Kendel Hippolyte
He said in the 1970s, many black poets felt as though they were betraying themselves by following an artform started in Europe.
“It was the time of black power and black nationalism,” he said. “Forms of art and poetry that came from Europe you wouldn’t deal with that. You scorned it. You felt like you were betraying yourself. Over time, I decided that was all bull. Craft is craft is craft. Every language comes with its own history and baggage.”
As a poet, his writing ranges across the continuum of language from Standard English to the varieties of Caribbean English and he has also written poems in Kweyol, his national language.
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Photo: The Royal Gazette
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