Geoffrey Philp's Blog: A Recap of 2018

I'm beginning to worry about my blog. Last year, I only had 26K visitors, which is down 9.97% from the previous year. However, the standouts from previous years are still holding strong. Here, then, are the top ten posts from 2018:

1. The Meaning(s) of Bob Marley's Songs"

2. "Little Boy Crying" by Mervyn Morris: An Appreciation
3. "Colonial Girls School" by Olive Senior: An Appreciation
4. "Ode to Brother Joe" by Tony McNeill (Read by Geoffrey Philp)
5. Marcus Garvey's Crime (Part One)
6. "Uncle Time" by Dennis Scott (Read by Geoffrey Philp)
7. Happy Independence Day, Haiti!
8. Garveyism is an Outdated Ideology: A Rebuttal
9. 25 Foundational Rocksteady Songs: Winston Barnes
10. "Boat People" by Felix Morisseau-Leroy

I've also picked up more visitors from South Africa than the previous year, which is up by 24.2%. and I'm happy that "Boat People" by Felix Morriseau-Leroy has finally made it into the top ten.  The work of Felix Morisseau-Leroy should never be forgotten.

A big thank you to all the visitors, especially those who have continued to support the books on my Amazon page, and I wish for you all the happiness, joy, and peace that you can imagine. 

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Sunday Salon: Caribbean Series

Resisting Against the System: Kreyòl, Patwa & the Matrix of Maroonage

Professor Geoffrey Philp traces the origins of language suppression as a tool of colonial policy in the Caribbean and the various forms of resistance in the work of Haitian and Jamaican writers such as  Manno Charlemagne, Bob Marley, Louise Bennett, and Felix Morrisseau-Leroy.

Geoffrey Philp, author of the e-book, Bob Marley and Bradford’s iPod, has also written five collections of poetry, two children's e-books, and two short story collections. An award winning writer, Philp is one of the few writers whose work has been published in the Oxford Book of Caribbean Short Stories and the Oxford Book of Caribbean Verse. He teaches English and creative writing at Miami Dade college where he is chair of Developmental Education at the North Campus.

"Preserving Global Creole Cultures and Languages"

International Creole Month

Thursday, October 23, 2014.   

9:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Room 3249.

North Campus Conference Center, 

Miami Dade College

Poetry Fundraiser: Franklyn March

A night of poetry, good food and raffle prizes to raise funds for Franklyn March, a sickle cell patient in Jamaica who desperately needs a hip replacement surgery.

Saturday,August 16, 2014

6:00 to 9:00 p.m

Florida international University, 

Biscayne Bay Campus, 

Wolfe University Center 

Room 155, 

3000 NE 151st Street, 

North Miami, Florida

If you cannot attend, please consider a donation to the gofundme campaign:

http://www.gofundme.com/9zwes4

One Heart.

Escribe Aqui/Write Here at The Betsy!

The Betsy Writer's Room presents a multilingual, multicultural Reading at The Betsy, Friday, June 27 at 6 p.m. in B Bar.

The Betsy hosts authors from various Hispanic and Caribbean countries in a multilingual reading in B Bar. The evening will be broken up into two readings:

Escribe Aqui will feature readings in Spanish with Hernan Vera Alvarez (Argentina), Pedro Medina Leon (Peru), Camilo Pino (Venezuela) and Jose Ignacio Valenzuela (Chile) at 6PM.

Write Here will follow, with readings in English by Anjanette Delgado (Cuba), MJ Fievre (Haiti), Mia Leonin (Cuba) and Geoffrey Philp (Jamaica).

Special Musical Performance by jazz saxophonist, Nestor Zurita.

Books & Books will have copies from selected works available for purchase.

CLICK HERE TO RESERVE YOUR SEAT NOW.<http://the-betsy-south-beach.ticketleap.com/betsy-write-here/details>

Cash bar available. This is a free event.

Happy Independence Day, Haiti!

Happy Independence Day, Haiti!

Caribbean Fantastic @ Art Basel

There is about to be a dramatic injection of spice and diversity into Art Basel, one of the most popular Art events that occur in the United States, with the introduction of world renowned, critically acclaimed and gorgeous art. Art Basel draws tens of thousands of persons from inside and outside of Miami. However although the event has been around for 40 years, it is not known for showcasing artists or art that come from the African Diaspora.

Fortunately this has been changing recently with the efforts of several people and organizations. Multitudes Contemporary Art Gallery owner and curator Babacar Mbow is committed to bringing forth some of that change. Mbow has a highly acclaimed, diverse and longstanding career in education and art and is uniquely equipped to source and present art from the African Diaspora.  This year’s exhibition will focus on Haiti. Haiti is the country that 1^st represented African freedom and independence and the beginning of the end to slavery in the Western Hemisphere, and hence a source of great inspiration for artists. This works perfectly as South Florida has a large Haitian population and by extension a large Caribbean population.

The change towards greater diversity will go into high gear with this exhibition called “Caribbean Fantastic” that runs from the 3^rd of December 2013 to the 2^nd of January 2014 at the Multitudes Contemporary Art Gallery. Caribbean Fantastic features the works of the extremely talented and exciting Jean Claude Legagneur. Jean Claude Legagneur is a very successful artist whose critically acclaimed works have been seen in places like New York, South Florida, DC, Tokyo, Port-Au-Prince and Santo Domingo. His monumental Mural adorns the American Airlines Terminal at John Fitzgerald Kennedy Airport in New York.

Jean Claude Legagneur is an integral part of African Diaspora history. Legagneur is a relentless painter that has produced a large treasure of artistic gems that has been moving people since 1963. Born in Haiti in 1947 Legagneur travelled to the United States at an early age and was soon working with some famous artists and would eventually make beautiful and engaging imagery for the world to see. Besides the positive accolades given earlier, Legagneur consistently received the descriptions of sensitivity and sincerity from the critics that have reviewed his works over the years.

Caribbean Fantastic takes this history and brings it forward and makes it relevant today. “Jean Claude Legagneur defies mainstream contemporary art's boisterous claims and enters the realm of 21st century aesthetics”

Caribbean Fantastic runs from the 3^rd of December to the 2^nd of January during Art Basel at the Multitudes Contemporary Art Gallery. The opening reception for Caribbean Fantastic will be Wednesday the 4^th of December at 7pm. The reception will be at the Multitudes Contemporary Art Gallery 5570 NE 4^th Avenue Miami Florida 33137. For more information please call 954-338-8670 / 786-597-3042.  Media Contact: Harris Public Relations at 786.897.8854 or publicity@harrispublicelations.com

Caribbean Fantastic Schedule during Art Basel Week

Gallery 10am-11pm

Free and open to the public

December 4 : 7:30 PM-10 PM NIGHT OF HAITIAN DIPLOMACY : Opening Night

Under the patronage of the Consul General of Haiti in Miami , The Night of the Haitian diplomacy is at the heart of the dynamics of the new Cultural Diplomacy policy of the Haitian government. The presence of Haitian diplomats in the United States as well as those in the Caribbean and beyond is anticipated. With artists, Hollywood stars, great collectors and other guests of the city, this night will present Haiti in all its potentials.

December 5 : 8 PM-10 PM

Hollywood Artists United: An Evening with Jimmy Jean Louis

The actor who masterfully interpreted historical consciousness through Toussaint Louverture: The Battle of the Eagles is also a humanitarian whose work focuses on the construction and operation of a school in the Haitian countryside. This fund raising event will be attended by Hollywood stars with his fans and colleagues.

December 6 : 8 PM-10 PM CARIBBEAN LITERARY ART: LECTURE & BOOK SIGNING Caribbean Spaces: Escape from the Twilight Zones by Carole Boyce-Davies

Persuasive and comprehensive, Caribbean Spaces achieves an intriguing sequence of intricate journeys through Caribbean and African diasporic cultural spaces, political landscapes, historiographies, and literary-artistic terrains, each keenly observed.

Image: Jean Caude Legagneur

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Haitian Heritage Week 2013

Miami Dade College’s (MDC) North Campus and the Carrie P. Meek Entrepreneurial Education Center promises to take you on a journey to the beautiful island of Haiti, the Pearl of the Antilles during Haitian Heritage Week 2013.

It is our distinct honor and pleasure to invite you to our 2013 Haitian Flag Day Celebration themed: “A New Day of Hope” at MDC, North Campus on Friday, May 17, 2013 from 10:25am – 12:40pm at The William and Joan Lehman Theatre (Room 5120) in Building 5. This event will entail history of the Haitian flag, cultural performances, Haitian art displays, music, traditional food and much more. This event will be attended by MDC faculty, students, staff, local high school students, and members of the community.

We would also like to invite you to participate in all of our enriching activities throughout Haitian Heritage Week 2013. For more information, please contact Student Life at (305) 237- 1250 or visit Room 4208.  For social media updates, please visit and “like” our Facebook Page: Haitian Heritage Week 2013 – MDC North.

Haitian Heritage Week 2013

“The Jewel of the Caribbean”
Haitian Heritage Cultural & Art Display throughout the Month of May

Miami Dade College, North Campus

Library – Building 2

Human Rights Articles: 1, 2, 19, 26, 27, 29

Haitian Flag Day Celebration at the North Campus - Friday, May 17^th, 2013

Miami Dade College, North Campus

The William and Joan Lehman Theatre
Building 5, Room 5120

11380 NW 27^th Ave, Miami, FL 33167

10:25 am - 12:40 pm

Human Rights Articles: 1, 2, 19, 26, 27, 29

Day of Service - Saturday, May 18^th, 2013

Little Haiti Cultural Center

212 NE 59 Terrace

Miami, FL 33137

9:00 am - 12:00 pm

Human Rights Articles: 1, 2, 3, 5, 15, 19, 26, 27, 29

Haitian Heritage Storytelling - Monday, May 20^th, 2013

Miami Dade College, North Campus
Exploration Station Preschool
Building 600

11380 NW 27^th Ave, Miami, FL 33167

10:00 am - 11:00 am

Human Rights Articles: 1, 2, 19, 26, 29

Haiti: Another Struggle (Documentary) - Tuesday, May 21^st, 2013

Miami Dade College North Campus

11380 NW 27^th Ave, Miami, FL 33167

Room 2147, Building 2

12:00 pm – 1:30 pm

Produced and Directed By: James Pierre (Miami Dade College Film Student)

Human Rights Articles: 1, 2, 19, 26, 29

Haitian Heritage Celebration at the Meek Center - Wednesday, May 22^nd, 2013

Carrie P. Meek Entrepreneurial Education Center

6300 NW 7th Avenue

Miami, FL 33150

Atrium, Building 1

11:30 am - 12:30 pm

Human Rights Articles: 1, 2, 3, 5, 15, 19, 26, 27, 29

Community Health Fair and Haitian Heritage Festival - Friday, May 24^th, 2013

Miami Dade College, North Campus
Breezeway, Building 4

11380 NW 27^th Ave, Miami, FL 33167

Breezeway, Building 4

9:00 am - 1:00 pm

Human Rights Articles: 24, 27, 29

Haitian Heritage Week 2013

1 Minute Review: Claire of the Sea Light by Edwidge Danticat

Name of the book: Claire of the Sea Light

Author:  Edwidge Danticat 

Publisher:  Knopf 

What's the book about?  

Claire Limyè Lanmè--Claire of the Sea Light--is an enchanting child born into love and tragedy in a seaside town in Haiti. Claire's mother died in childbirth, and on each of her birthdays Claire is taken by her father, Nozias, to visit her mother's grave. Nozias wonders if he should give away his young daughter to a local shopkeeper who lost a child of her own, so he can give her a better life. 

But on the night of Claire's seventh birthday, when he makes the wrenching decision to do so, she disappears. As Nozias and others look for her, painful secrets and startling truths are unearthed among a host of men and women whose stories connect to Claire, her parents, and the town itself. 

Told with the piercing lyricism and economy of a fable, Claire of the Sea Light explores what it means to be a parent, child, neighbor, lover, and friend, while indelibly revealing the mysterious connections we share with the natural world and with one another, amid the magic and heartbreak of ordinary life. 

Why am I reading the book?  I am a fan of all things Danticat.

Quote from the book:

"Twenty miles south of the capital and crammed between a stretch of the most unpredictable waters of the Caribbean Sea and an eroded Haitian mountain range, the town had a flower-shaped perimeter that, from the mountains, looked like the unfurling petals of a massive tropical rose, so that the major road connecting the town to the sea became the stem and was called Avenue Pied ose or Stem Rose Avenue, with its many alleys and capillaries being called épine  or thorns."


Where to pre-order: http://www.amazon.com/Claire-Sea-Light-Edwidge-Danticat/dp/030727179X

EDWIDGE DANTICAT is the author of numerous books, including Brother, I'm Dying, which won the National Book Critics Circle Award and was a National Book Award finalist; Breath, Eyes, Memory, an Oprah Book Club selection; Krik? Krak!, a National Book Award finalist; The Farming of Bones, an American Book Award winner; and The Dew Breaker, a PEN/Faulkner Award finalist and winner of the inaugural Story Prize. The recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship, she has been published in The New Yorker, The New York Times, and elsewhere.

***

I've modified this format from One Minute Book Reviews: http://oneminutebookreviews.wordpress.com/

***

Caribbean-American Values

Graphic by Don Rico Ricketts

By Geoffrey Philp

During this year's Haitian Flag Day ceremony at Miami Dade College, Beatrice Louissaint, CEO of the Southern Florida Minority Supplier Development Council, spoke eloquently about the values that have helped her to achieve her much deserved success. In her speech, Ms. Louissaint drew upon her experience of leaving Haiti "equipped with 6 words of English and a strong family heritage," and attributed her meteoric rise with the Caribbean-American community to her "Six Great Loves": "God, family, self, education, hard work, community and country."


It was a moving speech and for many Caribbean-Americans in the audience, it was a confirmation of the values to which many of us have committed our lives. These values have shaped our identity and have laid the foundation for our success.


Yet, the list is incomplete. For I would add justice.


Justice has been the cornerstone of the Haitian/Caribbean revolution, which began in Bois Caiman under the leadership of the Jamaican mystic, Boukman, and was guided by the Haitian general, Toussaint L'Ouverture. As C.L.R. James argued in The Black Jacobins, one of the first official acts of Toussaint L'Ouverture was to put an end to slavery, the greatest injustice of the era: "Slavery was forever abolished. Every man, whatever his colour, was admissible to all employments, and there was to exist no other distinction than that of virtues and talents" (263).


Justice is a human value and gives meaning to our lives. Without justice, we are reduced to existence that is "poor, nasty, brutish, and short." It is this love of justice that is echoed in many national anthems of the Caribbean and in the lyrics of beloved songwriters such as Peter Tosh: "I don't want no peace/I need equal rights and justice" ("Equal Rights").


It is because of the grave injustice that was committed against a leader of the first and largest economic justice movement in the USA, Marcus Mosiah Garvey, that many of us are petitioning President Barack Obama to exonerate Mr. Garvey and to clear his name of any criminal wrongdoing.


If you are a lover of justice, please add your name to the petition:

http://bit.ly/KqUrGh

We are petitioning President Barack Obama to exonerate the Rt. Excellent Marcus Mosiah Garvey, leader of the first and largest economic justice movement in the USA and the world, and the first named National Hero of Jamaica.

On January 12, 1922, Marcus Garvey, founder of the UNIA, was arrested by the Bureau of Investigation and charged with mail fraud. In 1925, Marcus Garvey began serving a five-year sentence in the US penitentiary in Atlanta, Georgia. After several appeals, his sentence was eventually commuted by President Calvin Coolidge, and he was deported to Jamaica. It is now abundantly clear (and legal scholars agree) that Garvey did not commit any criminal acts, but as Professor Judith Stein has stated, “his politics were on trial."

We think the President will agree that this year, 2012, the 125th anniversary of Marcus Garvey's birth, is a most timely moment to correct this historic miscarriage of justice.

http://bit.ly/KqUrGh

***
Blog Disclosure Policy


Geoffrey Philp’s Blog Spot receives a percentage of the purchase price on anything you buy through links to Amazon, Shambala Books, Hay House, or any of the Google ads or Google Custom Search.








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Disclaimer of Endorsement


The documents posted on this Web site may contain hypertext links or pointers to information created and maintained by other public and private organizations. These links and pointers are provided for visitors' convenience. I do not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of any linked information. Further, the inclusion of links or pointers to other Web sites or agencies is not intended to assign importance to those sites and the information contained therein, nor is it intended to endorse, recommend, or favor any views expressed, or commercial products or services offered on these outside sites, or the organizations sponsoring the sites, by trade name, trademark, manufacture, or otherwise.


Reference in this Web site to any specific commercial products, processes, or services, or the use of any trade, firm or corporation name is for the information and convenience of the site's visitors, and does not constitute endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by this blog.

Haitian Flag Day @ MDC

Haitian Flag Day

Haiti Rebuilds: A Journey of Hope

Friday, May 18, 2012

10:25 A.M.- 12:30 P.M.

Lehman Theatre, Room 5120

History of the Haitian Flag

The flag of the Republic of Haiti was adopted on May 18, 1803. Haiti had been a colony of France since 1697, but the people rebelled in 1803 and Haiti achieved independence on January 1, 1804.

The Haitian flag is a red and blue bicolor; for state occasions, the Arms of Haiti are added to the center of the flag on a white background. The colors red and blue were chosen from the French flag.

The Haitian arms depict a royal palm in the center topped with a red and blue cap of liberty. There are also six blue and red flags, two smaller red banners on the sides, rifles with bayonets,  cannonballs, a drum, an anchor, green grass, and a white banner reading “L’UNION FAIT LA FORCE,” meaning “Union is Strength.”


Haiti is located in the Caribbean Sea. Christopher Columbus sailed to Hispaniola in 1492. Haiti and the Dominican Republic constitute the island of Hispaniola, located east of Cuba; Haiti occupies the western third of the island. Haiti’s capital city is Port-au-Prince.

***

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Thank you!

Haiti After the Earthquake

This is the first in a series of discussions focusing on the impact of natural and man-made disasters on culture and the role artists play in the aftermath of abrupt ruptures with the past. Panelists will discuss what was lost culturally in Haiti, what was saved, and how regional and international financial and philanthropic intervention drives new paths of creativity and the dissemination and interpretation of culture.


PANELISTS:

• Alexandra Barbot, Artist, Director, Haitian Historical Museum and Archives
• Philippe Dodard, Artist and Director of the National School of Arts in Haiti
• Jean-Germain Gros, Associate Professor Political Science and Public Policy, University of Missouri, St. Louis
• Babacar M’bow, Independent Curator, Managing Editor, Encyclopedia of the African Diaspora
• Gregory Vorbe, Artist
• 
  

HONOREE:    EDWIDGE DANTICAT 


Author Edwidge Danticat will receive the Dodard “Work of the Year” award for her attachment to and promotion of Haiti, its people and culture. For over 10 years, Philippe Dodard, one of Haiti’s leading artists, has dedicated a painting to a fellow Haitian working in the humanities as an expression of solidarity in the struggle for a better tomorrow. Dodard stated, “Edwidge Danticat's body of work has provided. Breath, Eye and Memory" in an articulation of what we all have in common ----our humanity making thereby the world a much better place. As our country re-engages once again in its quest for a better tomorrow Danticat's work and life provide an example to all of us particularly the young generation. She has articulated with brilliancy our hopes and dreams, our tears and bursts of laughter.”



ON VIEW: THE LUMINOUS BREATH OF THE HUMAN SPIRIT: DONNA KARAN AND PHILIPPE DODARD


This exhibition on view from May 16 – June 20 focuses on the interactivity between fashion designer Donna Karan and Haitian artist Philippe Dodard.  Known for his fusion of Caribbean mythological iconography with Modern art, Dodard’s strong graphic ink wash paintings inspired Donna Karan’s Spring 2012 Collection.  The MOCA exhibition brings together dresses from the Donna Karan Spring 2012 Collection with Dodard’s paintings.





Moderated by Bonnie Clearwater, Executive Director and Chief Curator, Museum of Contemporary Art. Introduction by Daniel Fils-Aime, Chairman, Haitian-American Historical Society.


Admission is free. Seating is limited. For reservations and information, call 305 893 6211 or visit www.mocanomi.org.


The discussion will also be streamed live on MOCA’s website. www.mocanomi.org/live-stream


To submit your own questions for the panel, email us at MOCAPanelDiscussion@gmail.com


Image source: http://www.mocanomi.org/?p=2423

4th Annual Haiti Fundraiser @ FIU

***


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Thank you!

African-American Read-In @ Miami Dade College, West Campus

As part of our Black History Month celebrations, Miami Dade College in association with the Black Caucus of NCTE will host our Sixth Annual African American Read-In at the West Campus.

I will be discussing Create Dangerously by Edwidge Danticat.

Theme:  Black Women In American History and Culture.

Date: of Event:  February 6, 2012

Time:  10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Location:  Miami Dade College West Campus, 

Room #:  1101

3800 N.W. 115th Avenue, 

Doral, Florida 33178

Voices of Haiti: A Post-Quake Odyssey in Verse

The initial shock of the earthquake has passed but Haiti continues its struggle to overcome both man-made and natural disasters.


Poet Kwame Dawes presents his multimedia exploration of Haiti's earthquake through the lives, and voices, of Haitians confronting the ongoing consequences of this disaster, especially those living with HIV/AIDS.

Event date:

February 6, 2012 - 6:30pm

Performance Venue:

Victor E. Clarke Recital Hall

University of Miami, Florida

Reception to follow

Space is limited, please RSVP by February 1st.

Featuring:


Kwame Dawes (featured poet)
Kevin Simmonds (composer and performer)
Valetta Brinson (soprano)


With the photography of Andre Lambertson


And multimedia by Robin Bell, Nathalie Applewhite and Maura Youngman
Voices of Haiti is a multimedia performance based on poems by Kwame Dawes, set to music by composer Kevin Simmonds. The work grew out of a year-long Pulitzer Center commission to report on Haiti after the earthquake with reporter/poet Kwame Dawes, reporter Lisa Armstrong, and photographer Andre Lambertson. While in Haiti Dawes wrote poems in response to the stories he heard. These poems are at the heart of Voices of Haiti: A Post- Quake Odyssey in Verse. The work explores the lives of people living with HIV/AIDS after the devastating earthquake. It is a celebration of their lives and their survival. The project also encompasses reporting featured in USA Today, The New York Times, The Daily Beast,The Atlantic, and PBS NewsHour. Voices of Haiti premiered at the 2011 National Black Theater Festival in August 2011.


Voices of Haiti premiered at the 2011 National Black Theater Festival.
Learn more about this reporting initiative, After the Quake: HIV/AIDS in Haiti




Watch the featured video poems, set to music.


The Performers:


Kwame Dawes, a Ghanaian-Jamaican writer and poet, is the author of sixteen collections of verse, as well as the Emmy Award-winning, Pulitzer Center-sponsored, Hope: Living and Loving with HIV in Jamaica, which explores the experiences of people living with HIV/AIDS in Jamaica. Dawes is also the author of numerous plays, essays and books. He is a professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the editor-in-chief of Prairie Schooner and a former Distinguished Poet in Residence at the University of South Carolina. He is the executive director and founder of the South Carolina Poetry Initiative. He is the director of the University of South Carolina Arts Institute as well and the programming director of the Calabash International Literary Festival, which takes place in Jamaica in May of each year. His most recent work Bloom of Stones: A Tri-lingual Anthology of Haitian Poems After the Earthquake collects the work of more than thirty Haitian poets, many who live in Haiti and others who are part of the large Haitian diaspora.


Kevin Simmonds is a poet, musician and performance artist originally from New Orleans. He has three forthcoming books: the poetry collection Mad for Meat (Salmon Poetry), the edited anthology Collective Brightness: LGBTIQ Poets on Faith, Religion & Spirituality (Sibling Rivalry Press) and the edited collectionOta Benga Under My Mother's Roof (University of South Carolina), by the late poet Carrie Allen McCray-Nickens. His gene-defying short film feti(sh)ame, based on interviews with gay men, premiered at 2011 San Francisco's Frameline Festival and Provincetown International Film Festival. His newest multimedia project ORIENT: a new anthropology, about Asian-Black relations, will debut in San Franciso and Los Angeles in 2012, the twentieth anniversary of the LA Riots.


Valetta Brinson. A native of Memphis, soprano Valetta Brinson has performed in the UK, Japan and throughout the US. She specializes in the music of Bach, Mozart and Strauss and has performed with the Nashville Opera Association, Mississippi Opera Association and Opera Memphis in such productions as Der Rosenkavelier, Madama Butterfly and Gianni Schicchi, Die Zauberflöte and Falstaff. In 2004, she created the role of Coretta Scott King in the opera, The Promise, by composer John Baur. She is currently completing the Doctorate of Musical Arts at the Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music where she is a Hohenberg-Scheidt Scholar. She received the Bachelor of Arts degree from Morris Brown College and the Master of Arts degree from Middle Tennessee State University. She teaches at Southwest Tennessee Community College.

***

"Dust (For Kwame Dawes) by Geoffrey Philp

Bawon Samedi's Halloween

I know you won't believe me when I tell you this. But you should. Your life depends on it.


Last Halloween Bawon Samedi, who can take any shape he desires, left the tent cities in Haiti, was detained in Krome, and then, moved into our neighborhood. When we heard he was looking for a partner, everyone was scared except my mother.


"He's just one of God's children," she said. "Like you and me."


But I didn't believe her. I've never had any faith in the stories she told me about why she left my father in Jamaica and took me with her. I don't think she knew how much it hurt me when the other boys teased me: "Where's your father?" they would say as they laughed. "Look, I just saw him coming out of a window and running down the road."


Yet, I remained devoted to my mother. She has been the only woman in my life. Even in her seventies, she was still a good-looking woman. So when Bawon Samedi came to court her, I made sure I bought new locks for the front door.


When I told her I wanted to install a security system, she said, "It's good that you're protecting me now and you can take care of yourself."


I called Brinks Security and a salesman with a funny hat came to my house. "Trust me," he said. "State of the art. No one will ever harm you or your mother with this system. And you won't have to pay anything up front. I can set you up on our credit system."


I refused to bow to the temptation. I paid the full cost and we slept soundly every night.


But little did I know, my mother was betraying me.


Late at night—the neighbors just told me this—she would disarm the system, unlock the door, and invite Bawon Samedi into her bedroom. Or on some nights, they would steal away into the backyard, sit in the swing under our umbrella tree, and admire the moonlight.


That was how I found her when the paramedics came this morning. She was wearing a necklace he had given her and a wedding gown I thought she had donated to the Salvation Army. She clutched a handwritten note in her right hand:


"Don't be upset, my son. My darling says I've always looked pretty in white. So I searched and I searched until I found my old dress. This only goes to show, as I've always told you, 'Nothing is ever lost in God's vineyard'"


And for once, I believed that old woman. For once.


So, this Halloween I'm not taking any chances. For Bawon Samedi loves to entice the unwary. And especially those who don't believe in him. 


I'm leaving an offering of peanuts, a glass of rum with twenty-one Scotch bonnet peppers, and a Cuban cigar by my doorway.


How are you protecting yourself?

***

"Bawon Samedi and his Bride" by Christina Philp

© Christina Philp 2011

"Bawon Samedi's Halloween" by Geoffrey Philp

© Geoffrey Philp 2011

New Book: I Am Going Where I Belong

From the Publisher


Hans Lindor’s I Am Going Where I Belong is a stirring coming-of-age tale set amidst the backdrop of Haitian history.

In the midst of a democratic presidential election, the victor will inherit a torn country which is battling a cholera epidemic—that has already killed thousands living in remote areas— and is still in the recovery and reconstruction stage after the devastating earthquake. Described in more vivid and grim terms in the book, Hans Lindor sums up Haiti’s existence in one sentence: “The existence of the Haitian people seems based on despair, vicissitudes, and destitution.”

I am Going Where I Belong revolves around the cold-blooded murder of Hans Leger’s father and gang rape of his mother. Removed from their wealthy status, Hans and his family move to Florida where they are essentially the same people that Hans Leger watched from the car in downtown Haiti—destined to poverty. Surrounded by violence, poverty, and racism, Hans manages to launch his writing career and lift his family out of poverty.

Written masterfully by Hans Lindor, one of the moving images of the book—at the beginning—describes Hans Leger looking on as a fifteen-year-old girl is forced into prostitution. Though this is a fictional tale, it is not far from reality. The Miami Herald reports that earthquake survivors are being smuggled into the Dominican Republic and used as prostitutes, drug peddlers, and beggars. It is astonishing to see innocent individuals at the mercy of their grim circumstances. The question arises, however, that if the Haitian Diaspora continues, who will be left to save the nation and restore peace and order?

Despite the tragedy-filled events of the book, I Am Going Where I Belong sends the message of hope, positive thinking, and overcoming adversity and hardship. The fact is that many Haitians have fled the country in fear for their lives. Democracy is practically invisible while the state of nation has been unchanged for decades. To this day, it remains vulnerable, treacherous, and violent.

About Hans Lindor

Hans Lindor, novelist, screenwriter and playwright, has a singularly unique perspective on life and has earned many accolades for his fiction and poetry.

Hans Lindor has used his extraordinary life experiences to inspire young people, and has given motivational speeches and workshops to students in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and Florida, advocating against guns, drugs and violence and giving students hope for rising above hardship and social struggles.

"Se Bon" by Felix Morisseau-Leroy

Se Bon!

That’s fine!

That’s fine

That’s fine, judge

That’s fine, father

That’s fine, deputy

That’s fine, big shot

That’s fine, chief

What do you want me to say?

That’s fine

What else can I say?

That’s fine

That’s fine ,your honor

Judge me

Condemn me

Discharge me

That’s fine, father

Baptize me

Confess me

Give me holy communion

Confirm me

Bury me

Say the absolution prayer for me

That’s fine, deputy

Tap my shoulder

I’ll vote for you

That’s right

Eat my food

Sleep in my bed

My daughter will make coffee

What a good jack-of all-trades

She’d be in town!

O that’s fine,

Cop

Beat me up, sheriff

Sticks have no memory

That’s fine, policeman

Arrest me

Set me free just before Election Day.

That’s fine, marshal

That’s fine surveyor

Put me out

Serve me a warrant

What else can I say?

That’s fine

I say: That is fine

That’s fine, deputy

I’ll be drunk as a skunk

On election day.

That’s fine, pastor

Convert men

Civilize me

That’s fine

Call me brrother

Say it again

Deal with me in folklore

Make books out of me

Buy me cheap

Sell me expensive

That’s fine

“Se Bon!” by Felix Morisseau-Leroy. Hatiad & Oddities. Pantaleon Guilbaud. 1991.

Translation by Marie-Marcelle B. Racine

Morisseau-Leroy was an outspoken advocate for the poor in Haiti. In this poem, Morisseau-Leroy catalogs the rogues, whose class warfare and prejudice against the dispossessed is demonstrated in a familiar pattern of laws and religion which are enforced by the deputies, priests, and judges. And to which the speaker can only respond by saying, “Se bon!”

But the speaker’s voice is not resigned to the misery. There is a sharp note of sarcasm when he says, “Sleep in my bed/ My daughter will make coffee/ What a good jack-of all-trades/ She’d be in town.” For if the only way to survive the oppression is to feign contentment, then “Se Bon!”

About Félix Morisseau-Leroy

Félix Morisseau-Leroy (Haitian Creole: Feliks Moriso-Lewa; 13 March 1912 – 5 September 1998), was a Haitian writer who wrote in Haitian Créole for poetry and plays, the first significant writer to do so. By 1961 he succeeded in having Créole recognized as an official language of Haiti, after expanding its teaching in schools and use in creative literature. Morisseau also published works on French, Haitian Créole and Haitian French literature. He worked internationally, encouraging the development of national literature in post-colonial Ghana and Senegal. In 1981 he settled in Miami, Florida, where he was influential in uniting the Haitian community around Créole and encouraged its study in academia.

Source: Wikipedia