era. This trilogy is nothing less than a vibrant portrait – beaming with sensuality, frustration and rage – of the coming-to-power of Duvalier with its share of humiliation, horror, and terror. The political force of this novel is simply astonishing, mainly because the book is written out of cold rage, a rage not only aimed at Duvallier and his henchmen but at the whole Haitian society. What makes her narratives so threatening is that they resonate with the rebellion of a woman who defies all the moral, social, and political taboos. These pages are exempt from any redemption, and if readers perceive a distinction between victims and executioners, they are forced to admit that cowardice, stupidity, and monstrosity are equally divided between them. Amour, Colère et Folie is a fearless exploration of heightened sexual, social, racial, and political passions that plague Haiti, while the cruel and merciless Duvalier’s army is taking over the country.

Wednesday, May 7

Douces déroutes de Yanick Lahens 

In Port-au-Prince, where she lives, Yanick Lahens divides her time between writing and the social development of her country. Her novel Bain de lune (2014) won the Prix Femina.  In Douces déroutes, (2018) she paints a gallery of portraits dominated by the figure of a woman in love, the singer Brune, whose father, an upright judge, was assassinated by a corrupt government. Brune, who refuses to resign herself, embodies integrity, friendship and the discovery of love. A free-spirited young woman, a daughter of concussion, anger and vertigo. Each of Yanick Lahens' books is a portrait of Haitian realities. After Bain de lune, the great novel of the earth, she returns here to her urban vein. Port-au-Prince, the city of all possibilities and all impossibilities, is the great chaos, the cauldron where daily life is invented.

A Port-au-Prince où elle vit, Yanick Lahens partage son temps entre l’écriture et le développement social de son pays. Son roman Bain de lune (2014) a reçu le Prix Femina. Dans Douces déroutes, (2018) elle brosse une galerie de portraits dominée par une figure de femme amoureuse, la chanteuse Brune, dont le père, un juge intègre, a été assassiné par un pouvoir corrompu. Brune, qui refuse de se résigner, incarne à la fois l’intégrité, l’amitié et la découverte de l’amour. Une jeune femme libre, une fille de commotions, de colère et de vertiges. Chacun des livres de Yanick Lahens est un tableau des réalités haïtiennes. Après Bain de lune, le grand roman de la terre, elle renoue ici avec la veine urbaine. Port-au-Prince, ville de tous les possibles et de tous les impossibles, est ce grand chaos, ce chaudron, où s’invente la vie au quotidien. 

Wednesday, May 21

Toussaint Louverture by Philippe Niang (2012)

Toussaint Louverture is a 2012 French film written and directed by Philippe Niang. and is based on the life of Toussaint Louverture.  The film premiered at the 2012 Festival de Luchon. It won the Best Diaspora Feature award at the 8th Africa Movie Academy Awards.
First part: "The Flight of the Eagle" 

A slave deemed too old and not productive enough by his owner, Toussaint 's father was thrown into the waters of Cap-Français, under the eyes of his own son, then only 8 years old. As an adult, Toussaint ( Jimmy Jean-Louis ) is employed on the Bréda estate by Bayon de Libertat ( Philippe Caroit ), who teaches him to read and write. The young man discovers the texts of Abbé Raynal, an Enlightenment philosopher who advocates the abolition of slavery. Toussaint then chooses to abandon his wife Suzanne ( Aïssa Maïga) and their two children to become the leader of a group of rebellious slaves . The Spanish troops noticed his military talents and enlisted him in the army which fought against France. 

Second part: "The Battle of the Eagles" 

On the eve of the Revolution of 1789, Toussaint Louverture prepares Saint Domingue to free itself from its chains, imposed by French Colonization. Strong in character, steeped in democratic convictions, and then imbued with the brand new values and benefits of the nascent Republic, he allied himself with France after having fought alongside the Spaniards, the English and having refused the Alliance with the States of 'America. After the betrayal of the Consul Bonaparte ( Thomas Langmann ), crowned since emperor in December 1804, Santo Domingo takes the name of Haiti, because Toussaint, at the cost of his life, will have made his country the first Independent Negro State from which slavery is finally banished. From his prison at Fort de Joux, he will be the very person who analyzes with hindsight and wisdom his behavior in the face of each situation. 

Class meets Wednesday nights on these dates: March 12, March 26, April 9, April 23, May 7, May 21 at 5:30 p.m. at 4522 Prytania Street.

Fee: $110 for the full series.

For more information, please contact Manon Bellet at manon@lunionfrancaise.org or social@lunionfrancaise.org