16015: Nekita: Father Adrien

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

				Remembering Father Adrien


I doubt it’s not too late to give my personal tribute to a man whom I only
saw once in my life and had one telephone conversation with.

Throughout my teacher training formation, I am constantly reminded that
the future of every child I encounter depends on me. As an educator, one
never knows whose life one will touch and whose you will screw up, to be
blunt. Father Adriend touched me in a positive way.

I remember sometimes in fall l977, as a young teenager, Father Adrien was
invited by Frantz Minuty to lecture on the role of the Catholic Church in
Haiti from 1492 to the present.  Bon Nouvel and a journal named Cahier
produced by the Conference Haitienne des Religieux  had published the
content of that lecture which in one form or another had been previously
discussed in this line.

On that day Father Adrien brought with him previous issues of  the defunct
Creole magazine Sèl. He  gave the address of Hatian Fathers in Brooklyn if
one wanted to order it. I  subscribed to Sèl. Through that periodical
written by a group of priests who were living in the United States and
Canada at that time, I started to understand Haitian culture and history
and have met since a lot of men and women, Haitians and non-Haitians who
have been my mentors.

When I spent the summer of l996 in Haiti, I called Father Adrien. He
sounded  jovial,  happy and excited. We made an appoint ment over the
phone for 2:00 on a Tuesday to come to see him.

When I got to St. Martial, I don’t remember what the young man who came to
the reception room exactly told me. I don’t know if he said he was
sleeping, or he wasn’t home. I don’t recall. The bottom line is I did not
see Father Adrien. I was sad to hear that he had a stroke the same year.
That would have been the last time I would have seen or talked with him.

I have had other experiences of  not  getting to see people I have had
appointments with in Haiti in l996. Since that year -1996, I never
schedule any appointment with anyone in Haiti, be it friends, mentors,
colleagues, relatives- no one. If I run into someone, fine, but I don’t
attempt to see anyone.

Going back to my  adolescent  and early adult years in the Boston area, I
am now aware of the impact of those lectures in my life. People such as
the late Karl Leveque (whom I only saw once also), Yves and Paul Dejean
have come in community places like churches, community centers to share
their wisdom. Nowadays, I am feeling puzzled that young Haitians growing
up in the Boston area are not exposed to  what  we call in Hait,i
"patrimoines national", who are shaping the country and saving its image.

It’s somewhat disturbing that people like Joseph Augustin( Papidjo) and
his wife ,as well as Ghislaine Charlier, Michel Rolph Trouillot, Max
Manigat, and other prominent male and female intellectuals, authors and
shapers of Haiti have come to the Boston area and there is no avenue or
communication so they could speak in the churches where most Haitians are,
or in schools,  public and community colleges that young Haitians attend.
I know of one elementary school who had Haitian authors come to visit. I
have done that also in my own school. However, having prominent Haitians
be among the base of the community is not  something systematic. In some
instances, some Hatian media would be  cover these presentations. However,
in most instances there are not there, especially if these presentations
are held at Harvard ,free of charge.

There had been dinner- lecture presentations in fancy hotels where  fees
range between  $40.00 up to over $100 .00, which is beyond  the financial
needs of many who would benifit from hearing these people.

In other words, as I am growing older, I am seeing less of a learning
culture in the Haitian community and more interest in material
acquisitions. I feel if the community as a whole doesn’t make learning
activities such as, reading books, fieldtrips to museums, zoos, librairy
visits,instructional summer programs a priority like Muslim and Asian
cultures do, our future as people is in jeopardy. We have anecdotal
successes. However, as a whole group of people, we have a lot of obstacles
to face.

We did not have the number of  young Haitians involved in the justice
system in the l970’s and l980’s when people like Father Adrien, Karl
Levesque,Yves and Paul Dejean were coming to speak in the churches and
community centers.

These respected scholars have prepared another generation who still come
or live in the Boston area and in many cities in the diaspora. How can
these visionaries be an integral part of Haitian communities?

Nekita