At the Spring Valley Public Library : Haitian Leadership Forum gathered around a Big Ceiba Tree By Dr. Jean-Yves Plaisir
(It is never too late to do good. We apologize to Dr. Plaisir and Frankétienne for the lateness in publishing this uplifting reportage about the impact of this living legend on his compatriots, who met, where else, but in a library! Read to the end because there’s an event this coming Saturday, November 9, at the Brooklyn College that shouldn’t be missed. H-O)
On the afternoon of October 13, 2019, the Haitian Leadership Forum Inc. (HLF*) welcomed several Haitian media personalities along with notable members of the Spring Valley Haitian community at the Finkelstein Memorial Library for a causerie with the legendary actor, educator, painter, philosopher, playwright, poet, and writer Frankétienne.
The attendees appeared curious and attentive around this “big Ceiba Tree” unraveling more than 80 years of memories, from his formative years in the locality of Ravine Sèche, near Saint Marc, to his meandering at La Côte des Arcadins and Port-au-Prince where a teenage girl named Annette Étienne raised a difficult boy who would become this prominent man of immeasurable knowledge and savoir faire. A captivating storyteller, Frankétienne drew great interest with the spiraling tales and the increasingly complex lessons that he shared from his teenage years in the ghetto of Bel-Air in the Haitian capital, where he grew into the international icon that he is today.
In his opening remarks, Frankétienne says, “Istwa m se istwa peyi d Ayiti” (“My story is the history of Haiti”.) Like Haitian history, Frankétienne’s life story is filled with examples of personal sacrifices, staggering challenges, great resolves and phenomenal triumphs, resembling in many ways the epics of the Haitian revolutionary leaders who achieved Haiti’s Independence in 1804.
Frankétienne started drinking and smoking at age 6 and showed little interest in school until age 14 when he was mocked by a classmate for ranking at the bottom of their class. Channeling his anger into positive energy, Frankétienne worked hard, outperformed his fellow students, and turned out to be one of the most celebrated alumni of Lycée Pétion, the oldest High School in Haiti, having been inaugurated in 1816.
In his adult life, Frankétienne used theater as a tool to grapple with various forms of social injustice. He spent more than 30 years in the Haitian Communist Party and transitioned from being an atheist to a believer before finding his own voice in the Haitian struggle. He recalls Aimé Césaire’s words upon meeting him in Martinique for the first time, whereupon the author of Journal of a Homecoming exclaims: “En- fin, j’ai rencontré Monsieur Frankétienne qui est Monsieur d’Haïti”. (“At last, I have met Mr. Frankétienne who is Mr. Haiti”.) It seemed that the multigenerational groups of Haitian professionals in the audience concurred with Césaire as they too were longing to present Frankétienne the overdue honors and recognition he so much deserves.
A brass quintet saluted him with Haitian favorites that included Ayiti Cheri and Choucoune. The Deputy Mayor of Spring Valley, Mr. Jacques Chérina, conferred a proclamation to Frankétienne for his lifetime contribution to the advancement of the arts in Haiti and beyond. Next, the President of Radio Modèle presented Frankétienne with a plaque for promoting freedom of speech in Haiti. A former student, Dessalines Peterson, composed and performed in Haitian Creole a poem reminiscing of his learning experiences at the Frankétienne High School in Bel-Air. As for community activist Simone Desvarieux, she expressed with fresh roses the community’s gratitude to the living Haitian legend, whom Dr. Théodore Fayette, the CEO of Haitian Community Haiti Première Classe television show, introduced earlier as “Youn gwo Pye Mapou, a big Ceiba Tree.”
In his closing remarks, Frankétienne reminds the audience that “Peyi nou an piti, men li se yon gwo peyi. E se paske li youn gwo peyi ki fè yo vle kraze l”.(“Our country is small, but it is a great country. And it’s because ofits greatness that [some people] want to destroy it.” These simple but powerful words resonated with deep emotions among his compatriots who seemed mindful of the ongoing crises that threaten Haiti’s national security.
_________________ *HLF is a nonprofit organization that strives to uphold and support the cultural, linguistic, social, and economic rights of people of Haitian ancestry through civic education and entrepreneurship. All members of the Haitian communities in New York and neighboring states are invited to participate in the upcoming HLF community gathering on Saturday, November 9, at the Brooklyn College from 3:00 to 8:00 pm.
cet article est publié par l’hebdomadaire Haïti-Observateur édition du 6 novembre 2019 Vol. XXXXIX No.43, et se trouve en P. 13 à : http://haiti-observateur.info/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/H-O-6-november-2019.pdf
