20658: Nlbo: A Haitian Historical Perspective of the International Women's Month-2-1/4 (

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Nlbo@aol.com

Although we are in the midst of what I call “ another episode  of a 200 year
saga”, we need to take the time to reflect more on the Haitian Women’s plight
during March.  The following is a version of my column that appeared on the
March issue of the Boston Haitian Reporter under the title,

        Reflections on Haiti: Tracking the Course of Our Women’s Movement

Significant historical occurrences led to  March becoming “International
Women’s Month” or March 8 , “International Women’s Day”.  For instance, the “
Bread and Roses”rally to end child labor, low wages, and the right to vote; the
Triangle Shirtwaist Fire  on March 25 1911in n New York city; European  women
participating in various political movements that were taking place in Europe
;the work of German  feminist Clara (Eissner) Zetkin  (1857-1933), editor of
the Social Democrat Party’s Paper Die Gleichheit (Equality) as well as
publications and work of  Simone De Beauvoir’s  Betty Friedan’s, Kate Millet’s l970
Sexual Politics,  Gloria Steinem.

 The l975 U.N conference in Berlin set an impetus for women all over the
world. Third World  began addressing their situation as well. In case of Haiti,
the 1930’s women’s movement,  “League Feminine d’Action Sociale” that went
into hiatus in the l950’s  because of rape, beatings and other violence that its
members suffered under the Duvalier regime resurged. After the l975 U.N
gathering, Haitian women began to gather in Port-au-Prince and in the provinces.
However the “Second Awakening” of the women’s movement happened after Baby
Doc’s departure in 1986. Women of “Mouvman Peyizan Papay”, near Hinche as well
as those in St. Michel de l’Atalaye had whole day reflections in March of 1986
and l987. “Fanm Dayiti ( Women of Haiti) had radio and television programs in
Port-au-Prince. Numerous publications concerning Haitian women began to
appear. Mireille Neptune Anglade’s  l’Autre Moitié du Developpement , shed light on
the Haitian women’s economic and social contributions.


The Post Duvalier’s revival of Haiti’s women’s movement  became a mass
engagement compared  to the l930’s advocacy works that led to Haitian women voting
for the first time in l957. The Haitian Women’s National Social Action League
that started in l934 was primarily an  organization of the intellectual elite.
 Haiti’s Women movement from the mid l970’s to now encompasses all social
and intellectual classes. An editorial in “Ayiti Fanm,” a Haitian women’s
Creole paper wrote in 1996 , “If March 8, is International Women’s Day, April 3 is
Haitian Women’s Movement Day.”  On April 3, l986, 30,000 women took the
streets to claim their place, their human rights, and to make themselves visible
in Haiti’s society.  During the 1991-1994 coup, almost every progressive
association including women’s organizations functioned clandestinely until
Aristide’s return in October l994.

Though women had been lawyers deputies, senators, mayors, minister of Women’s
affairs,  Haitian women entered higher level political office in the l990’s.
Ertha Trouillot, then chief-justice of Haiti’s Supreme Court became Haiti’s
first female president  in 1990.  When Rene Preval’s prime minister Smack
Michel resigned in l996, Claudette Werleigh became Haiti’s first female prime
minister.

Haitian Women associations flourished in diasporic cities as well.  For
instance, Fanm Ayisyenn lan Miyami (FANM) became very involved not only women’s
issues, but other obstacles that affect Haitian immigrants such as AIDS and
refugee dillemmas. Issues that had caused tensions among women in the l980’s such
as domestic violence had become central focus of women’s service agencies,
especially in Boston.

Haitian women’s artistic talents became more publicized in the l980’s also.
>From l950’s  until the mid l980’s names such as Toto Bissainthe, Lumane
Casimir, Martha Jean Claude, Emerantes De Pradines were the only female names
known in the music world.  Solo women like Farah Juste, Fédia Laguerre, Carole
Demesmin, Emeline Micheline, Marie Michele Saurel  began to change the shape of
the man only arena. Until the l990’s, names such as Emma Achille and Marie
Michel Tangar were the only females known in evangelical music world. However in
the last decade, countless christian (evangelical) women singers started
recording. The most recent one, less known is Marie Ghislaine Pierre from Brooklyn.

We will do a disservice to Haitian women writers, particularly to living
literary pioneers like Paulette Poujol Oriole, Odette Roy Fombrun, Ghislaine
Charlier to attempt to cover Haitian women literature in one paragraph. We will
also dishonor our heroines like Susanne Simon Jean Baptiste, Toussaint
Louverture’s wife; Madame Maurepas who saved Dessalines from a first assassination
attempt, and Claire Heureuse his wife to talk briefly about the role of women in
Haiti’s history .  We will only refer to Fine Faubert the first published
Haitian woman writer. Fine, born Josephine was the daughter of  Lachenais who is
known in Haiti’s history as the “The President of two presidents.”

Joute, “the iron woman” behind Pétion and Boyer gave birth in l802 to
Josephine (Boyer’s stepdaughter) who married Pierre Faubert in l826.  Fine Faubert’
letters to her husband are considered as Haiti’s first female writings to
have been published in l847 by her husband Pierre Fauber.  Fine wrote those
descriptive passionate  letters to Pierre Faubert during his frequent trips with
Jean Pierre Boyer.  Her request for divorce so she could marry her confident
Normil Brouard when Faubert was a political prisoner upon his return from France
was not accepted because of Faubert’s catholic orthodoxy. Normil died. After
17 years of separation, Fine and Pierre Faubert reconciled. Referring to Edner
Brutus, Marie Therese Colimon wrote in l997”Fine Faubert is a rare pearl in
the Haitian literary world.”

Since Dewitt Peters, an American artist brought Haitian art to the
international world, until the l970’s  creation of Saint Soleil, the Haitian male
artists were at the forefront of Haitian national and international art exhibits.
In l998 “Le Toit de la Grande Arche was published.  It is a full colored 142
page art book containing pictures and biographic details of the artists, mostly
females who contributed to a major art exhibit in Paris that commemorated the
150th anniversary of the abolition of slavery.  The Haitian Consulate in New
York also compiled photographs of a Haitian Women Art exhibit that occurred
throughout the month of March l999.  An art book published of Haitian artists in
the diaspora in 2003 by Vie Art collection features a few women. From March
14 to April 25 of this year, Haitian women’s artistic works will be displayed
at Hammonds House Galleries in Atlanta Georgia under the title "Visual
Expression-Haitian Women Artists" with Amy Cornish as the curator.

In today’s diasporic society, Haitian women are present in universities,
hospitals, courts, and in a legislative house.  It’s only the beginning.  A
current  generation of Haitian women and girls have no role models in their
immediate environments such as schools and churches. Many Haitian communities  don’t
have an atmosphere in which younger Haitians both male and females can interact
with the previous generations. Even with the technological world, Haitians as
other minorities have fewer computers at home.  Interest in the printing
world which is the easiest mode of communication is hardly fostered among Haitian
influential entities.

Today many women’s programs as in many Haitian organizations are service
providers. The Haitian community needs to be organized. We need to build
coalitions that can solidify the community. Women’s associations need to communicate
with other disciplines and open their horizon in the dawn of 21st century
“globalization” and “Information Age.”

Finally I hope the discourse on Haitian woman doesn’t end in March, for
Haitian woman is the strength of the economy and the social fabric of Haiti. Her
voice, issues and concerns need to be brought daily on the Haitian radios,
televisions, and the churches’ pews and pulpits which are, as the majority of
Haitians their main sources of information.


P.S I want to thank Betsy Warrior from Cambridge, Mass. for her numerous
pages of references and insights on the historical developments of International
Women’s Day. Betsy, a life long advocate of women’s rights and domestic
violence programs is the author of “Battered lives”and “Houseworkers' handbook”
published by Dole Publishing in Somerville, Mass. 1975.

©Nekita Lamour
March 2004