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Dreaming is the prerogative of poets, of creators. Reading Afro-Livresque’s May newsletter in my email, I found myself thinking, traveling, dreaming for the blink of an eye, for the duration of a commercial break, for a coffee break, that Port-au-Prince, my favorite city, my city of dreams, my lucky city, could become a hub for books like Medellín, this Colombian city known for its gangs and drug traffickers, declared by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) the ‘World Book Capital’ in 2027.
From Medellín, I think of Port-au-Prince, which saw me born on May 2 at Isaïe Jeanty Hospital, in the Chancerelles area (Pont-Rouge). I think of the historian Georges Corvington and his hit series Port-au-Prince Over the Years. I also think of the writer Frankétienne, who has examined every little step of this bustling, chatty, resourceful, capricious, sometimes irreverent city. I think of the event Livres en folie (already in its 32nd edition), which took place on June 4 at the El Rancho Convention Center. I salute the organizers, lenouvelliste.com together with unibankhaiti.com, for their vision and dedication.I’m thinking of my friend, the nomadic poet, writer, and critic Marc Exavier, in his crusade “Mete liv nan men timoun yo” so that books regain their nobility in the city. I’m also thinking of the poet and theater man Syto Cavé, author of the text La Pesonn, which evokes the ugliness, fear, and blues that inhabit the loved one in this damaged, toxic, unlivable city.
