Florida-bred filmmaker Dudley Alexis decided to dig deep into the history of soup joumou—Haitian pumpkin soup that is consumed heavily in some Haitian-American households on the first of the year. The documentary Liberty in A Soup is the result of his cultural research.

The documentary is a breakthrough for his career. It’s his first feature documentary, and he not only directed it, but also wrote and edited the work. Interestingly enough, it was a conversation in a taxi that led him to produce Liberty in A Soup! The cabbie, who was of West African origin, asked Alexis about the significance of the soup, and the director decided to create a documentary that would explain its history to his fellow Haitian-Americans and other curious folks.

Liberty in A Soup contains interviews with Dr. Benjamin Hebblethwaite, a professor at the University of Florida, who lectures on Haitian Creole and culture, Babacar M’Bow, an art curator, and author Edwidge Danticat, among other commentators and experts.

Prior to releasing Liberty in A Soup, Mr. Alexis produced several short documentaries. He was heavily involved with the Miccosukee Magazine, as post production producer.

This has been another episode of…Haitian-American Culture from your favorite chick Kreyolicious.

You can watch a trailer of Liberty in A Soup below.

CLICK HERE to visit the Liberty in A Soup website!

At this point, Carrol F. Coates should be given some sort of medal for the deft translation of so many great works from literature originally written in French.

This said, let us discuss General Sun, My Brother (CARAF Books), a book translated by Coates, and written by Jacques Stephen Alexis, who in short, is one of Haiti’s biggest literary talents. He died in 1961, but his literary legacy has only grown with each decade after his death.

Alexis was a doctor, a highly esteemed profession but his protagonist Hilarion Hilarius, is the lowest of Haitian society, a serial petty thief who brings dishonor to his family and grief to his mother.

One of the biggest contrasts that is made in the novel is the relationship between Hilarion Hilarius with Pierre Roumel, a son of Haiti’s aristocracy. They are being held at the same prison—Fort Dimanche—Hilarion for stealing and Pierre for his part in organizing a strike against the U.S. Occupation of Haiti. But even behind bars, Roumel can change lives and wields power, and upon Hilarion’s release, he gives him an introduction letter that will help land Hilarion a job. A rather minor aspect of the plot of General Sun, My Brother? Or a slick message from Jacques Stephen Alexis about the power of collaboration among Haiti’s social classes? For this letter literally changes the life of Hilarion and makes him see new possibilities in himself.

As a result of Pierre Roumel’s gesture, Hilarion develops a sense of responsibility that will help him in making one of the first adult decisions of his life, and that is to enter in a relationship with Claire-Hereuse, not coincidentally named after Haitian founding father Jean-Jacques Dessalines’ wife Marie-Claire Hereuse. It’s the desire to make a more promising future for himself and their daughter Désiré (after a failed business—more like a cruelly burned down business venture) that partly leads Hilarion to go work the fields in the neighboring Dominican Republic cane fields.

General Sun, My Brother isn’t just Hilarion’s story. It’s the story of his sister Zuléma, who is raped by an important aristocrat in Port-au-Prince; and through the book we catch glimpses of the empty lives of Haiti’s high society ladies, caught “in the clutches of boredom” and “collecting adventure”—as Jacques Stephen Alexis puts it ever so eloquently.

General Sun, My Brother is a fine novel, and captures the courageous spirit of Haitians sugar cane workers, at the historical slaughter at the Massacre River, a pivotal time in Dominican-Haitian relations. But the biggest lesson that it teaches is that it is far better to nurse one’s problems at home, then seek greener grasses elsewhere.

In the Flicker of an Eyelid by Jacques Stephen Alexis (original French title: L’espace d’un cillement) is today’s Haitian Book Club Selection.

She’s known as La Niña Estrellita in the neighborhood, and her prowess as a prostitute is so widespread, that she has a large U.S. Marines clientele that line up outside her door literally! Mezanmi o!

Lucrèce is La Niña Estrellita’s closest friend, but a prostitute herself, so really she (La Niña) doesn’t really have a guiding hand.

At a bar, La Niña Estrellita spies a man sizing her down, and she goes into a mental outrage:

“Nobody undresses her with his eyes. They usually grab her with their paws. La Niña always offers herself, men can turn her over, take her however they want, maul her, lick her, drink her, according to their vice. But they must pay up!”

At one point, La Niña drowns herself in her addictions: marijuana, opium, and chain-smoking, taking to heart the words of Dr. Chaubert: “La Niña, you’re dead; you’re already dead. it’s just that your funeral chants haven’t been sung yet.”

At the crux of In the Flicker of an Eyelid is the central question: can a woman of ill-repute be permanently reformed by love? Love, in this case, as in the love of El Caucho…Rafaël.

And then there is also this link to Cuba and Haiti too. La Niña Estrellita lives in Haiti in the 1950s (the novel itself opens in 1948), but she was born as Eglantina Corrarubias, a Cubana.

But back to the main question…can a harlot be saved? Mary Magdalene was, but El Caucho is no Christ. When the novel ends with an uncertain note, the reader isn’t angry, but is grateful for having had served this story of the personal search for self and redemption, with oppression in the background.

Born in Miami and currently residing in Los Angeles, Maxx Alexis is the woman television stations and networks tap when they need an expert on issues facing single women. She has appeared on The Real and some of the most popular radio stations and early morning shows in the nation. The Haitian-American has even written a book entitled Man Fast, being read around the nation by women who are looking for counsel on single parenthood, dating, and self-esteem.

Kreyolicious: Tell us about growing up in Miami.
To start off, Miami is not South Beach. When I was younger, it was a place where retired people moved to and was known for its original city name of Miami Beach. Many of the immigrants who moved to Miami worked there to clean houses or worked at one of the hotels there and it wasn’t known to be a party town like it is today.

Aside from the warm weather, growing up in Miami was as normal as you can get. I played outside with friends almost everyday except when it rained of course. I lived in the same house and school district from elementary to high school so I witnessed how the Haitian community evolved from being ostracized based on negative stereotypical perceptions to finally being accepted once musical artist,Wyclef came on to the scene. I learned a lot about different cultures outside of my own. All of my friends were somehow connected with an island i.e. Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Trinidad, etc. so there was always a mutual understanding with each other when it can to our strict parents and the love for each others foods.

If you’re not careful you can easily get caught up in participating in illegal activity since there weren’t a lot of opportunities available. So, you are always on survival mode trying to make ends meet. It’s normal to see generations of families living under one roof whether it’s in an apartment or a house and that makes it very difficult to move out since you’re always connected to your family.

For the most part, it can get boring real quick since there isn’t a lot to do except to go to Disney World which is about five hours away and that too can get old. Other than that, you’re just waiting for Memorial Day weekend, the Dade County Youth Fair, or any other events that make its way to the city even though they happen months apart.

However, people from Miami are very proud of where they come from. I always like to say that Miami is its own country that happens to be located in Florida. It stands apart from the other cities in Florida. We’re just different people and the way you can tell that we are is when you meet someone from Miami they will say they are from Miami versus people who are not will just say they’re from Florida.

Kreyolicious: For real…At which point did you realize that you wanted to write #ManFast?
I realized that I wanted to write my book #ManFast after I made an appearance on the day time talk show, The Real. I got a lot of support from women who said they could relate to my story. By then I had gone through so much after losing my job, home, car within a matter of 10 months and years later being homeless for three months with my daughter, I just wanted to put my past behind me and not regret it anymore.

Kreyolicious: Does being a public relationship expert have its perks?
I think it does have its perks because I can easily read people based on little information about them and that helps a lot of the women and men who reach out to me for guidance especially with their co-parenting relationships. The other side of that is it rarely works for my benefit. [Laughter] So, if I can use my talents to help someone else, then it really doesn’t matter.

Kreyolicious: Radio and television producers call on you whenever they need an expert on dating and relationships. What would you say to someone who wants to be an expert in any field?
Be real. Nobody wants to listen to an expert who isn’t geniuine or says things just to get Like’s or Followers. If you aren’t genuine, people will sense it right away and will call you Fake quicker than your Haitian Mama figuring out which part of Haiti your friend’s family is from by just knowing their last name

Above: Maxx Alexis’ self-help book.
Kreyolicious: Is there another book on the horizon for you?
Yes there is another book on the horizon but I’m like Lauryn Hill…”I need my energy aligned with the time” before I start writing it though.
Kreyolicious: Have you been to Haiti lately?
No. I haven’t been to Haiti since I was a child but I do plan to go to reconnect with the country one day soon with my daughter
Kreyolicious: If you could make up a playlist to go with your book, what songs would you include?
All of the songs on Beyonce’s Lemonade album…[drops mic].

CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT MAXX ALEXIS’ BOOK ON AMAZON!

Be sure to watch the video below of her appearance on “The Real” above.