Revolutionaries, Sculptors, Beauties, and Graces of Haiti
Understanding the Rebellion of 2024
In April and May of 2019 Sticking Up For Children partnered with the Angela King Gallery to show in Angela’s upstairs EVOLVE space work from three Haitian sculptors: SERGE JOLIMEAU, RONY JACQUES, and JACQUES EUGENE.
The title of the show: Making Metal Magic. (1)
Above, the sculpture “The Messenger’, made of found objects by Jacques Eugene in Port-au-Prince.
You may know that sculptures such as one above by patriarch artist SERGE JOLIMEAU are crafted from 55-GALLON OIL-DRUMS. All of their spectacular structure and fantastical detail and many-layered evocativeness comes from cutting and crafting with hand-tools one or more OIL-DRUMS.
A work by RONY JACQUES that Angela King bought for her personal collecton.
Another creation by JACQUES EUGENE, and another that represents potency and intricacies of the Female in the Faith known as Vodun. The above Loa is Maman—the ‘Mother Who Cares for All’.
Toward close of the ‘Making Metal Magic’ show at Angela’s EVOLVE, we hosted a pair of Friday Night Movies—Spaniard RAUL DE LA FUENTE’S “I Am Haiti” from 2014 and Maya Deren’s “Divine Horsemen of Haiti” from the late 1940s into the early 1950s. The movies’ led to a more comprehensive Web-page, concerning ‘Beauties and Graces of Haiti’ such as can transform the modern, commercial and digital world.
“I Am Haiti” draws some of its bravura boldness from the 1964 Russian documentary “I Am Cuba.”
Among its leading subjects and voices is the artist CELEUR. Celeur makes his rugged, empathic and hugely imaginative art from what he finds on streets of Port-au-Prince. He’s a Romantic Idealist par excellence.
Celeur has pointed perceptions and questions about GeoPolitical Domination that reaches so deep and wide it dictates poverty to neighborhoods of Port-au-Prince
Celeur is descendant of fighters and strategists who made Ayiti’s 1791 to 1803 series of combats the first successful Revolution by slaves in history.
Natives there ask the questions of two centuries ago.
A second leading subject and voice is a woman and mother who strives to rebuild her restaurant, following widespread devastation from the 7.0 2010 Earthquake.
Also on our 2019 Web-page in the WeAreRevolutions site are links to a 2011 documentary about community-generated gardens in the money-destitute neighborhood of Cité Soleil.
They raise children through the plants that they grow.
“I Am Haiti” presents Lòlò, co-founder of the band Boukman Eksperyans with Manzè, his wife near its very end. Lòlò speaks to over-riding, distinguishing reality among Haitians
C. L. R. James’ great book, The Black Jacobins, quotes French Generals who marveled at Haitians’ fearless advances, marching forward against much superior weaponry. Now that they’re rising, we may expect spiritual sources AND refusals of more degradation, impoverishment and slavery to sustain them again.
Here’s a poem, ‘Music Spiritual on a Friday Night’, that came to me in May 2016, while staying in Canapé Vert, as Manzè and Lolo and pianist Michael Torregano Jr. recorded it on. May 2, 2019, here in the house. The melody is largely from Lòlò.
