À l’arrivée de Jean Jacques Dessalines au Cap-Haïtien, il n’y avait que quelques incidents violents isolés à travers la ville. Cependant à son arrivée, les choses changèrent de façons radicales.
À la fin du mois d’avril 1804, 3 000 à 5 000 personnes avaient été tuées, ce qui signifie que les Blancs avaient pratiquement été éradiqués. Seuls trois groupes de Blancs — en dehors des étrangers — avaient été désignés comme devant être traités à part et épargnés : les soldats polonais qui avaient déserté de l’armée française, le petit groupe de colons allemands invités à s’installer dans le nord-ouest d’Haïti avant la révolution, et un groupe de médecins ou autres personnes qualifiées. Certains habitants ayant eu des liens avec des officiers de l’armée haïtienne auraient aussi été épargnées, de même que les femmes qui acceptaient d’épouser des hommes de couleur.
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When Jean Jacques Dessalines arrived in Cap-Haïtien, there were only isolated violent incidents throughout the city. However, when he arrived, things changed dramatically.

By the end of April 1804, 3,000 to 5,000 people had been killed, which means that Whites had virtually been eradicated. Only three groups of whites – apart from foreigners – had been designated as being to be treated separately and spared: the Polish soldiers who had deserted from the French army, the small group of German settlers invited to settle in the north. west of Haiti before the revolution, and a group of doctors or other qualified people. Some residents who had links with officers of the Haitian army were also spared, as well as women who agreed to marry men of color.

Ever since Barbara Jacques can remember, holistic healing and natural products have been part of her life. Growing up in a Haitian household, her mother Marie-Gertha Rosan seemed to have a remedy for everything. A bruise, a scrape, a bump or blemish didn’t stand a chance against Barbara’s herbs and naturals-loving mom. Jacques probably didn’t imagine that years later, these remedies and homemade concoctions would be the basis of Jacq’s Organics, the herbal and organic company she founded.

As a matter of fact it was quite recently that Jacques developed a deeper appreciation for things organic. As an expectant mom, she began to educate herself about some of the products she was using, and among her findings was that the majority of personal care products—and alarmingly enough including baby care products on the market—had moisture-stripping and carcinogenic ingredients. Jacques knew the solution to this lay in her making her own bath and body products. Pretty soon, close friends and family members impressed by her self-made products and their effectiveness were requesting her lotions, soaps, and oil. Before Jacques knew it, she had an enthusiastic clientele that expanded far beyond her circle of friends and family members. Jacq’s Organics officially launched in March of 2012, with Jacques educating herself about entrepreneurship by attending workshops, business lectures, and watching video tutorials.

She discussed Jacq’s Organics with Kreyolicious.com.

Q & A

Anything in particular about your background that helped the entrepreneur process along?
Yes. My grandmother and my mother were entrepreneurs. My childhood memories are of me and my sibling help grow and expand my mother’s business. However, I went to school for Communications and worked in retail, but I have always known that I always wanted to be an entrepreneur. In addition to taking courses in small business management, marketing and public relations, I have more than 12 years of customer service and sales experience. In a customer based industry, customer service plays a vital role in any business. My sales, retail and management experience allows me to understanding what customers want and why they are buying. This of course is key to staying relevant and in demand in an ever changing and growing market.

A lot of people have gone cynical in terms of what’s organic or not. Does Jacq’s Organics take special measures to make certain that its products are wholly organic?
We take pride in making sure that our ingredients are sourced utilizing Fair Trade practices, ensuring fair living wages for our farmers. We also take pride in using sustainable oils. By supporting Jacq’s Organics, you are also supporting socially responsible, sustainable agriculture.

Of the products in your line, which has won over the most people?
Honestly, a product that is very popular has to be the Shea Butter Souffle/Moisturizer. It’s formulated with hand-picked essential oils and whipped to a soft velvety texture that is infectiously addictive. It renders amazing results both on the skin and in your hair.

No doubt, you are constantly thinking of new offerings to the product line, not to mention new innovations.
Yes, we are often thinking of new products to produce for our customers. We are currently working on a skin care line that includes face masks, toners, face serums and more. Since we have a lot of customers that have naturally thick curly or kinky hair we are also expanding our hair collection. I am excited and can’t wait to debut the new collection that also includes expanding our baby line as well.

More people would embrace living organically if they could afford it.
My advice to anyone purchasing organic product is to read the labels and know what you are buying. Just because a product is labeled organic or natural does not mean that it is. Not all products are made the same and each essential oil has a purpose. Quality ingredients and quality products may cost but at least you know that you are paying for quality products that are safe.

Aloe juice and shea butter are the base of most of your products. Why?
Aloe vera is a super plant and takes precedent over water mainly because of its amazing healing and moisturizing properties. While Shea Butter is a miracle moisturizer packed with vitamins and contains properties that protects and heals including free radicals, eczema, burns, psoriasis and many skin disorders. Formulating all our products using these base ingredients Shea Butter and Aloe juice ensures that each of our products are made with skin hydrating, moisturizing and nourishing ingredients that every skin needs.

There are probably lots of people out there with ideas from everything to toys to new skin and hair products. As an entrepreneur, what advice do you have for them?
My advice is to plan efficiently and do your homework when it comes to starting a business and research your industry. Creating a business plan is vital but also find a mentor that will guide and lead you in the right direction that has the experience in that field. Finally, be patient but continue to persevere. Nothing happens overnight but the reward is always worth the wait.

For some, his movie Pluie D’Espoir is by far, one of the best movies to have come out of Haiti, but director-screenwriter-producer Jacques Roc continues to pound the pavement, looking for new ways to depict Haiti on the screen, albeit in a positive manner. Roc was recently an honoree at the Motion Picture Association of Haiti’s first edition of the Haitian Movie Awards in Boston for being a model of excellence in his field.

Many know about his movie, which was screened at the Fort Lauderdale Film Festival some years back—and more recently at the Dominican Republic Global Film Festival—but very few know the man behind the camera, or that he was a musician first and foremost, the way Jean-Léopold Dominique was an agronomist before he became a journalist. Currently in Haiti, juggling different projects, including his sitcom series and his screenplays, Mr. Roc was kind enough to respond to our request for an interview.

Now you started out as a commercial director.
I was a music director for Roy Eaton Music, writing and producing jingles. Was fascinated by the cinema industry since I was eleven years old. Had my first dark room at the age of twelve and developed black and white pictures for all my friends at school. I also did my first Super 8 movie when I was fourteen. It was probably what started the motion. Then of course, music took over and I became this guitar player in a band named Les As Noirs. Later on in New York, I was teaching Dadou Pasquet [a famed musician in the legendary Haitian band Magnum Band] how to play great guitar. He certainly did very well. As a music director in New York, I had the opportunity to create great track for the commercials being shot by professionals. I went to NYU and started my film career.

Do you have a background in theater?
Yes. Somewhat. Studied Berthol Bretch and Samuel Becket. Enjoyed his “Waiting for Godot”. And worked some time ago with the Troupe Quidor…Syto Cavé [Alan Cavé’s theatre veteran dad] and Hervé Denis [late pioneer in Haitian theater]. Wrote a couple plays, but it didn’t go further than that.

Nearly all the actors in your film were first-timers. How did you manage to get such great performances out of them?
Working in Haiti taught me a lot about the Haitian inner talent. They only need a good director. I have found out that it was much easier if they didn’t have previous acting [experience]. Love to make actors out of them. But I did find some good ones, like Lionel Benjamin and Claudine Oriol. Sandra Rabrun did a radio spot with me and showed that she could act.

The international media has reported that you were involved in directing a series based on the lives of the 2010 earthquake survivors.
After the earthquake, having missed death four times, I thought my place was in Haiti to bring relief in some form to the displaced people in the camps. Therefore, we started doing free outdoor projections in the camps. Later on came the idea, with the support of MINUSTAH [an international peace-keeping task force stationed in Haiti], to create a sitcom of a family living in the tent city, as a vehicle to disseminate public information and civic educative films. We went along and produced 20 public service announcements, one on domestic violence, drugs, illegal use of guns, kidnapping etc. We had played that one [the one for domestic violence] for mother’s day as a gift to all women who do not deserve to be violated.

Now as someone who is accustomed to directing splashy commercials and music videos, why did you choose to have such a simple story as the subject for your first feature film?
The simple story as you call it…is quite the fundamentals of our culture. I was always very impressed by the quality of life in the countryside and the moral of the peasants. I had many friends in Chalon when I was gowning up in Miragoane during the summer months. Writing the story was a tribute to their type of moral values and great mentality. Their kindness at all times and their coffee making and offering: “Vwazen wa-p pran ti kafe a?” It was always with a smile!

Everyone is excited about your next project. Or should we say projects. Can you tell us about them?
The very first thing I want to say to you regarding the next projects is the following: Not until everyone has seen the final version of Pluie d’Espoir will our other projects start. The scripts are written and as I said the productions will start after the release of the final version of Pluie d’Espoir. Next year for sure. We have many projects: Children Without a God. Prisoner of Ti Goave and Emilia. You will be hearing about them soon. We also are doing other project to help educate the Haitian population by creating and producing our own TV show for our giant 12 x16 foot screens via our broadcast division Telemobil. It’s called Lekomobil. We will be using this show to teach kids Alphabet like “Sesame Street” did.

Tell us about Jacques Roc the man.
I grew up in Carrefour Feuilles and spent my summer vacations in the little town of three major streets of Miragoane. I admire perfection and jazz music and true love. I love too deeply and get hurt too often. [So] I became passionate about perfection and my work.

My first mentor was Lionel Derenoncourt, nicknamed Nono, who taught me photography when I was twelve. [I want] to leave a legacy of better communicative tools to all the children of Haiti. Teach as many as we can how to read and be heard.

What kind of childhood did Jacques Roc have?
A somewhat terrible childhood—until I discovered music. How to play the guitar. It became my soul mate. My Dad disappeared when I was six, under the regime of the Duvaliers. My mom had a hard time raising six children. But being in a musical band saved my life.

What do you hope to accomplish through your movies?
Send as much messages as I can, when I can have an audience looking and listening; well, if you don’t do that, you waste all your effort. Our role as filmmakers is to create hope and through fantasy we can accomplish that and much more. Hope drives the mind to become stronger and to not only survive but to struggle to the end of the tunnel. Pluie d’Espoir was meant to show the millions of Haitian youngsters that all they needed was hope and confidence to make it in this tough world.

You worked with these actors in Pluie d’Espoir. What are your thoughts on their performances and their futures?
Junior Metellus turned out to be an excellent actor with versatility and brought my ideas to life. Working with him was challenging but worth it. He also had to get into the characters at random since the scenes were shot in that manner. Sandra Rabrun I knew she had talent and would be pleasant to work with since she had already done a radio spot for me for the NY City Department of Health. Lionel Benjamin was the first known Haitian actor I worked with in a couple of TV commercials I had shot in Haiti for Nissan. I though he was very talented as an actor.

Claudine Oriol was coached by the same teacher who taught Denzel Washington and came from LA with lots of credentials. She was great. Powerful. Christian Sajous? As an old friend of mine, since we were 12 years, Jean Christian Sajous was the lead actor in my first Super 8 silent film I did when I was 16 in New York. Of course he was a natural from day one.

Now the actress Ginou Mondesir, the female co-lead died tragically, beaten to death by a significant other. Are you planning on writing a movie or a documentary on domestic violence?
I have already. And will do more on different angles of this issue. We need to teach a lot of Haitian men how to treat women with respect.

We’ve read that after the actress’s death, you took the responsibility for the education of her surviving son.
Somewhat. We committed a percentage of the profits of the movie to his education.

Why do you think Pluie d’Espoir was such a success?
It dealt with a lot of taboos and how reality should be. The only time we show superiority was when we referred to intelligence as Toussaint becoming educated. A man shouldn’t run off and disregard the true essence of love. Toussaint never cheating on his wife made a lot of sense to most women, since they are usually more faithful than men.

The burning question that everyone has for you is this: when will Pluie d’Espoir be released on DVD? And what can we expect after having to wait for it for so long?
I must thank you for asking. It’s people like you that keep my spirit up! Pluie d’Espoir was pirated so be it! But now, we are going to release it on DVD and with a limited edition signed and numbered. With a beautiful book of pictures from the entire production shoot.

You also do your own casting for your movies. How do you decide the suitability of an actor or actress for a role?
Casting is something I enjoy doing because it takes me to the culture of understanding what the actor I have created in my vision should look like. When I meet the potential actor, I can sense his talent even before the audition. That is the basis of my (how to choose my talent). It may take me more time to find one lead actor. Like in Pluie d’Espoir, it took me six months to find Junior Metellus. The others did not take us as long.

Do you ever get the urge to direct music videos again?
Of course and I will. I just wouldn’t be interested in cheap HD musical video productions. Nothing beats filmmaking and real film. Super 16, 35 and Super 35. Negative transfer is where the essence of music video is.

Some critics have accused you of having an unrealistic plot in Pluie D’espoir. What are your thoughts on that?
Ah ahahah! People or critics shouldn’t even be criticizing because they don’t know what the real deal is. Critics write their criticism according to their own experience and never criticize the white man when he makes a car climb the Empire State Building or land a chopper on top of a tall building without a landing pad.

They tend to forget the real reality of the many Haitians who have left the country in the 60’s and never to return until ten, fifteen years later. Toussaint was a real character I knew when I was twelve years old and because of my clever guitar playing I was welcomed in all of his many Sandwich shops to eat for free. He made fortune within three years and left for the USA.

Many Haitians made fortunes in the country in a short period of time and to this day history is repeating itself. The critics shouldn’t stay biased and limited to their own conditions without looking around and deeply into the nouveau rich…how they made their money. In the US, stores hire salesmen to move their business, but in Haiti, people just sell to retailers without having salesmen to pay. Think about that. By the way this part that the critics didn’t quite get…they would easily [see it] if they had seen the final version of the movie, because one scene explains it. Or more like Philippe the entrepreneur explains to Toussaint how to make the money. If I were a critic, I would wait to have read the entire book before I write about it.

What Haitian actors and actresses do you hope to work with in the future?
Stanley Mathéus, Gessica Généus, Jimmy Jean-Louis, Benz Antoine and Elizabeth Alphonse who has played in my sitcom “Anba Syèl La”. By the way the new season of the sitcom starts soon.

Does Haitian cinema have a future?
I certainly believe that but contrary to what Mr. Arnold Antonin [fellow Haitian movie director] thinks: “Haitians can never make film like Hollywood”. I disagree because, yes we can. It’s not [about]how many special effects [scenes] in our films, we are creating science fictions, if we go back in time in the thirties…some black and white movies were outstanding. We can make movies just like Hollywood.

Recognized as one of the most powerful fashion influencers in the fashion world, kreyolicious chick Rajni Lucienne Jacques exemplifies the Thomas Edison saying that there is no substitute for hard work. Like many leaders, she started out as an intern in her field, and worked her way to the upper echelons of the beauty and fashion world. What can we learn from Rajni’s career and her moves? Follow along as your favorite chick Kreyolicious deciphers the 5 success principles we can learn from this fashion influencer leader.

1. Work your gluteus maximus off. You never know who’s watching.
(And even when no one may be watching, at least you’ll have gained much-needed experience).

After earning a Bachelor’s of Science degree at Rutgers, Rajni joined urban media giant Vibe as a Fashion and Accessories Editor. This was not Rajni’s first rapport with Vibe. She had worked as an intern and assistant at the publication, and when the post opened up, they immediately thought of her. Why should they hire elsewhere when this proven intern had worked like a paid employee?

2. Sometimes you might outgrow the position you’re in. Don’t be afraid to go elsewhere.
This will take a great deal of courage. Vibe Magazine was like family to Rajni, having spent her late teen years there and the early part of her career there, and growing with the staff. But a new opportunity came calling in the form of a Fashion Features Editor at Nylon, and it was the next phase of the beauty editor’s career.

Photo Credit: by Krista Anna Lewis

3. Go hard for your career, but don’t neglect love.
Ever read those lists of the top regrets of the dying? They always emphasize family relationships. As a career woman, Rajni earned accolades after accolades and promotions and after promotions. But the high from promotions and climbing the career tree can only lasts for so long. This is where her soulmate and true love David Dowd came in, and their growing family. After a long day at the cubicle scheduling photo shoots, writing articles, starring at mobile device screens, and fielding phone calls, it’s nice to come home to your soothing and supportive man, who’s the love of your life.

4. Create, nurture your girl squad.
Many women have lost faith in female friendships. Rajni hasn’t. Most of the friends she has, have been in her life for ten years or more. Her friendships range from childhood friends to industry friends, whose friendship go beyond the parking lot at the office. For instance, Shiona Turini, a fellow fashion doyenne friend is a decade-plus-long comrade, and godmother to one of her kids. The time is ripe for women to stop seeing each other as potential rivals and just embrace true friendship.

5. Keep up with the key changes in your field.
Rajni has more than a decades’ worth of experience in the realm of fashion. She has been a first-hand witness of developments in technology and the influencer shift of the early 2010s. She has been an early adopter of Twitter and Instagram, and she joined the former while some fashion editors were still resisting the platform. Her having her pinky on the pulse of trends has led to posts at Glamour, Yahoo, Madewell, Racked, and now fashion and style bastion Hearst Digital.

There you have it kreyolicious cheries, the 5 SUCCESS PRINCIPLES WE CAN LEARN FROM RAJNI LUCIENNE JACQUES! Which of these principles do you most look forward to applying in your own life? Let me know!

CLICK HERE TO READ OTHER ARTICLES IN THE 5 SUCCESS PRINCIPLES SERIES!

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.

Chris Jacques is a force to be reckoned with in the world of radio. Jacques is the co-host of “The Bridge” which airs every Friday from 6-8p.m on 980 AM. The show is based in Boca Raton, Florida, and its title refers to the point where Haitian culture meets the American. His mic partner for that show is his father Leslie Jacques, who hosts Creole-language shows on that same station.

Chris Jacques doesn’t just read the news to his listeners, he offers analysis to his listeners, as well as his own take on current events. Jacques doesn’t stop there; he is also a promoter of events, holding Kiss and Tell, a monthly meet-greet-dance-and-party show that he’s conceptualized.

He is very much attuned to what is going on in the Haitian-American community, and uses his knowledge of that demographic to formulate radio segments that speaks to them, and dance parties that will draw them. He is also involved with The Wall Street Group, a consortium of other go-getters.

Q & A

Why don’t we start off with you telling us about yourself?
Where do I begin? I was born in Massachusetts, moved to Florida at age ten, son of one of the most prominent voices in the Haitian community, and I’ve been known to be a bit eccentric. In a good way of course.

So you’ve been doing radio since you were 13?
Yes I have been under my father’s tutelage since 13, I began helping around the office, running what little tasks and errands I could. I even spoke on the air for a show called kids corner, we discussed life lessons and educational concepts. I graduated and went away to Virginia where I later got my degree in broadcasting and have been on the air since.

What goes into preparing for a show?
It all depends. For “The Bridge”, being current is an absolute must. I run a news program daily on 980 AM, so I am consistently tuned into all the events happening around the world. Before every show, it is important to brush up on your facts. We like to practice balanced broadcasting on our network so I usually find most of the major objections to whatever point I want to convey that way I wont be too surprised when we open up the phone lines during our live shows. If I have guests, I make sure to brief them and have them be aware of what to expect. Lastly, I make sure that before I open the mic I am in a relaxed state of mind and that my thoughts are clear and concise.

Now in addition to being a radio host, you have another venture called The Wall Street Group.
Wall Street Group is a collection of like-minded movers and shakers in the Haitian American community. Our goal and mission is help change the perspective of what it means to be Haitian American to the rest of the world, while providing high quality inclusive events that all walks of life can enjoy and leave with a deeper appreciation for our rich Haitian Culture. Our first venture into this has been our super successful event Kiss and Tell. We decided to fuse everything great about the South Beach American club scene with the beauty and exotic nature of Kompa and Zouk. This formula has taken a life of its own and people from all backgrounds look forward to experiencing our unique event every single month. In the future we plan on doing many more diverse events and we are not a company that exclusively caters to the Haitian Community we just made sure to give them first priority.

Do you think that with the competition from the Internet, video games, online streaming, and television, radio has a chance?
Absolutely, radio is unique in a sense because audio imagery is still it’s own art form. Internet, video games, and streaming won’t hinder radio because radio can still implement itself into these various platforms. Right now 980 AM is live streamed every day on our website. All you have to do is click RHAI TV and you can watch and hear our programming. It also saves shows that have already occurred so people can view their favorite programming no matter what time they have available. Instead of competition we view these platforms as innovation that will only maximize our listenership.

What have you come to realize about the radio business that would be a big surprise to some?
Who will really support you and who wont. The radio business has tremendous value when it comes to marketing. Especially 980 AM, we provide many sponsors with the opportunity to really explain their products or services at a very competitive price. Yet somehow most people are still in search of a hand out. It’s very strange. When a person goes to the barber and gets their haircut they never leave the chair saying can I get this for free. Yet in radio, people have a tendency of wanting to promote their business to 1.6 million listeners they otherwise could not project to and want to do so without paying a dime. Believe me making money in the radio is not easy unless you have an iron fist. This was a surprise to me because I never knew how the money was made, but since I do now I have a much deeper respect for my father’s work ethic.

Chris Jacques during a celebratory moment with his parents.

Obviously your father was an influence. But who else has inspired your “radio voice”?
Mark MacCrazy former program director for X102.3. He was an instructor of mine and he was the pinnacle of professionalism. The man inspired me in so many ways, one of which was to thoroughly enjoy what you do. We are given a platform to express our thoughts and opinions to millions every day. There is a great responsibility in that, but it can also be a tremendous amount of fun. He has a very distinct and unique voice and is very light on his feet and witty. He showed me a lot in a very short period of time.

You are also a promoter.
Well like I mentioned before Kiss and Tell has become a phenomenon. When I tell people about it becomes second nature for me to go into great detail, like a parent would do for their only child. I will basically tell you what Kiss and Tell means and the rest you would have to come and experience for yourself. Kiss: The kiss stands for the warm embrace that you discover when entering our one of a kind ambiance. From the lavish fusion, to the upscale décor and dress code, even down to the reception you will receive from Team Wallstreet. This event is sure to leave you in a sense of euphoria. Tell: After an experience like that it will be hard for you to keep quiet. Our goal is to provide you such an enjoyable experience that you will go out and tell the world about what you saw. Hence making you Kiss and Tell.

When was the last time you went to Haiti?
The last time I visited Haiti was when I was thirteen years old. I spent six months there. I will never forget that trip and will definitely be returning soon.

What’s your favorite Haitian dish?
Diri a djonjon avèk poul.

What’s the best thing about being Haitian?
Having a rich and powerful heritage. Haitian culture is very vast. There is so much to learn, so much life, so much history. It is great to be bilingual and we have a strong sense of pride. These are just a few great things about being Haitian.

Let’s discuss Haitian music a little. What do you think Haitian musicians can do to bring the konpa genre to bigger audiences?
Integrate more of the methods used by other genres. We have a tendency of sticking to old bad habits. Also becoming more consistent and producing material more frequently. Some artists wait three or four years to come out with new material, this is unacceptable if they want to attain a broader crowd.

What do you have planned next?
So many things, the station is on the verge of producing a ground breaking never-been-done-before event. Wallstreet group will be launching its newest event and venture and it will surely make a huge buzz in the community. Also plan to see new forays into fashion and design soon.

Why do you think your shows on 980 resonate so much with audiences?
Because I speak from the heart every time I hold a mic. My family has been blessed to have the ability to convey our thoughts eloquently and with conviction that can be felt. I try to use that as much as possible so people can really have a sense of comfort when listening to me. I want people to feel like they really know me, even if they don’t.

Any other thoughts?
Well I would like to formally thank Kreyolicious magazine for conducting this interview. I hope when people read this they have a deeper understanding as to who I am and why I do what I do. I would like to invite everyone to listen to The Bridge every Friday from 6-8pm on 980 AM or live streamed on WSHRadio. Also to make your way to Kiss and Tell every single third Saturday in downtown Las Olas at Suite 100, 300 southwest 1st ave Fort Lauderdale FL 33301.

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.