Odyssey

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GN645 .P74 NO.38-43
LUU:: Main Library :: Middleton Library (Main
Collection)
Article CC:CCL
Prsence africaine
Pr?sence Africaine
Pr*esence africaine.
Du r?alisme merveilleux des Ha -tiens / Prolegomena to a Manifesto on the
Marvellous Realism of the Haitians
Jacques Stephen Alexis
8-10
June-November
1956
251-275
LUU ISSN: 0032-7638
1639236
336984
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Cruz,Nicole
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I I I I ~ I I I I I I I I I I I I I I ~ III! 1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111! 11111111111
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GN645 .P74 NO.38-43
LUU:: Main Library :: Middleton Library (Main
Collection)
Article CC:CCl
Prsence africaine
Pr?sence Africaine
Pr*esence africaine.
Du r?alisme merveilleux des Ha-tiens / Prolegomena to a Manifesto on the
Marvellous Realism of the Haitians
Jacques Stephen Alexis
8-10
June-November
1956
251-275
LUU ISSN: 0032-7638
1639236
336984
ISSN crossmatch found using OClC number
FTU:: Main Library
Cruz,Nicole
-'. _., a.::::
. .. RAPID
1Il-.::: ILL.
This material may be protected by copyright law (Title 17 U.S. Code)
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https://rapid2.1ibrary.colostate.edullllNiewQueue.aspx?ViewType=PendingByBranch&Id=95 6/8/2010
PRUENCE 1
by its hy its by dancers! sc on thei; return (
to Hatti they couJd explaln to therr respective clrcles what mtellec f
of Negro origin are doing, and how they j1!-c!ge effort!. .'
F1nally they wanted it to be the oboi of each H3.ltlan which finanhadced j
the voyage oItheir delegates. That in the end the Government ,,'
to finance the voyage of this incomplete pc:haps, ):>ut
very representative of important sectors, a -Wlth which", 1
" moreover,. 1 cO-Operate in the most .fraternal Sp1.IIt, that the C?overn-
, IDe!lt, as .assuIl1ed this responsibility, dernonstrates the Inter:
which Hruhan Intellectuals have taken in this Congress.
and important llleetings and discussions have taken place ,
about the themes of the Congress - as weIl aS to clarify the Sltuauon
and tasks 01 Haitian CuI ture in tion to the culture of other bro:
er
pe,?ples. Thus, sin ce l had occasion to be in Paris at the time
this ,Congresswas being held numerous Haitian. Vlrters and .
ha dl"" , . th Vlev.1
,,:e e egated to me the signal honour of presentIng . e tion
which. d,?m.inant a:rnong us about what should the ?n
enta
of HaltIan literature and art in the light orthe onglns, history, getr
" .' !1nd struggles of ou; people.. 'Paper wh!ch. l
lS largely a. persona} 'york, bas been dise IuISt'
,and .approved ,hy nUlllerous Haitian. wrt<:,rsOo and l, ben
,.,part1cularly thank the Folk!orique it:S"
, .. of the 'Foyer des Arts the Thea1!e Hruu
. '.' ,d Acteurs Populrures .for thetr coUaboratlon ln and
of,this Paper.. 1 a!s:> thank
- ' io t<;llectuals,. who. by cntIcaI contnbutions or .thetr me
coruuderahons enabled tne to -,improve titis
.. the &:eat mass of creators nroduce ID ",iL!- .....
realiSnc W-- -, '-,' e't-
' Wliicli..1
'.' - -.ua We uave th h '-' .. --- -if"'Cfut ' - hat nmkes It n&:."' ...... -
- . "tQ.. bong.to ..
:.'- ve a Haitia
n
art "",hich is
, , ' ,F"CXlJr:e$SlQn and af'''ffi- - '" '- . .. _--, '. v" . .. e al.inJ,t:!
" ... ,
' -On .. i.. ",*", .. ,' LIS the ongtn of these Prolegomena 10 a ,,' '" ""
''- . YJ;e l.v.tarVellous Re.alisn1 of th H tians " ' ' .
.... 1 go present froJn the iN::::
'C, to th.ank" the great ReVIew of mtellectuaIs 0 JIlet.
. ,::" 'We ., esence 4fricaine, ,thanks to which t.his Congress baS ture
. \" f+L.<:an
not
be aCCUSed o:f Negro particu1ar.sIn 50 long as the ..
" .,' 0 t..U.e Nif"'O"ro pen 1 th ' - till the Vlct.U!l,
\: ' of the -: P es, ?se peoples themselves:t IS S "Vest.
paternalisIn 0t:
a
calh
:' '". upon US to d n?StaIgic For," a past, -c:ms fact: aJso
to
the: "
,',': ........... .' . our ,proPOSItIons clearly _l;T'1It"nnu .closely aIl the
';:. : on 'VV ch they "' bat
';' ',.', and .... - ba.sed... 'l'hus I can tel! you t .,. desue'
and bcli '. - :J:ilitant Ultellectuals a the Republic of HatI..-oaIes ' "
, the "\VC::ld
Ul
a e. cuItu:i::al brotherhood in anns of the
of' ",
2.50
f
OF THE' !vlARVELLUS REALIS1\f OF THE HAITIANS
.251
f
1
1 PROLEGOMENA ,TO A MANIFESTO ON THE MARVEL-
.,
f . LOUS REALISM OF THE HAITIANS
r 1 . httroduction.
1 : AlJ the ntellectuals' of Our tiIne feel more . or less
( at one with Man and at one aIl10ng themselves. Arnong
who are Illost conscious and Illast Ear-seeing about the
of Art are convinced that their action in dispersed arder is an
to the i:mpetus of a conscious. and .. radiant art truly
, . e of man. l t seems to thetn that 1t is not enough to sustaIn
in specifie instances, as, for exarnple, "\vhen' the freedoIn of
, 13 threatened, but that the fire of criticisID must be brought .
; '. upon aesthetic itself. That is what explains this m.eeting of
-:: egro .mt:llectuals for exarnple. - .. ' . . '. . .
. . In this century, when m.en are alreadvtravelling at the speed qf ."
::.,:d, when ideas cross the frontiers withut.a passport, ths "
. . t:? greatest discovrery' of energy of all tinIe, -a discove:y whicli '. .
penmts 50 nlany so m.any leaps forwarc!, which even ' .' .....
yesterday were stil.l inconceivable,- this
. tythe final eradlcation of ipjustice anj! $s century,. '.'
.
. III wrucli equahty ana progress are the order of the day, ....
that the funaamental ....
.. oI
of consequence, 'ffiFre to-day
Jhe o
. of ..
other words, a new _ " . ..
or It 1$ true that in all times the artist bas been a 'Vl.tness to the ,
city; he bas reproduced its essential scez:es, !ts
CUstolllS, bdiers and m.oraIs,. he has sung beautIt;S, Its
and its draw-3S the artist has been a professor of the Ideal,.
an educator'ofthe public ri. singer ofhopes and dreOS'
the hardships and of the w?ili.
sa:J.d that the artlSt was an Aeolian V1bratmg. . ">
b . th . .' . . .' .;w..J..., . It 15 Dot a quest10
n
,. ..
rea .; n..atura.!ly,thatis no_longer .. a ues->',:::;,
. merely beanng ""Itness to the l.deal and
. tion .' ., the' .. ,].d,.eachpne!. thC .. '
hl esphere w IS properto him . ItJSa quesuonof ""./ .
.... iS .. ....
oatding:: the, liqU1dauon of tlia
t
,vhich. JS

of'their mission and their taSks-, 'all
, artists o:fa cohntry;the o-,-,::,Y ones lR '"" ", .. 'J .. "::;
." " "" 1 ,'.
...>: .. ,>. _: -.. o"
. :: ..- .,:-',
,_;;," ... -: J"'
.: :,' . J::'-- ," ..>; {:""," .<;
253
, '.1 "J,
' .. : '"'
254 . PRESENCE AFRICAIN! .
. '. t
of existence proper to all.the slaves of the \
lllto account the long survival of ideological superstructures, f
the disappearance of the basis which them. Il
Once tndependence Varas conquered and a cornP3:ratlve I
m.ove.rnent throughout the country was s. ecured, fUSIon was .
even lD?re rapid against the of a n J .'
everything had to be reconstructed, slnce the War of liberatIon 1
called for the destruction of the whole product of the .sweat of:: '
fonner slaves, aIl the wealth of this slUaIl country which' ab:m" \
half the externaltrade oE France. . The fact of this "sCC!rched iS
wa: must not be forgotten> for it explainsa of the
tJ:.ecountry bas experienced, and, in partlcuIar, the
Wl.th wlch works of culture of universalvalue have
the first s'teps of tOO nation which has achieved the mcreul e .
of winning its independence' at the very roomentwhen the
. powers were tO'launch themselves upon the conques
to
,.
less developed countnes. '.. . '.,'. ct
. What is a fact, if not, on a the P filidr
. of that tendency -WhlCh unpels m.en to orgamse the ro
. of the society in which they e,
them
____ . _____ of.. them ,- in iheir

' __ all .. uni t
.: tram what bas D'one beore connn...;-- "
even t1Yar"'v;;r:y'sllghdY"devo
p
ed ;r orgarused, t
., albelt l?cal culture. ,." .. ".,' " . ' " - le or
a
l'
'. :. When SOCleties enter upon the process of fornnn$" a peold more .
nat:0n, sOIIletrung m.ore . coroplex-, nCher an tyof
" One. rrught say that in ths"' case culture I?' a co:mIIl
UIll
iisdf
psychisni" o tastes, of of conc;epts, which ex-presses tnort t
. ,-:;:. ail fields of human acuVl.ty, a conunUD.lty Iormed by .
ft; less clearly defined, more or less stable, a conunUIllty f beautY l
om a psychic heritage and exteriorising itseIf, by works 0
!fin,o in variable' reJation with the of:J '1
. orees and the social relationshlps of the sooety:W d "tbln
. x:
ces
l.t.: the society in' question is still inIperfectly Unifi :"1 1
,. " one can culture ofa people itaIso
d
1
," national C1ent Greece .or .. AnClent EgyJ?t, for exanrple) a:n in tbt:\
':: 'course of fF'ture. when It: 15 the of a real natlO11 1
": ':. or _ aIredy orm.ed (Haitian or. German. ' .. ' ' " j
. 1
.,,o;'i-:asto ha ' .. : realitywhichlS concealedbythis 'WoriL . cl: itt, 1
lively conception.o the' P' henomenon.Frequetl. 1
.i
.. (,,:>we speakof .' . i.>We therefores
ee
tfui
4
- .n-:"
... ';"! .. .. ... ... .. 1.0 .... .11 ..., .. .. ;g .... , ... . "'1
...... . ... , '.' ',;, ..... ... " ", . '.... .: .... : - . '. . " '.,". l
. ,.' ";.' ;:;: .... .... ..,.... :.c:':' ',':' ""';' ;.:.>:.,>.., :;.:, ... x' ': .. ,.. " . ":.' . . : .. ,>.. .' '.' " i
," .; '.,' :, ... c.' " ',: .",,:,.- < " ',; .-',,, .. '.'::"" .. .:: .-::.. " ..... ,." ....\:,.; .-' .. .
.. _c.-.___ . >-\ '; " '0' '''''''-''-J .' .. '. <
J

OF THE !\fARVELLOUS REALISM OF THE HAITIANS
255
J of a !erritory. which . is. to-day occ;:upied by an individualised
, notwlthstandlng the dlfferent socIal structures and stages of develop-

of productive forces which have succeeded each ather there.

"Yorb of culture have, in effect, a very long life, rnuch more exten--
. Slve repercussions than the society which has conditioned them, or
r tJ:an the tendencies of the spirit of the men who were contem.porary
r': Wlth these As a resul t of this, culture is a fact ""hich em. braces
i., -,-the whole lif<: 'people, fro:n the beginning. of. its its ,
\ constItutIon, down to lts modern orgalllsatl.on; culture lSan -
l"" mcessant happening, are in the darkness
fade away Into the ZIllSts of the Iuture. _
. .\. 'red'" _This lndlcates how narrow we consider' tJ:e views of who
l . uce culture to' a few works, of art and, hterature of UIllversal
, scope, without paying attention

ons are neglected of set plirpose. It 15 true t;hat a .'
exteno:z:ses Itself by Irlans of a body of works -of-
exemplifies the culture in the eyes of ail men, but It 15
.by !D-eans of such works alone that a people the
.and .general .of its cultural We ."
..
tney. :ID 'sorne sort -'iiS' frOIn whiCh " .',
e contributions of tnen of cuiture it.m.ust. be added that .'
very oflen, these individual ofa sense of_ beauty .... .
ta on the base. wmch has condltlOned them that, .
in base Itself 15 l11odified. Sornetnnescultural works are .
of the culture ofwhichthey fonn part. Theopp?'sluon .
by
whic
h
SOOle people tend to establish . the fOrzDS. contnbuted ".
men of culture and the f"ortnS contnbuted collecnvely by .'
derives an absiIrd cataIoguing-logicwhichwant;s ta s.e
t
watertight cornpartrnents. Even,:when an trIes
the originality of his contribution by a own
- the consciousness of that artist is a SOCIal
a '\vhich s collective as 1Duch as individual, and wmc
often without rr
Jl
lising- popular forms, and ri: - .- ,
_ , som.etInes quite recent sometl1les already 0 t. sorne
:fY remote.. For us the of a conununity s a
the production of'universa-': -3 _ _
d",-, ys reacts on the culture in questlon, unpds) 1t
k
0:t,rwar
thp
':-hQ1e ..... .
its autonolDy.. We must $en:fon: .. , ",,,,,
of our
qJ ..... .i.a.l.tia .. .. - -d r ' - , '
l...-rf
___ WOr..ao:s OI cu are th
to pron
unce

a.:d ! OUe 15 CODStra.i'ill-to contenxpIate ihe Zest
tend nferior cultures, and' in this ''\vay one Justifies f thase States
. ency towards cultural im.peci1ism. on:the: 0 " , '
. ,:' ::\;' ".' c.
256 -PRESENCE AFRICAINE
who make a desperate effort ta stifie the cultural contributiom of
other peoples.. . __ .;
. , , is beyond dispute that som.e contemporary peoples have
contrtbuted more works than others; it is aIso true that cultarel 1
rcflect,. in varying measure, the development of the productive power
of the community, but who, on this basis, would dare ta assert that
the sculpture of Praxiteles is inferior to that of the last hundred
years? And yet Praxite1es lived in a slave society, where the pr0-
ductive powers were little developed; J!Ql:-US a WQr . Ba,
which 10r human and it is a ,_-". ,_=-_ ..-

_4'Ci:iIu!:es necessaril
1:'
' ... _ -'inhurnan social structures and unfvourable cucumstances. 1&, ,
"f.;1l.lturesofall-peoples aresisters of different ages, but still simn: 1
" .... "These, then, are the bases on wruch we judgethe culture of our
,:-: country.. _cult;ure is a .
,- h'f -"still fuis a Ion -
:-, lmow "JI':"" tliat-'iF' cuttuIt},
great and fille, they live in a smaIl .
- terntory.. It will be through efforts and struggles that we shall
< ".travel the-Zongroad' that lies ahead oC us, but the Haitian t'"
,artists and inteIlectuaIs have confidence in theirculture and in their
,: people.. . ". " .. ',,' . /', .. . ",..' .' , ..' .' . " - <,>...... (

the. constituent C()ntributions.to Haitian-cuIture \verethree innmn-
. '. ."'
:::"-c. -.: . ,. . '.,.' <
' .. :,"
...... .'. ,. >"
:'.:':.:. ..... .
, ,. , '.', i: ',' -"'::'::'.7 ".", .
to. Haitian of .....
,r:<,';Everyone.lt.n.OVvs: that: type of' the Ha1tlan ntral dwclling JS .......... .
.. ..
.
OF THE MARVELLOUS REALISl\;[ 'OF TE HAITANS'';' 257
.Il)
r
of the Xemes, gods, are sometInes even buriedunder the
consecrated altars of. certain V oodoo gods. Even more, it seems
that syncretisIll applied to these gods thernselves (the .. :".c
.. the Sireny .. the:red.SiInbisy, SOb9 .
S'puili iconography on theTainos leads us ta think that the cckan,:",
daIes" "\\torn by our littl kings in the popular carnivals of
l
i
!
j
a:
e
of Chemes origin, just as the dances perfor:med by these ca.rnival
convey the impression that these successors of the amous
Os
tr
oi king of the "Brillant de Soleil" band of dance in a
style of Indian inspiration. Sorne ethnographers think that the :
rural festivities are of Indian origin,
ve-ve " syrrlbols of the gods, drawn on the ground in the
, the are also taken from the (ths.
fact 15 dISputed by others). It rnay also be thought that the techni-
que., minly linar, or the Chernes plastic arts (bas-reliefs of the Zirn.
Ba:u:, for example) is found again in the style of manyreredoses of
Voodoo altars. 1 t is an jrn.portant task for us to seek. the ..
.. Anacaona, the Golden Flo:w:er,".and the
Henri in Haitian culture. It iS encouraging to see oU! -C.'
dir,ecting their attention to these researches, \vhich ;are
nnportant fora clear understanding of our past and our present,
.andthus pf our .future.It. is striking to find the fidelity which the .. ,
of Haitiah people display to"vards the Chemes Indians; thus, .
m the Carnival, "\vhich often translates the profoundego of peoples, <.
the processions are traditionally Ied by flOcKS of people dressed up as c;'
Indians and bearing the narnes of the Moreover, ..
a comparative study of the various types of IIlajolica faence in use .;,
throughout the Gulf of l\lexico and the various islands of- the Antilles 'k:':'
!i
t
opens up great possibilities .. of obtaining
ID a systeIllaUc. study of the regtons of ..
and the Guineas,where the' Che:mes originated, and where sorne-
POpulations of Taino origin "\vould make it possible to. throw
deaI of lighton theCiboney phases. the
.. At"the sarne tim.e, thecontributi6n has played thelargest,

!ooks at'-- one finds the indelible iInprint of the Negro..\Vhether ....
'" 1$ a q'lestion of oral Jiterature, of our legends, o:four
9te .XtraOrdinary rOUlancer:. .:,.'
.15. question OflllUSic or danc
1
of plastic arts or the Afhcan .. ;'".,
leaps to themind. 'It.is,true.that aIJ .. .
. colour; they, are proper.to;
}iye:,in, 'weIl as ou:- epic __ ..... .....
.. Pnthose ofthis 9r .'
... ;:.........< . < .. .. '.' ...........
.. .... The'\V and part1cularly Fra.::'-ce? hasalso left lm markupon. .
. J11$t as -wecannot' overlook the influence orthe .. French Revolu ..... ,.
,tion on
'-": '_,c" ., ," __
. .:
< " .;.:, :' .'
,,"::"
.. ",-...'" ,".. :'.'_ ...
'. ,. , .
.:. ", . "
," "'"
-'.' ,
",' "
. .. ,'
n..,' . <
"-.> , -;'
~ 2 5 8 .
PRESENC.E AFRICAINE
r
OF THE l\IARVELLOUS REALIS1\.I OF TE HAITANS 259
1
'.
,
t a number of Haitians. Haitian lllen of letters and of culture have
t
, not only kept thetaste for French art and literature, bt they have
. also adopted its fOrnlS. It is true that in theircapacity of " bour ...
r
: creators, if 1 Inay say SO, at the outset they copied theseforrns
mechanically, while often infusing nto thexn a 'Haitian
From thiS was. born that literary .. t
,which.: was
t ....
Dy 1\fadiou, Beaubrun Ardouin, Ignace Nan, OS"\\Tald Durand,.
Coicou, Ption J and 50 xnany others, without.
"vithout,.,. of:
.. ,France has bequeathed to
.. rwlD8". classes the French language, but she has. a.Iso . bequ.eathed
It to Hatnan who. were, to sorne extent, hnked Wlth the
people..' loyers of !laitian. culture-and its popular of expre.ssi0r.!-. ,
Such lS the ongin of" the work of' these ....
in' fornis inberited at . once from France andfrom Haiti. . .
. In it would be' :fair to add< thaf lias giverf'uSC-
more than just a fe-w 'W"ords in our vocabulary The rebellious' troops .....
of Jean-Franois, of Biassou, of Toussaint-Louverture did not fight
sh0t.d
der
to Spanish soldiers for the liberation of
tett:J.ttory, HaItI d1d not constitute one and the sallle country Wlth'
the Spanish part for tens of years, without this having an influence . ..
?n Haitian culture.. Down to the present, Spain continues her
influence tl].r?u .. gh ,.,.'
.!!!.4 Donumca
I1
,.
... Lastly,. \ve should
say duit the troopswho .
, ".anq ..
,; "
Taiiis {'or ..
pie) and the .. u.. .. , .. *
., -All._tl1ese-',,ontribl,1tions,: of an ncrcdible diversity, . have bceri .

... .. , j"c ..
'4.',Speciai ........ ' ..... ,'. "',. ..... . ..... ....... . ,
is cOIDIIlonlysmdi.ii
... practice, t,vo cultures 1.vhich
L
cO-exist ... in HaitL
are F ch - 1 .c ... d.' lm e"-::.n,""4,:J:.
e
"mas..:- ... the .
.. c . -lll_ .. y ... ,,.,t..v..::: . ,c'.:
, ..... .. ....
. .. .... 1 gese .c. .. , ,vhich ..arecurrently ,.' .: .......
....... expressed arnong' usby assiiiian0nISts,., the parrotsof .' .. , .
... 'Wantto:make Haiti intoH'cultural
fISe, in the sense that they do not penetrate the out\vard
.:appearance of lngS: .. " "It D.Certain that" in any country; is a.>.','
'. . -'.' .. "
.-: ... - .....
,260
AFRICAINE 1
different incidence of'.national culture according to social
,that is, what SOUle people caU bourgeois culture and proletan
an
culture, within the fraroeworkof the same -national cUlture. ,-
":.Jhe_ ruliIlg, classes OI the world are to-clay attacked _, by that __ _
___ which _."It"is certa!n that our rulI?g
- classes are more snutten ,'VIth French history and hterature than
_Haitian history and literature, it is certain that they sing aU the fashio-
.nable popular -songs, dance all the lllaxixes, aIl the
spend their holidays in en the Cote d.Azur,
In Flonda or New York and knnw btde about the countryslde or
the interior of the country. ,lt is true to say that the ruling classes
have never been more careless Inore scornful of the past, present
'and future of their country, but, in spite of alJ, one cannot say that
do not sha'rein the natjonalHaitian,cultur
e
... =- .' . .'
_ .. We would say thai-,c''the-Haitian ruIing classes are of HaInan
. bourgeois culture, under their supe'rfical veneer of
and _ AlI personal,political, artlstlC, reli
gIO
:;
soclalreachons of. the:se people correspor,tc!- to Fur-
partIcular,setlll-feudal andpre-capItahst of froOl
they love and react intensely to the natlona!- mUSIC, tales
early childhood t?ey learn, if only froIn their. do.mestIcs, the
legends and of Haiti) they take part. ln. the
popular very often they. re as IIluch and v ra as
.as the pc:ople, lll_a word" they react generally lfl the "\'w y
Hrutlans. .' ... .' .'. - . . '," . . _ - on of
.', verbose theories on Hati, as a U
. france, were -D.a:turally bound to excite violent reacno
ns
. ed by
llltellectua!s, art:t-s; and 'W-riters,. in the. face of this, baye liood
_ y opposed theories. Ofte? ln thetr hal---e
_ . will and therr great Ioyalty towards Haitian reahtlcs, they ufisIn
and _ {,allen nto a cultural natiorialism: a pop h le'
has: not a1waV<:. been of the highest quality but on the "!'i
th .' h J - , cial' DIVesu::u
feJ.r aCti?:r;t as _,been, and continues to be, benefi.. d in
o -a H Negroisxn ' \ a' certain this indigeIllSt. r:re
n
cul-'
art and hterature is adynamie thing and profitable ta HaI
Oan
d
ture.: At th<: sanIe tme, 'We nlust say that' all these
,c this gloatIng over an alleged H Negro'P-
ess
tD.
f
thC ....
. the reality of the cultural -;h the
--. -: tlan .tlie .. aIl men,
goes '--' vince
that c:z,lture is an off-shoot, a
4'the,.so of th
ture
, lt to he the
. - b .' ns" ,- at Popular forros and symbohsrns n:
ust
ring
aslS on ,vhich we n::
itst
build up' our' cultural productIon! \'C
'. ': Future, . .,J:Y 9t 5?-. .. ?f onns "\vhi
ch
_ ha
Haitlan, \vhich Hru.tl haS .
:' - Uitf music, forntS: of'
:.'., \Vestem andA.c..!; 1I1 Hl1?.t lS If"",,-
, that 15 ta sax they ar' Haitian
"'" - 7"""""-- <- ' ....... - -.. ' , . -".-."'"
"
< .. c;:..-
'_;,':., .'c
','
- - .". . .
. "
.... .
" "
. .:.: ....
1

f OF THE MARVELLOUS REALISM OF TE HAITANS
261
t
t
1
assimilationists in the old- days mechanically copied the Western and
French modes and forms, that is not the fault of French culture;
moreover, by the renovated use Il'lade of the III by Marcelin, Hibbert, ..
Lhrisson and Routnain in the field of the novel, by Oswald Durand, .
Louis Diaquoi, Isnard Vieux, ROllSsan Camille, Morisseau-LeroY3 -...
. Jean Brierre Ren Depestre po.etry, Justin
(
Elie, OccIde Jeanty and LudoVIC Lam.othe ln mUSIC, and som.any
other creators in all form.s of art, we are the heirs of a whole treasure
which we must inlpel onvard, so that it Dlay reflect, in fonu as weIl
as !1 content,. the true visage of our peopl, their problems, their
r
f
1
f
,
,
r

hopes and thelr struggles. _ -_
5 The Permanence of Cultural Contributions _. -
'. '"
If the ruling classes of Hati, often at one with a certain racist
wish to deny the_ African. cultral heritage,' it muSt be .'
5aId that the Illasses of our people, headed by the intellectuals of
the advance guard,claim their quality as Negroes, and the perma--
ne?-ce of the African cultural heritage. Without evasion they reco-
gruse the kinship of their cultUre with that of their cousins and brothers
of African origin. ...._
-' It is certain tItat aIl peoples who trace their origins to Africa
show a permanence of cultural features which it would be obvious
had faith Dot to recognise: the masses of Negroes transplanted into
America, and ,vhohave-becorne nations. or national m.inorities,. .
and the Africans o:f today share in this pennanence.. Another indis- '
fact is that the works which spring from cowitrieS of Negro
ongin are more InInediately felt,. more deeply penetrated, by Illen of
Negro origin. NUIIlerous are the Haitian musical -rhythms wlch
certain African rhythrns, somethnesto, the point of being ,
tnistaken for thelll: the HaitianVoodoo, the Brazilian Macumba, the .. '.
Cuban Santeria, have znanifestations '\vrnch 'are not :merely akin;; but'
w-hich irresistibly attract the spirit towards certam similarreligiollS'\ .: ...
manifestations whch are proper to Africa.. The Haitiarior Cuban/..,j'
poRular tale, Dot only in its fabuIar forrn,c- but in.the wayof telling ...
lt;) s near to the African tales.;. One could .multiply examples. /
This permanence of cultural (1,vhetht;r it iS
\Ve.stem) is least stable and least laSting when the InternaI econonnc
, ':and historical realities of the country -under consideration cause il ta
.. develop differently frOll1 other peopleswithrelatedc1tures.
tantgeographic conditions; trade and social re1ationsare. aIso l.nlpo:- .
-tant for the long durability ofinherited. culturalreatures ...... .
... )lennanence of cuIturaIfeatures ...
... longrun in an individualised nation. _,.Atthe same
ele-r:tents,of cultll!C;mIlnotdisappear .. "Vlthout
.1eavmg traces III a natIonal Culture far from;.
whence it is derived .. . In effect, natIons are subJect ta other cultural ..
.. influences those of' oilier natioos',vhichliven the same geographical_ ..... .
Zone as. thern where- relatons andtrade arefrequent__J\,foreove:,-.'
... veryoftenn the world of to-day,thc;.nati{)DS geograI?wc.<,
.::', .'.
'"'_C,, :
',"'..
- .... ,. '. .....
.x .... >
. . ,:. '. -", .
...... -
1
.' 262 PRESENCE AFRICAINE i

zone have an internaI econornic and historica1 reality which 15 t
.. neighbouring, if Dot paralleI. t

. '. 6. Zonal Cultural Confluence.
\Vhen one thinks, for that round the Caribbean
. "and . the Gulf of ]\'fexico, 'a real Mediterranean of Central
/the different nations who live there have kno"vri in the past sIm
I1ar
. of settlernent migration, that. are 1.
still gOlng on., tbat the seDll-feudal and stage 15 l
- ; . to all, and that the sarne economic and pobttcal lS
Iot,one cannot be astonished at the fact that they exper:ence of 1
/rconfluence of their diverse national cultures. CertaIn reacno
ns
.
. 1 these peoples towards realities-, their habits of social life, their sentI.. i
.. reactions sornetirnes show a striking orten el'en . ,
: thelr art has analogous tendencies, not nterely ID content, but. also, t
... 'thsoInLae the fornt of expressio.n.
'.' '. e ., hn encan peoples, the way ID W c t ey.
... other !C? conquer .. respective ':he rud J:r
> Dessahnescand PetIon to the MeXIcan General Mina,. toMiran . 1
the Haitian volunteers who shed their .bloc;>d in the
... : .. :ArD-erlcanlands, aIl that createsa brotherhood 15 favoura fforts .
....CUltural }e!lds us the conVIctIon that our: n ta .
,:"cannotbe dissoClated,. and It lscertaln we- must atten
t1
Ri
o co
.:::.all I110vem.ents of the Donurucan Republic, Porto- . J
h.-f'CXlCO,. Panam.a Venezuela etc .' . .f'
F
,. ,.. . C IllI"41
". '.' zonal cultural confluence is not peculiar to e ta
and Latin Amenca, but all the nations of Western EUT?pe seern
ti
have cInbarked on a process of the inter-penetration of diverse :;: ;-
na! and in all the great regions of the globe one fin . e
In. Western Europe- scho?ls of art,
li:hrature, .1ll- dress.,. custolllS,. SCIence, and
' .. 1 er e3.:ch other, and even thf:.-. vocabu!aIY
hbourinK
"1.
- 18 loaded with words borrowed froro ,!lelg \
,.'. CQt.mtnes. ' . '. '. In thesam.e :way,. '. looking . at the;' Slavomc . na
tIons
.._ ..
:. at .. 1
.,;:._ Co . th .. and:Negro.A:frica; we may weil ask ID f,:ce ... in '.
of national byzonesll -!ire .1 ...- ....
beg:uuu.ngs of zonal ...... : .><
" :..... . .
. ,'''',''
.'. .;oC.aim.swhiCh have'nothing tO do. Vilth'
" .... ."vethiDk1tdenl" '.
...
. .. .... whichis 0# vagu;!}.t
.... is
1
i OF THE lvIARVELLOUS REALISl\I OF TE HAITANS 263' -
,.
t taking shape. . " Culture" or "Human Culture" is in fact the pro-
t duct.of a selection, of acritical choice by the consciousness of pro-
.: gre5Slve men betwecn everything that is Illost positiver Inost valid
and mast dynam.ic in the various existing national cultures. The
new humanisrn for which hundreds of nrillions of Illen in the worId
are struggling seems to us to be exactly the nucleus of that culture of
the future, proper to aH m.en.. The constitution of thls hUlllan culture
Dot proceed without battles, and it is' good and profitable that
f
. nucleus, the new hUIllanisIn of to-clay, should beincessantly .
verifi<:d, discussed and called in question in aIl its provisional aspects.
, !hatIlS.to say thhat the spirit ofself-sufficiency,thespirit ofchauvinism
J ID to t e proble:ms of culture, is not only opposed to progress
f
but IS dail.y breached by the reality which is piling up before our eyes
the.f!rst Slgns of this culture of the future, proper to all-men.We.
! HaltIans ?O notthink it is complacency to say that for our part, our .
f ,viII have contributed and. are contributing to it,
1 Wlth the few works of value wlchtheyhave produced for the JOY
happlness olmen, ,vith their art,. and their art but aIso .. '
Wlth t!te hu;nanisITI of Toussaint-Louverture, that of Jean ... Jacques .
Dessahnes,like that of Jean-Jacques Acau.. .. .' ... . .', ...... .
. ' vVe do not see "\vhy, in the light of aIl thathas gone before, ',:
the ?f people, of any cultureexisting on earth, should have '"
an infenonty complex to"\vards this that other culture,. unles$
he to de!1Y to other men the qualities and possibilities whi<:h he " ...
attributes to himself.. In recent centuries the\Vest has.found Itself .
at the the ITIOVelllent of hurnanityin the production of uni-.,
versai works of culture, we recognise that willingly" butwhat do a: ' .. ,
few centuries represent. in relation ta the long rnillenmunls of culture:,' >
which there have been in the PaSt,and:ro with still more reason, in,
reIationto the future wruch awaits us all? "The UloDl.enthas co.me .. ...
.. toraise our black hands in the deba.te" alongside. aIl .. the. friternal:. :',
, yellow,whitt; Texnporarjr di!ficulties. .
.. the .world .of to-day, there are lllany. oppresslons, many: ..
agamst which aIl men of heart must struggle; but already "!t 1S possIble:. 'c <
10 saythat.we are orienting ourselvestowards a harmoIllousconcert::.>,
.. of national cultures.. The spirit. breathes, eveIje"'W'here, . no race ....
. '. no areaof the worldhas a m.onopoly o(cu!ture; the (lf
.. ItlOdern ... ,.:.;- . " ..... ... .,','
The' HistorndJ'Qua;";1 betwenRe;ti:'" ... .> '. >.
_ .' -. ," _, c _. ," ", ",' '.: '
.:.,\:tt is our' 'oiniori:ihi, '.
..as for our Negro brothenJ7 SI!ce ,ve ...
":1s lin.ked .to .. ,.:'
.' ..... if and
........ opmwnCXlSt be.tween.:us;.. ,.4rt Io.r us lS_ es.-;enttlly
' .. :' ..lUe; . be1ore ilie collectors arnved U1 Craftsmanwas a deco- ;:(?,:.:;.{
>tanxo! or .' e,tral
the
.
:th thesatne,way,,:< .c ell:' .'. . :,'",.': . ,':c./. '.>:?.
',.'
.. ' v,' .; .....:. .. ,:.;._ /:.-.. ' ....;. < ,: >
.' c.'.. _', - " :' ,',' ..
" " '," .. ,,'. :.:<
'/ <.:-. .. ,': ':'. '.'.. ,. . '::, , . .;/ .....
.. ,. . ... ',_ :>: .. :'- ", ,', ,,".<.:.' t:::-
1
264
PRESENCE AFRICAIl't1: (
people, whose cultures to be in confluence to-day, have nearly l
,aIways produced works which "vere, in general, Iinked to the reaI. r
( 1 t is true that on the Dl.orrow of their respective independence, these
peoples have nearly all known phases of imitation, particularly of
'France,' but nothlng lasting has come out o them. Everything
notable and valid whch has been done in their literature has pro-
ceeded frOIll realistn. Ha tian art was realistic long before the Rtnu
f Indigne. It -was a Iurious battle which the Haitian companions
1 of the spiritual gained, a long tinIe ago, over the scanty partisans of f
u pure art". ' .'
, We are convinced that the tendency which consists in launching {
oneself ioto intellectualist and cosmopolitan experim.ents, experime-!1
ts
which have no link with the history ofone's country, no contact Wlth
the native soil, no solidarity with the man of our time and bis com-
this tendency to-wards H pure art H, to unbridled liberty in lieu 1
and instead of a sense of hUlllan liberation; this tendency to licence, f'
'. '.' is orny the doing of' a sm.all fringe of artists, linked to the decadent .
social classes, the o the real pederasts o.f culture. Unfor- 1 ...
" tunately, sorne of tllese people exist in every country. It is true that,
.. ' throughout the history of culture, there has been a swing of the
"'dulwn between these two Realism and Formalism,
whether the ruling classes were dynamic or decadent, but theesser:
tial
4
, part of the production of all great artists has taken the sicle of t,
..... of the' hurnanism o.f their time, and of the national e..-xpcession, Ul
of the caprices o '" the wishes of society" or in other , ...
. the market for culture. It is true that the disciples of licence could
ta ances:tors ax:d, more, that some &I
tted
eat
:;' '. <artIsts havebeen subJected to negatIve have 'cornnn.
, venial too much; importance t? the
," but they we!e onIy uItnna!ely great beca:,-se therr \vork
. globally realist andhurnamst.. ; In. onemay say that .
and.realist, trend has onned a powerful strea;n, a
; > permanent streamwhich traverses andllurninates thewhole i
.of art, the formlist trendhas never beenanything except areee:sst'-"e \
.; ' .. This continuousschool, whichtraverses ..., ..
that of a,realisxn, : SOIntim.es ingenuous-, so:rnetim.es ." naturalisnc;
, soIlletimes ,mystic;som.etim.eshu:manist, oten national' .. ,
0d
ur
. sh
t
. o\vsulitself!!:::!!!e ..... , ..
p--.r::---.O.l. a nea- :unarus .. an. SOCla :t t.:t0 . :pop a.:
ItJ.S true :that this school had to find ltself and 1S still findmg Itse!f,
::.>:: thrOugh andfalse . steps -lll.oreover; w"e
tom.ake that is,the ta,
strggle-. but thisschoolexIstS
.m.d
1S
Putable..ln art, as in every other .
' .. alwayscontin1llIlg the work or our ancestors and our>,
. ,
"::,", .,' " "'." -,c :;;:; ",' ... , .' '.. ' J
.. ... ..':-,;: . .' .' ,'" _;' "':v', '.' ' ..
... '". ..../,," '- .. "" :", : "-' " , " ; ..... ,.: ,"" ", , v,:;,
f
r
f
r
f
OF THE l\fARVELLOUS REALISM OF TE HAITANS 265
life. of hope in the destinies of lllen, if he gives hlm.selfup to mere
artlShc Juggling, to aesthetic pederasty. ,-
- Let there he no :mistake, the realism which dotninates our time
pot forbid that art should be a :matter of delight; on the contrary.
ut Just as a man of sense would not refuse to enjoy good cooking -
on. the that eating is a mere biological ne cess ity , just as there
cooking which satisfies the requirernents of a sound
dIet, socIal realism does not ask anyone to swallow "artistic earth-
fl'0mlS" .. What wants is art1Uld should not:
orget thelr pUl]?03ie;j,? l[0duce IeaIthy and
ULent for th<; SpInt ana _ eart or rn.an" a :g.ounsIlIllent WhlCh WIll
a!_ the tune h.i,S good taste. Art ana litera turc:: I!:ve therr ---
l.ike sexuahty and gastronomy, the pleasure of dnnking and -
t e rIght ta repose. -
. Social realislll bas joined :forces with- revolutionary romanti-
hm. In effect, if classicisll1 is understood to he, as it has.5O often
made, a dogm.atisrn, an acadeIllsm preaching the etennty of the
diS. of beauty and the necessary adoption of the oid organons,
c=:r:
g
that beauty is a continuous creation, then we relegate that
fi IClSm to the Iumber rOOll1 of retrograde ideologies. We do not
th: that reason reject the classicisrn which created weat wo;ks
know, which bear witness for the therr tIn?-c, which
. . WItness to the great aspiration towards happmess and
to the liberauon-aspiration which etei-D.al.
18, at botto:m, nothing but a synonyDl nm:ner?us
to come. ROIl'lanticisIll has been, in near y aIl countnes,
. : splte ?f ah?-t?nts, an revolutionary
. rel.ahan to a claSSlOSID. frozen In ds l.deas of beauty -. l
CIsm 18 revolutionary in the sense that it understands nothing 15 t
eternal, that artistic :forInS are barn, live, grow old and that onel '
surpass the grandiose achleve:ments of the past '!Y ,,1
man in his social surroundings and in the nature _.1D- V'-
ch:
ves
, hy throwing a lllore lively light on to the contradu=;oCY;f ,
. acter of human consciousness, by giving a larger place r.
to
ID1
?Sm and dreams. This does not rn.ean that one there.lore. 1
mto an anarchy of ro"----" lll-to the outright negauon o everything
whi h ,L -LLL, WTL fi rm. except
th c t!t
e
past has created in the way of fonDS. r uat JS 0, u- .
9 e vehide which rnakes it possible to convey the content, to corru:; .
ruca.te it? In other tenns the only rules '\vhich forms
are. they should corresPond to, the that they ,'"_
heaustifuI, pleasing) digestible and .- not ,,4did for
- Ince one 1iioJle's taste and feeljpE
p$e, cwrn re
:C>e, corres and tothe character and tendenCles 0 -
- _ eh he'
-- e forrns before an.Y.tMn..K- on:ns wlUch ,.vere' ',-
for e ____ .. therefore. the Only
Ccepted in a peopfeJs pSi-are. Dot necessarily, . . an national
gctrmentwhich suits <the ln.. -,:
:.",( ., 0"0':" '" :'-
,-" .. :. " .. :., < ...... .
, ........ , ... .
1
. 266
PRESENCE AFRICAINE (
cultures a veritable treasure of original popular which art
still little used by professional . ar{lsts; Ii ts clear tut
according ta their _own personality, these forros,
lnto account, naturally, the . traditions OI the past, or even-
new fortnS which respect. the. spirit.. It is glonous
nnsslon for who are partIsans ofa
popular aestheuc, to draw upon this treasure, _ WhlCh 15 constan y
enri<;hed hy the people, and '\vhich is disdained by less clear"
. S'lghted artlSts. _. - _
\
-'
...
OF THE l\fARVELLOUS REALISM OF TE' HAITANS
267
ones, which themselves in turn had denied their forerunners; the
movement s continuous. .
- It seems to us, in effect, that Haitian art, like the art of other
peoples of Negro origin, is greatly differentiated from the Western
art 'which has enriched us... Order, beauty, logic and controIled"'C'i
sensitiveness, we have received aIl that, but we intend to surpass it. /
Haitian art, in effect, presents the real, --with its accompaniment(
of the strange and fantastic, of drearns and half light, of the rnyste- \
nous and the Il1a1vellous; beauty ofform is not in any of its fields (
accepted prernise, a primary purpose, but Haitian art achieves 1
It from all angles of approach, even that of the said ugliness .. The ' ...
\Vest 01 Graeco-Latin descent too often tends to intellectualisation,
ta idealisation, to the creation of perreet canons, to the 1 agi cal unity
of the clements offeeling, to a pre-established harrnony, whereas our
art tends towards. the -rnost exact sensual representation of reality,
towards creative intuition, character, power of expression_ This.
art does not shrink frOIn deformity, from. shocks, from. violent contrast, .
3lntithesis as a means of stimulating .em.otion .and aesthetic-
lDvestrgation, and" astonishing result,. itachieves a new balance,'
contrasted, a composition equallyhannonous in its contradic ..
tions, a wholly internaI grace, born of singularity and antithess. ... .
. : -It seeins to us that Haitian art, like that of its African cousins,"""\
lS. profoundly realistic, notwithstanding that it Iinked j
..!o stylized, the heraldic, even t.lie1i:irat: :
. Stnpping down, the search for the characteristic sonorous, . plastic. \:
orv-erbal feature, goes very weIl with accuInulation and richness.. \.
Each clement is stripped clown to its very essence, but these elements
together .. znayconstitute a . formidable accumulation. This .art
demonstrates the alseness of the theories or thase '\vho would reJcct
themarvellouson the pretext -of realist purpose,: claiming thatthe ...
. marvellous issolely- the expression of,_ printive .soceties. .' The .
truth is that these drily and pretendedly realistic"\vorks miss their
tnark and do not touch certain peoples. Do'\Vn this analytical, .
and reasoning. realisIll which does not touch the masses! .Up with
a!-fving realism, link:ed ta the magic of the Universe, arealismwhich
.'. Stirs not only the mind, but also the heart and . the ,vhole network .
. .. the nerves. _ - .. . .. ,:<. .. ......_:,' _ . ...... . i., .... __ >_
,. ..Haitian art seeIDStobe looking for the type, but the way in ..
which it dealS with its types is- actllal,in the Latin .seDSe.of the. w?xd,"
,actualis, that '\vhich acts" so actuaL that all : 5ubJects.,
cart he round. in it. Thisart5 that, of the charactenstlC m.oments of ... ,.
... life, but it sumxnarizes thereal in its entety.. , .. lnlaginationreigns: .
.. ' there. asrnistress and re-fashions the'\-vorld its o", .. n-guise,and,
yet.you -will not.findthe:r:e a
which . bas not lU practIcal nnderlyulg . realityl:lmznediately ......... .
gible tothe massof men l'orwhom it Even the arabesque the '.:'
the heraldic; .. the tote.mi,
direct link .. result lSumque;Y101en<:e.mter ............. '
lacingrhytbms, ... ingen'iZ0usness,. . of:. toD.e$-.<
4'
';- .
" ." -" .
268
PRESENCE AFRICUNE t
aggressiveness of line, luxuriance of spirals, the pathos of the
. savage joy in words, the dolorous lyricisIll of melody, the exaltatIOn
and voluptuousness of colour, dissonance and syncope, the sense. of
- rnovell1ent, the splendour and sobriety of design, ornamentatlon
both intricate and clear at the same tiUle, lavishness and taste d
composition _. ZOOlllOrpruC elements asytnmetrically
conronted, to tenninate in a a human sentim.ent, a genume t
t!rr
ill
, concrete, harsh, and even iInages, poignant rever
SI0IlS, monotone percussions, and FroIn the rnidst of al! that, surge!
Man, labouring for his destiny and his happiness. .' .
. _ . This teerrling art defies aIl the rules, and embodies them ap; It.1S
aIl the contradiction aIl the vibration of the life which enters lnto It
lll3.n and Iris destiny, his day-ta-day problerns,. bis
and bis elranchisements? .. The nriracle is that, , ID con .
Wlth . the intellectualist constructions of a certain decadent WCS!,. Its
cold-blooded surrealistic researches its analytical gam es ,
like that oFpeoples of Negro Ieads to man, 10 f"
fi&ht for hope and not to ree art and the ivory tower. It , ..
... th!s :rnost ofus perfectly understood what our lood,
Cesaue meant when he said " Blood is a powerful voodoo .... .B. les
yes, but all the hlood n other words we would never be the disClp i".
f
. , , Id - rater-
0. a narrow particularisIll which would divide the roto," ....
.. bght compartm.ents of antagonistic races and categones.
'. 10 .. Towards a t{ynamic integration of the Manrellous:I- Marvellous &alis11f.. l
th
', The art and lit!ature of severa! peoples of Negro i
Ose of many Countnes of the Antilles and Central and Lat11l .
frequently given the exatnple of the possible
of the Marvellous in reaIislD. It does Dot seeIIl to.
us
of 1
th think that the fascination originality and singular li- ,
t e'aesthetic orms proper t:' Negro origin are
cable, or they are the resuIt o chance, or the attraction of no'\! theY-
or a _of fashion. 1 t is true that all peoples, whoever tUS
may he, are endO'\ved with feeling as weIl as with reason,. but are
the that people who have n.o more the
11 t emned to pensh o:f cold", and let us 0 bject1vely reC?grose cen- l
o lif'e with its stern rates of production,. with in t
. the fr great masses of men into indstrial arrnies, te:d
of e!lZY o Taylorism, with its inadequate Ieisure, and con nds .. ,
" e,. hampers and sIov.'S down the production
. ua .1VIng folk lore. < By way of contrast the under-de"V'.o in
world who have still quite 'recently had
. , 'to sh:iq)e WIt
th
_ ature, for centuries been compelled ples .... 1'" .
. . a:mong whoInet: their sense oftouch.. The If their
., part USed.th _m ustrial Iife IS Il10st highly have, fa turies,
. sine;' t? a lesser extent during the last feW cen effort; ..
that.
has

OF THE MARVELLQUS REALISM OF TE HAITANS 269
table consequences of which everyone 'recognizes. The und er-
of the world,. on th.eir,. part, know a ?f
mecharuca CIVIhsatIon and "natura! n so to speak,. anq. It 15
beyond dispute that theyhave feelings of special liveliness. -The
probIems wlch they have ta face,. the low standard of living, unem- .
ployment; poverty, hunger and illness are a150 problems which it is -
Important to liquidate,. and we do not overlook this.. . .
. . . These. specially lively feelings give these peoples artistic poSS!-
whlch be used.. Frolll there it s only a step to con cel- .
\"lng that the HaltIan, for instance,. does not seek to grasp the whole t
ofsensible reality, but what strikes hitn,. what threatens him, what in .'
Nature particularIy touches and stirs his From another
angle, since reality is not intelligible in aIl its aspects to the members
0.[ under-developed cornrnunities, he naturally transposes bis concep- lJ
of relativity and of the lllarvellous in to rus vision of everyday f .'
r:a!ity. A bird in rapid flight is, above aU, a pair of wings,. a woman ..
sud im.presses by her round and heavy breasts, a '\vild beast
15 a footfall and a roar, the body responds naturally to'
mUSlC 'without following a pre-ordained plan, in contrast to other
men who exercise a constant restraint over their bodies in order to
conf0!-"ID ta the social usages of polite societY_ To dem.onstrate the
peculiar, and sornetirnes paradoxical, sensitivity of the Haitian,
for example, we would cite the fact that in our Voodoo religion a
man possessed will sornetinles take a red hot iron in his hands '\vithout
buming them. and lick it; he clInbs trees with agiIity, even irhe is an
oId man, he succeeds in dancing for several days and nights on end,
chews and swallows glass.;. Quite apart frOID. any mystic concep-
tion of the worId, in the lght of numerous observed facts,. there are
many values "\vhich should be revised by science. Can one, in e:ffect,
strip a hwnan beirig of all IDs antecedents, of ail the uncondtioned' ..
born. of" the conditioried reflexes transmitted by hredity?" .' ..'
A human being cannat be the son of no man, the past- and history . .
cannot be denied; the Haitian,'and, through hiIn, his culture, is the
legatee of an inheritance of reactions of behaviour and, habitude
anterior to bis and fifty yars of he is .. .. ,
10 a large extent, herr of cultural elements d.enved fromdstant.
Africa. The Haitian has an air, a amily likeness, internat much
as external,' whichIllakes him. resem.ble on JD.any bis other ....
brothers in the world of Negro origin.,.That,'moreover, l.S why we .
are hereat this Congress. .... .' .... "'.. ..,-, , .. ' - ",' ....... ' - ..... ' if
It is because they recoinize that their people xpress their ""
, by the use of the lvlarvermalllous, thab1t
"\\"'nters and artStS have becori:le a'W'aI"e of the fo pro em 0 '. 115
. use.. Behind the ilDaginary character.s. of . romancero '. o! Bougui t ....
.and it is afaithful picture life
the Haitiah story-teller executes,' It 15 Its, beauuS .. and ItsUglinr:ss"
and s.,nuggles,. or the?ppress?r5 and the oppressed ,vhich.
!t bnngs on to tJ:.eIr stage .. ' .. In rus :vorking for us work
". lS unthinkable Wlthout:m.US1C, ln which all the .. ':'.',
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", 270 ' PRESENCE 1
kers take -in rus working songs the Voodoo gods of the Haitian
1: are nothing but an aspiration towards the o\vuershp of the land on
f/ which he \vo;ks,. an aspiration towards the rain which the bar
l an aspIratIon to"\vards abundant bread, an aSpIratIon to get
nd of the maladies "\vhich amict hiIll" an aspiration better
. rouent in every sphere. Even the religious songs and, are
\ transp?-rent sytnbols in "\vhich they beg the gods for the ci. ,
. a s{>c:;c!fic problelll; there are, moreover, peasant gods, soIdler gods
t
pohtIClan .. gods, PC?werful gods and exploited goas? gods who
. unhappy In love,. 1nfinn. gods, one-legged gods, bhnd gods, dum
gods, rapacious .gods and gods who are simple, kind and he1
P
:
.... poets and \Vhen they are our peop:e
Include the '\\TIdth of the horizon, the murmunng of the wa\es,
.drama of the seas, . in the {orIll. of Agouet Arroyo, the If,a of th i
they hym.nthe Diamond Siren, " the Sun Queen , asthey \,
.. somr::times say, but nothing more actual, nothing more
nothing . Inore living than ail these entities. How could ,--:e {
.. t<? the extent of. to use aIl tha! in the
... specIfie 3l
nd
struggles ?That IS wha.t ma et
.. po<;t and plaY""rIght I\:Ionsseau-Leroywnte asfoIlo\vs 111 a receD
artIcle; .
. . '''We are again living through a renaissance of the
Wc: see tlo.urishing again rorm.s of expression, both rich an?
. as m the tImes when dithyraznbic or satyric, lyric or bucolic couP;ere
,fiowed fr?tn the lips, 01 a people "\vhose temper and h;unour "tht'f j
" ,:proof agrunst aIl misery ... Frol'Il one end of the Republic to at;-0 inl
nephews and uncles, nieces and aunts are singing or
cadence... And if' Agoue T'Arroyo do es Dot afford that esQCial
?f enough protection against shipwreck, the ectian.
. :ms!itutions of the Republic have hardly done better :t that dir .....-..Ac
It lS gratuituously duit in their songs they the iS;i(
and. C;hiefs ..... ".' l '\.vant before everything ta ernphasIZ
e
tha 1ho
. ln lts local aspect:? as in its universaI aspect,
, been ,led astray by a certain the POInllf
.' cmnposes H reInain, in my" vie\v, the sole tnaSter5 0 ther
'. the orny ones capable of m.ak.ing us sing and dance toge safe
..... .
1t." ..... iS
reflects It,s eonceptl,?n
.life,lts
a1
f:.h.,.
l
ts :J::ope;lts confidence U1 man; a ",.-0.. ..
;:>:. ... tf': :for. ta ...... .

, .
. < . f.th' .. , uThe Earthl ., p. .. d ". he made ru . .....
. 0 .... : .. .' y ara ISe ..-. -htc;p c
..... not expressed
{"'CrUitS>hiihpe pc,co.n.ce:tvesatune ofhappiness?. Look at
' ... \ ....... .
OF THE MARVELLOUS, REALISl\f OF TE HAITANS 271
ofcolour
t
all those splendid anilllals, tranquil and fraternaI, including
the wild beasts, is it not the cosmic dreaIll of abundance and frater-
nity of a people still suffering frorn hunger and deprivation? When
in his play U Rara " Morisseau-Leroy shows a :man dying for his right
to a feast day in the drabness of his -working days, paralytics '\vho get
up add dance, inutes who begin to sing when, after the death of
heroes, people recount that. they are traversing the region, when
ghosts'are seen, no-oneis xnistaken, no-one gives it a rnystical
ficance, but everyone sees in it an incitement to '"
Naturally, one Inust do better, the corn5araUS, otThTf;
advance guard of HaIllan culture recogDlZe' the need resolutely tQif
"\vhatever is irrational, lllystic and anim.ist in their national\\
patnmony, but they do not think that that is an insoluble prOblem.'j'_
They will reject the aniIIlist gannent '\vhich conceals the realist .
nucleus, the dynamics of theirculture, a nucleus charged ,vith good 1
sense, life and hurnanisrn, they ,vill. put on its feet again what is ... .
too often walking on its head, but they will never deny tbatcultural ...
tradition, wJch is a great and fine thing, the only one which they.
as OWTI. Just there i:; no questio.n ofany
rehgtons art or works Influenced a. rnystIcal conception of
Iife, Haitian men of culture will be able in a positive and ...
SCentific "ray, a wa y of social realism., to com.bin the ,vhole human ..
protest against the harsh realitiesof life,all the ernotion, the long cry
of struggle, distress and hope which are contained in the "\vorks and .
forms transrnitted to thern by. the past. ...... .. . - .. . ....'
'. . Social realisIIl, conscious of the inIperatives of history, preaches- ,'.
an art human in its confent, but resolutely national in its foI'IIl. This
means that the pseudo uworld citizens". of the true COSlno- .
the have nothing to do with man of
our time, nothing to do _'\'"1th progress, and .thererore .nothing to do'
. culture.. . If aIl human .'. races aIl natiorls. are "equaland'
.. SlSters, they have none the Jess their owntraditions, theirown tem-
perament and fOITIlSWhich U"e. more likely" to. tauch ..... If Art ..... --
werenot national in its foon, ho'\rv could the citizenS of a country .' .
. set about recognizingthe perfumes and the Clirn.ats which they love .. ', ....
!O as truly to relive the works of beaty which areoffered to them,':
and to find in them their share. ofdreams courage? The: .
. resultwould be that the people in . question would 1indit di:fficult .....
. ,. ta take part in the :forward moyeInent of :mankind. towards liberation; '.' .
since- that art and thatliterature!fessentiaI eIem.eriu in,realization .. , ..
.. ' u much.as wo1.1ld have nO hold .
.'. :. .'. Haitianartists made use of the'Marvellous:madynarmc sense: i:
,
:)that the Hru?-an 'artists the-sa:n: 1 ... ,
" guage as th. lerr.f'eoPle;..< ... e; .j\. .. of
..thus part
. ..... ' .. of :ales, and legends;'Jl'
an the.xnuS1cal; choreographlC a:rJd- plastic' symbc>Iism,all <the form:a
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272
PRESENCE AFRICAINE
of Haitian popular art are there to help the nation in solving its
problems and in accom.plishing the tasks which.lie before it. The
Western genres and organons bequeathed to us Inust be resolutely
transfonned in a national sense, and everything in a. work of art 1
Irlust stir those feelings which are peculiar to the Haitians, sons of
. three races and an infini ty of cultures.
To SUIll up,.the objects of Marvellous Realism are:
1. To sj.ng the beauties of the Haitian motherland, its greatness
as weIl as its -wretchedness, with the sense of the magnificent
prospects which are opened up by the struggles of its people
'. and their solidarity with aIl JIlen, and in this way to attain ,
. the hum.a.n, the u nive rs al and the profou?d truth of life; !
. 2. To reject aU art which has no real and social content;
. 3- Ta find the forrns of expression proper to its own people,
those whlch correspond to their psychology, while employing
in a renovated and widened fonn., the universal roodels,
.. naturally in accordance with the personality of each creator.
4.. To have a clear consciousness of specifie and concrete current
probletnS and the reaI drarnas which canfront the masses,
with the purpose of touching and cultivating more deeply,
and. of .the people with thern in their struggles.
.. .... In relation to particular forms of art, there are' many aspects:
.... which need to be tnade clearer,: but only a detailed discussion would
enable us to come nearer to the truth. 1 t is not an easy task to .
"progress along the road o this kind of realism., and there are many
.' xnany errors ahead oi us,. but: we shaH kno,,{ how ta
.. profit even by our rnistakes, t:o reach as soon as possible ,-rha! is
. already. takiog shape bef'ore our eyes. Work will settle aIl the
., ... :. rest. ". .
.' The cuTTentprohlems of Haitian culture ..
. ... faceS> a .serious its
'. .'. bilingualisIn.. . ThisbilingualisD1would not be a problem if it were .'
. not ['oran ele:ment throws everything out;t nam.ely a percentage .
. > 'ofanalphabeticsin excess .. of 85%. li Haitian D?t.:
produced very that.l5 because whicb limit!
'. c the literary market and is hardly an encouragement to Haitian "T.te!3 .
. ' who find it verydifficult, andwitha le,v exceptions, impossible, ..
c' ,to live bytheir art .. ' For lhisveryreasdn Haitian writersare com-
. "pelled. tolookto the ... public service, and.:. not onIy can they. dev-ote '.
:. !ittle tim.e'tot:hcirar-t, but their freedolll of expression li siriguIarly"
., lintdin'tlie at:nIosphere of a country where the public serviceis,'
:as question. The gravest problemis '.
'that nO,true iS possible between, the Haitianpeople
andthose:ofltssons'who aievalid creators and who honour anilied,
l\lStrc. itscuItuie....:<lur is clcilr orithis point; the fight
: ..: .... :':' -.:'''' ....
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OF THE MARVELLOUS OF TE HAITANS 273
for the greatness of Haitian literature is inseparable rom the struggle
to launch a real carnpaign, on a large scale and State organized, to
end analphabetism. A writer "\vho did not appreciate tbis historie
of ending analphabetisrn in Hati, a writer who did not appre-
cIate. the practical necessity of taking part in a great and powerful
fighting organization to induce the people and the government to
devote a substantial part of our reSQurceS to this would not
be neglecting his . duties as a patriot, but also bis Inission as a
wnter and a clerk.
. We consider that there are two languages which could give
literary expression .. to the living_ reality of Haiti, nam.ely Creole.
French. Creole for us is at the stage which French had achieved
ID relation ta Latin du ring the Ages. French '\vas then
the of the people, Latin the language of lIlen of letters and
learmng. At that period, it was difficult to foretell which language
would elllerge victoriolls in the future, the vernacular or the Latin
language; the objective conditions of France resulted in French
deve!oping and enriching itself and in Latin becoming bastardized,
into kitchen Latin; falling into disuse, and firially disappea-
nng (as also in At the presentrnoIllent, although Creole is ..
the language of the overwhehning lDasS of the population, '\ve should
not Iike to prophesy about the future, because the conditions of.
modern life are not those of the Middle Ages, but we Ulust ..
less take up apractical attitude until such tillle as French rid Creole
have liquidated their historie quarrel in Hati. .. 'Ve think in effect
that it is our duty to teach the Haifian people to read in theirmother
has
tongue of Creole, and that "We should not perpetuate the foUy which ..
. , for a hundred and fifty years, ruined aIl efforts at public educa- .
tIan, nalllely obstinately trying to teach illiterates toread in a Ian- .. ,
g'uage whih, in spite of its cousinship, is foreign to them... Certainly -: .. '
We are in favour of teaching French at all stages as a privileged Ian- .
guage,but Creole ShOllld be the basis, at any rate in the primary
and rural schools. In this way we should avoidthe hazardofseeing
those who are supposed to have been cured ofanalphabetisrn hy
French, rapidly reverting toftinctional analphabetics, as. conunonly ..
"\Ve also think that, after French, a privileged place in
teaching should be' given--to Spanish, hav-ing regard to the Latin
Arnerican complex to '\vhich '\ve belong, as weIl as t() the faet. that .
hundreds o thousandsof Haitians speak tbiS language.. . . .. '... ............... .
.. On the literary pl:ne, "\ve thinkthat both languages, French and .\
Creole, should be used in ota half-way ' ..
French in its granunatical fOrIn, and Creole in' its presentatron
f
..
!baTIks to the use oran archaic 'vhich. is riow obsolete ... lt
willnot be a hal-way languagewhich is iIi:Hai.t4 itwill
he either French or Creole, and; Uloreover, III ,the dlStant furu:e,
the victorious language Will be consequential UPOU?1.lr '\Vlth ..... ,
ether neighbouring States of the Antilles of!:atm .... :
d? not regard aS Don Quixotes H3.1t:an '\vho are, begIn,,:, .....
. nmg ta publish '\vorks in Creole; thisquestion 15 mseparab1t:fl-Otn ...
',- " :'''''' ",.- ',.' " ..
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" 18
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274 PRESENCE AFRICAINE
against analphab,:tism, an<! 'lve need texts in Creole straight
away, ID order to TIlake thlS caITlprugn successfuL We should also
think ahout translating inta Creole the "\vorks of ail worth-while
Haitian ,vriters and of aIl the Haitian classics. With regard to the
m.ovelllent for a Creole language theatre, ,vhich has been developing
lor sorne years, this is of immense hnportance in bringing culture
. home to a11 levels of the population. . .
. In the field of the plastic arts "\ve are delighted v.rith the immense
interest which is being taken aIl ovr the lovorld in Haitian painting,
ahnost on a par 'with painting. We are happy to see that
in aU com.petitions :for painting organized in Central America,
Haitian painting is al'ways to be arnong the first places if it
does not actually win the IDajor prizes, but at the same time wc are
aware of a . danger which is threatening the Haitian plastic arts.
Whathappened a few years ago to our ,"vhich was 50 pro-
nsing, is 'no,v threatening our painting. In fact the Haitian market
for the plastic arts is largely a foreign market, a North American
market, and in the sam.e ,vay that xnariy of our, sculptors allowed
themselves to be corrupted by the love 01 certain North American
tourists for the picturesque and the ,vi Id and produced works ,which-
no longer had any real Haitian quality, the beginnings of the same
disease may be diagnosed among our painters. 1t is important that
sorne voices should be raised in opposition to this commercialisation,
but we should also conte1Ilplate ways 01 fighting for an extension of
.> the national tnarket for the plastIc arts.. At the same time we
shouldpresent our _works in Europe, as weIl as in other rarts of
the world which are showing' an intercst in the successorS 0 Hector
Hippolyte, the briUiant .Pleiad of "\vhom. Wilson Bigaud, Dieudonn
, . Cedor, Louverture' Poisson' and Philome Obin are theleaders..'Ve
.... hope that. a prooundly national. and realistic spirit m.ay serve as our
:' loadstone,a Ioadstone "vhich has Ied us and continues to lead us
_- . towards great successes. .'. .. ...... ... ,... .. .
.. , . . \Vhilethe menacewhih threatens our plastic art applies
. equally to .. our singing . and folk dancing, ahovays in relation to the
steadily .. increasing flo"\v o.f tourists from North America, it is not
'So important Il connexion -with our music.. VVh.ile wc recognize the:
... " .. influence upon our niusic of Cuban and Dominicanmusic,this is
- . --, lnost the return. 01 what we haveourse1ves exp<>rted,
and :moreoverltIS notnecessary ta be unduly perturbed about these
infiuences,since-thecultural heritage of the Cuban and Domincan-
'c6mposers'isnot fundamentalIy differentfroIIl our
... say that we shouldnot be,very. concerned faithfully ID. j
in !riusic.What ... '.
falling Off-Or.1nterest ln chamber mUSIC and symphomc
.. "Therearenot many parts of the worldwhere the
isa:profitable one. \Ve must how-ever-
.. l
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"",>. >-.:."'. " . .",.; !. ,.
OF THE MARVELLOUS REALISM OF TE HAlTANS 275
Conclusions.'
'And no"\v the mornen t has come lor us to turn to our brothers of
Negro origin ;:tnd tell the III how IDuch '\ve have need of theUl to
fulfil our tasks. Ho\v Inany tasks there are ahead of us in our res-
pective countries 1 Co-operation and m.utual aid are essential for
us; we aIl contemplate that this First Congress should be lo11owed
by many others 50 that may constantly compare, in the spirit 01
amity and fraternity, what we are accomplishing.. May,we be per-
mitted to express a '\vish? It is desirable that there should be a
permanent organization which would help us to m.ake the best of .
our co-operation; there should he, at Ieast in every country concerned,
a Nati,onal COIntnittee of Intellectuais of Negro origin and that
au .. effective International Liaison Com:mittee of Intellectuals of
Negro origin should bet"\veen Congresses -co-ordinate the different
manifestations of co-operation and solidarity of the various National
Committees. Perhaps in each of our important towns there should
,ruso be Local Cornm.ittees responsible for publicising and applying
any decisions. However only theWorking Com:missions of this
Congress can consider this proposaI in detail, and so) in the nanle .. ..
- of the Haitian Intellectuals; Writers and Artists, 1 extendfraternal -,',
greetings to aU our brothers and sisters, from different cbuntries., met
together to work in unison in a determined spirit offraternity and
solidarity. . .

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. .. The Session end.ed at. 12.30 p.l:n.
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