As Haitians, We Are The Keepers Of Our Legacy
by CLR James
First published in 1938, this important book (available in paperback) on the Haitian Revolution by a famed Trinidadian writer became the reference for understanding Haiti’s unique role in history. James argues that the Haitian revolutionaries saw themselves as the true believers in the French Revolution.
by Laurent Dubois
A modern, well-written history of Haiti’s revolution and early years that is, thankfully, a pleasure to read. You won’t feel like you’re doing homework. Once you get hooked, you can follow Haiti’s history to the present in Dubois’ second volume:”The Aftershocks of History.”
by Jacques Roumain
This is the seminal Haitian novel, first to attract a global readership. Roumain managed to tackle Haiti’s class, race and power issues in a deceptively simple and touching story about peasant struggles against injustice.
by Jacques Stephen Alexis
Edwidge Danticat played a big role in bringing this iconic novel into English. Alexis had an exquisite eye for Haitian life and this is a complex story that will make you feel like you lived in Haiti in the 1920s. On our list of best Haitian novels, ever.
by Edwidge Danticat
“Breath Eyes Memories, “Krik? Krak! or “The Dew Breakers” are good starting points for a deeper understanding of Haitians in all their humanity.
Liberty in a Soup documents the history of the traditional Haitian heritage of the pumpkin soup (soup joumon) that is eaten every January 1st for Haitian Independence day.
Storming Papa Doc captures one of the most haunting moments in Haitian history. On July 28th, 1958, a team of ex-army officers, led by former Tuskegee Airman Alix Pasquet travel to Haiti from Florida landing in Delugé, north of the Haitian capital to begin their plot of overthrowing Haitian President, Dr. François Duvalier. Director Mario L. Delatour captures this memorable siege through the use of animation and intercuts the story by documenting real-life interviews with people who survived the violent showdown. For the generation who lived through this era, the night of July 28th, 1958 would have changed course of Haitian history forever.
My Father’s Land is a feature documentary which explores the life of Papa Jah, a humble Haitian gardener, whom has spent the last forty years in the Bahamas, building a life for himself and his children, while living in a marginalized Haitian community, nicknamed the Mud. When news arrives of his 103-year-old father taking ill back in Haiti, Pap Jah fears he may not see him before he passes. He then sets out on an adventure, traveling back through Haiti to his family’s small village on the island of La Tortue, to reunite with his father; hopefully before its too late. Juxtaposed against the strikingly rich visual texture of the Caribbean, this travel adventure story, entertains through humor, intimate cultural spaces and vivid landscapes, while touching on socioeconomic complexities of immigration, culture and identity.
La Belle Vie: The Good Life is a story of self-discovery as Haitian‐American filmmaker Rachelle Salnave ventures to confront the grace, and simultaneously the unseemliness, of her native ideologies. Born in New York City, but raised by an upper-class patriotic Haitian family, forced to flee their island nation in adulthood, Rachelle comes of age in the crossfire between two distinct cultures. The beliefs of her nurturing parents, the products of noble family histories, juxtaposed with the truth of her humble working class reality in Harlem, USA, set the stage for an inner conflict that ultimately compels her to search for her own truth.
Through a series of portraits, this film gives voice to offenders (sentenced to penalties of varying severity), who, at the end of their prison sentence in North America are deported to their home country, Haiti. Back in Port-au-Prince, a city they left as children, a new life begins for these “Americans” in an environment that is both completely unfamiliar and quite hostile. Caribbean and Latin American countries are experiencing the heavy burden associated with the forced “migration” of a population unprepared for its return (with no family ties in their “home” country nor mastery of the Creole language) and lack the means to manage any sort of re-integration. The film is built around trips between Haiti, where the deported now reside (and were followed for three years), and North America where their families, who know nothing of their loved one’s new life, are torn with anxiety, blame and regret. After a one-year respite following the deadly earthquake of January 12, 2010, the deportations resumed in January 2011. Directed by Rachèle Magloire and Chantal Regnault
Papa Machete introduces viewer
After being dragged across the border between Haiti and the Dominican Republic by Dominican authorities, a woman of Haitian descent struggles to regain her identity. Stars Krystel Roche, Francisco Solana, Isabel Rolo.
Whether it’s on the soccer fields or in a back alley, in modern day Haiti, the strong survive and the smart thrive. Belensky Pétion, a heavy gambler, an upcoming soccer star and ladies’ man is deep in debt to a local loan and is about to learn how small the island can really be. When his American cousin “Rodlin” arrives in Haiti for a visit, both are kidnapped and held for ransom. But, when their American relative is slow to pay, they must use their wits and courage to stay alive.
Adrienne (Patricia Rhinvil) is a Dance Choreographer whose destiny is upturned when she takes a job at a community Center in Brooklyn NY, and meets JC (Macc Plaise), a Soccer Coach. She teaches dance, he coaches Soccer as a way to keep kids off the streets. Though their mutual attraction is obvious, Adrienne is quickly thrown into conflict when she feels compelled to marry her fiancé Rey, a workaholic young businessman, to please her mother.
Toussaint Louverture is a 2012 French TV film written and directed by Philippe Niang. It stars Jimmy Jean-Louis, Aïssa Maïga and Sonia Rolland and is based on the life of Toussaint L’ouverture.