The second edition of the Port-au-Prince Book Fair is scheduled for Friday, December 13, 2024, at the premises of the French Institute in Haiti, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. "Politics, dictatorship and literature in Haiti" is the theme chosen for this second edition. "We chose this theme because of the senior authors who should be with us for this edition. These themes are very present through their works," Emmanuel Pacorme, general coordinator of the organization behind the fair, told us.
Indeed, this great literary celebration, which is mainly for the benefit of young authors, will be delighted with the presence of three of the greatest contemporary Haitian writers, a reference to the immortals Marc Exavier, Évelyne Trouillot and Dédé Dorcely.
An initiative of a group of young people for other young people
The initiative to provide the city of Port-au-Prince with a book fair was taken by the cultural organization Salon du Livre de Port-au-Prince (composed of students from the State University of Haiti), with the French Institute in Haïti as the main partner for this edition. This initiative, based on the desire to give space to the promotion of Haitian art and culture in general, with a particular emphasis on literature, aims first to create a space for expression for young authors.
According to the press kit provided by the organizers of the fair, clear objectives, such as the creation of a space that can highlight the productions of young Haitian authors, pose and discuss some of the problems facing the book sector in Haiti, promote reading and create a space for relaxation in an intellectual atmosphere, were set by the SLPAP for this activity.
An ambitious project
After a successful first edition in 2023, this year again, the organizers of the event continue their march in the same vein in order to grant the reputation of Port-au-Prince that of a city with a book fair, like all the major cities in the world.
"The Port-au-Prince Book Fair is a noise among many others who choose passion, who think that art and literature always offer a second chance to be happy in this life. But it is also, for us in Haiti, an act of resistance in the face of human stupidity, in the face of the flight of time, in the face of a people who suffer for the sole fault of having chosen life", CG Emmanuel Pacorme told us.
The distinguished guests
Last year, the names of Inima Jeudi and Lyonel Trouillot were on the guest list, alongside young, hyper-talented authors, such as the 2021 Deschamps Prize winner and author of La Petite Fille Bleue, Louis Bernard Henry, and the 2022 Amaranthe Prize winner and author of Kwaze Leuit, Carl Henry Burin. This year, the guests who will accompany the young authors will be of the same rank. Marc Exavier, whose name and works have already marked this country and its literature, who today directs his works towards a younger audience, in this case children, with his adventures of Nayou, will lead a talk on the challenge of literature in times of crisis and will sign his last two works, including the one entitled "Reading as Love", at the fair. His enthusiasm for participating in this fair is a tangible fact that reflects his desire to mentor young authors. Here is what he says about the Port-au-Prince Book Fair: "As there are Book Fairs in Paris, Montreal, Frankfurt, Bamako, and many other major cities in the world, Port-au-Prince deserves a Book Fair to showcase and promote literary production that, unfortunately, only interests a very small portion of the population. Any event centered around books must be encouraged, because reading is a practice that helps each individual open their eyes and allows a community to develop thanks to the knowledge that each person possesses. Knowledge is wealth; books are a treasure. A Book Fair is a space where ideas are shared, where authors meet readers, and other authors. It’s a great celebration."
Secondly, Évelyne Trouillot, an immense voice in Francophone and Haitian literature, should be present, alongside Dédé Dorcely, a great name in Haitian literature. Professor Jérôme Paul Eddy Lacoste, from the Faculty of Human and Social Sciences (FASCH), will also lead a workshop on library science at the fair.
Alongside these big names, we will find that of the young slam poet Youven Beaubrun, freshly a finalist in the last edition of the Slam World Cup, who will sign his work entitled Au kalfou du destin. Litainé Laguerre will also be present with his Titanik 16, and the 2023 Captain Coluche Prize winner, Daryl Lorenzo Moïse, will come to sign his work entitled Tiédeur d’un Cyclone, among others.
The difficult context in Port-au-Prince
The Port-au-Prince Book Fair will take place at a time when a large part of the Haitian capital is caught in flames. The city looks like a sick body, whose voice is on artificial respiration. At a time when a large part of Haitian youth finds itself busy building chaos, the Port-au-Prince Book Fair aims to be an opportunity to project another image, another voice that contradicts the idea that the youth of this country is limited to those who, poorly armed, have become builders of chaos. This initiative is a clear way of saying that a country, a city cannot be declared dead if they have conscious young people lit up deep inside them, and that despite everything that Port-au-Prince is going through lately, there is still room for books, their authors, and especially young authors, because together, they form a great whole that symbolizes life, peace and a better future.
Très beau article,
December 11, 2024 - 06:52:08 PMTout pour l'art et la culture.
CSimon Publishing:
December 11, 2024 - 09:45:08 PMJe tiens à féliciter chaleureusement l’organisation du Salon du Livre de Port-au-Prince pour cette initiative remarquable qui met en lumière la richesse de la littérature haïtienne et offre une plateforme aux jeunes auteurs du pays. En cette époque de nombreux défis sociaux et politiques, il est inspirant de voir un groupe de jeunes, animé par la passion de la culture et des arts, s’engager pour offrir à la ville de Port-au-Prince un espace d’expression et de réflexion intellectuelle.
L’ambition de créer un Salon du Livre à l’image des grandes villes du monde est un projet ambitieux, mais ô combien nécessaire pour la promotion de la lecture et de la culture. Cette deuxième édition promet de rassembler des voix importantes de la littérature haïtienne et de permettre à de nouveaux talents d’émerger, contribuant ainsi à dynamiser le secteur du livre en Haïti. C’est une belle preuve de résilience et de détermination que de croire que, même en période de crise, la culture et la littérature peuvent offrir un éclairage pour un avenir meilleur.
Je félicite également la présence des invités prestigieux tels que Marc Exavier, Évelyne Trouillot, et Dédé Dorcely, qui, par leurs contributions, enrichissent cette fête littéraire et participent activement à la valorisation de la littérature haïtienne. Le Salon du Livre de Port-au-Prince représente véritablement un espace de rencontre, d’échange et d’inspiration pour les jeunes écrivains et les lecteurs passionnés.
Bravo à tous les organisateurs et participants pour leur engagement à offrir à Port-au-Prince un événement culturel d’une telle envergure. Ce salon incarne l’espoir, la résistance et l’avenir de la culture haïtienne.