Haiti has always dreamed of having its own song of gesture. There was an obscure attempt at the beginning of the 19th century: the Haitiade. It was in the 20th century that a poet, an admirer of Pablo Neruda, gave him his Chant général: Mon pays que voici. An epic symphony that mixes the tragic present with the glorious past.
The poet left his country in 1964. It will be the beginning of a long exile. For 50 years, he travelled the world with one anchor, Canada. Nostalgia for childhood and his native land was a major source of inspiration for his work.
A film by Arnold Antonin
Haiti, 2020, Documentary, 1h 19 mn
2020 | Festival Vues d'Afrique de Montréal
Online viewing: Thu 23 - Fri 24 April