Excerpts of a speech given at the Lycée Philippe Guerrier of Cap-Haitian of which he was the Director, by Louis Mercier, for the dedication of the portrait of Lincoln offered by the great friend of Haiti, the American Ernst Schwarz. Also of note: Louis Mercier was my maternal grandfather. The most impressive monument I ever… Continue reading Haiti, the Haitian people and Black History Month
Author: Marlène Rigaud Apollon
Marlène Rigaud Apollon was born in Cap-Haitien, grew up in Port-au-Prince, and emigrated to the U.S. in 1964. She graduated Magna Cum Laude, with a BA in Linguistics (University of Maryland, Baltimore County), and holds a MS degree in Professional Writing from Towson University, Maryland.
She is the editor and translator of Louis Mercier, A la Reconquête de l’Idéal Haitien: Une voix d’hier pour aujour-d’hui et demain (Louis Mercier To Reconquer the Haitian Ideal: A Voice from Yesterday for Today and Tomorrow) presented at “Livres en Folie”, in Haiti in 2009 and of La Mystique de la Citadelle/The Mystique of the Citadelle. She has also given lectures and presentations to Haitian Students Associations (Rutgers and Syracuse University).
Her writings have been highly praised, compared to that of eminent writers like Dany Laferrière and her poems “We were never young, Blood Sun, When they Write History” were part of Prof. E. Colwill’s Syllabus (Women’s Studies 604, Oct 2011, San Diego Univ) with Edwidge Danticat’s Create Dangerously.
Projecting a more positive and appealing image of Haiti through her writings in French, Creole and English is part of her ongoing projects.
A League of Their Own
When I left Haiti in 1964, I was certainly aware of social and economic inequalities, as well as of those between men and women. I do remember, for instance, the enthusiasm of young people of my generation for projects of assistance and support to the needy, visits to the sick, and help in evangelization and… Continue reading A League of Their Own