History and Culture of Haiti

Author : NICOLE JEAN-LOUIS
Publisher : Xlibris Corporation
Release Date : 2012-09-29
ISBN 10 : 9781477152652
Pages : 264 pages
Rating : 4.1/5 (477 users)

Download History and Culture of Haiti PDF Full or another Format written by NICOLE JEAN-LOUIS and published by Xlibris Corporation. This book was released on 2012-09-29 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: My name is Nicole Jean-Louis. My maiden name is Nicole Faublas. I was born in Port-au –Prince, Haiti. When I was nine years old, my grandfather, Luc Beauboeuf, inspired me to discover my artistic talent. Every sketch I’ve made was greeted with abundant praises by my grandfather. “Draw me some more”, he would say to me. Every day after school, I would rush to draw more and more for him. Then, he would help me with my math problems. In my early schooling at Sacred Heart, my favorite subjects were Math and Drawing. As an artist, I love to incorporate Geometry and Physics in my drawings as much as I can. For example, when I paint my landscape, I want to align the horizon with the sea level as straight as possible. In Haiti, we were five siblings growing up: Gladys, Nicole (myself), Micheline, Edith, and Serge Faublas, our only brother. One day, my father, Jean Faublas, gathered us all to go hiking in a mountain surrounding Port-au-Prince. The mountain’s name is “Morne de l’Hopital”. My father told us that we would go to the top where there is a hotel at “Boutilier”. This was a memorable experience. We met farmers working on the fields. Some farmers build terraces. We met women descending the mountain with baskets on their heads, loaded of farm products. The women wore blue denim dresses, with a colorful piece of cloth wrapped around their waist. There were naked children playing by their thatch houses. At the age of ten, it was fascinating for me to see the children’s skin and hair of similar color, red-brown like the soil. The air smelled like Haitian soda. In the late 1955’s era, the mountain sides located near Port-au-Prince were not constructed. They were invaded by outsiders as in this modern day era. In 1964, my whole family migrated to Zaire, Africa, to flee from the Duvalier Regime. I spent a year in Zaire, completing my terminal secondary class. Then, my father sent me to Hampton, Virginia. I attended Hampton Institute; presently known as Hampton University, majoring in Biochemistry. I spoke little English. The following year, I stayed in New York with my older sister, Gladys. I did not pursue Art in college. Instead, I choose Science. After many intermissions, (e.g.)( wedding, travel, birth), I finally received a Bachelors in Science degree at Hunter College in 1978. From 1978 to 2007, I worked in Chemistry at different hospitals in the Bronx: North Central Bronx Hospital, Einstein, Jacobi, and Montefiore Hospital. I painted occasionally for dear friends, my sisters and brother, my granddaughter, Guenett (“Three 2 Generations”) painting. I also painted for my niece’s and nephew’s wedding presents, and for decors in my new house. When I retired in 2007, my husband and I went to live in Jacmel, Haiti, his hometown. Jacmel is a picturesque town by the beaches. Its environment inspired me to take my brushes again. Painting became my favorite past time. From 2007 to 2010, I painted over thirty paintings. I embrace all styles: landscape, personalized portrait, every day occurrence, folkloric dance, history. Haiti that I know before the earthquake of January 2010 will be beautiful again. I have to display Haiti’s panoramic scenery, everyday life, and its historic events such as: “Ceremony of Bois Caiman, 1791”, “Mad Dogs chasing fugitive slaves”. I have to exhibit some of Haiti’s heroic figures; for example, Toussaint Louverture and Jean Jacques Dessalines. My book is mostly about visual art. Visual art depicts everything that the eyes can see without embellishment. Reality is represented faithfully, truthfully, and accurately. Visual art is objectively real. My book illustrates Haiti’s history and culture through visual art. Haiti has a unique and glorious history. History is powerful and should be protected. Haiti is a country full of resilience. Documenting Haitian history and culture through art is my passion. It is important to instruct the young so they can make educated judgment by learning from the past. I