Born in Haiti in the early 1970s, Andre Fouad is one of the most respected poets and spoken word artists in the Haitian community. A one-time accounting student, Fouad also dabbled with the fields of communications and journalism and was a frequent contributor to Le Nouvelliste.
Fouad’s most recent opus is the spoken-word/poetry disc Vwayaj [Voyage]. The poet says that the CD includes guest appearances by fellow poets Durna Thelisma, Jacques Adler Jean-Pierre, Edouard Baptiste and three singers Amy Generius, Mario Chandel, Morose, Yves Mardice.
Q & A
You grew up in Haiti. When you think of your years there, what is the first thing that comes to mind?
Yes, I grew up in Haiti. I spent my early childhood in Delmas with my grandmother Marie-Renée Henriette Duverne until I was ten years old. Then I went to live in Nazon, in Carrefour Feuilles, and then Petionville. There’s a beautiful thing that I remember of Haiti as a country—like the respect young children had for adults. I remember when I used to play soccer, play hide-and-go-seek with my little friends, roll hoops, flying paper kites on Good Friday. I miss Haiti so very much. Haiti remains in my heart. It remains in all my being.
When was the last time you went to Haiti?
I’m truly overjoyed when I’m in Haiti, because I’m at arm’s reach of my family. The last time I went to Haiti was at the beginning of 2013. I went to record my second disc—my second disc entitled Vwayaj—at the studio Centre Culturel Kreyolololo in Delmas that Chantal Drice and Pierre-Rigaud Chery operate.
How did you discover poetry?
I always had poetry in me, ever since I was little. I loved music and poetry. For one reason or another, it’s poetry that won out. It’s the medium I use to channel what hurts me, what makes me happy. Poetry is my all.
Do you think that text messages can be considered poetry?
A text message isn’t really poetry. It does have aspects of poetry, but it definitely isn’t poetry. A poem has a form, a structure to it, whether it’s written in prose or in verses. There’s a way to write it. There’s a way to do it.
Are there certain Haitian poets who, in your point of view, typify what a poet should be?
If I were to name them all, I would never stop talking. I can name Felix Morisseau Leroy, Frank Etienne, Lyonel Trouillot, Syto Cave, Dominique Batraville, Georges Castera, Jean-Euphèle Milce.
What advice do you have for up-and-coming-poets?
Work hard, and be patient. Don’t hurry things up, just to get published. A poet has to work really hard to make a decent presentation, that’s solid and original.
A poet can find inspiration in places most would not expect. How do you get inspiration for your poems?
I find inspiration in nature. In the cosmos. I connect with everything in nature, like rivers, the sea, the earth, the little streams in the streets, the cities, people, animals. It’s nature that allows me to lie. It’s nature that allows me to write with so much passion.
Is there a special story behind any of your poetic works?
Not really. It all depends on what I want to share with readers. My poems have a lot of color to them. Everyone interprets them differently, according to their level of understanding, whether moral, spiritual, aesthetic, or philosophical.
It’s been said that a poem can be harder to compose than an entire novel. What are your thoughts on this?
I wouldn’t say that there is one that’s easier than the other. Each of them have their own thing. A poem is a poem. A novel is a novel. What’s mostly important, in my opinion, is to respect certain principles. It’s honoring certain requirements to satisfy every reader.
