Kitchen Poets (Part I)
By Ginau Mathurin

On the way to the Cultural Revolution of 2004, Haiti has introduced her latest warrior, a "kitchen poet" named Edwidge Danticat. In a country where the illiteracy rate is high, the oral tradition of story telling is vivid and imaginative. That tradition has given way to a generation that listened and is now ready to express to the world the glory of human kind with a Haitian voice.

In her writing, Edwidge Danticat gives homage to those before her who did not have the ability to write down their wonderful stories. She tells us of "kitchen poets," women who "slip phrases into their stew and wrap meaning around their pork before frying it."

She was born in Port-au-Prince, in 1969, and like so many, was raised by an aunt and uncle while her parents struggled in the concrete jungles of America. She came to the United States to live in New York at the age of twelve. While she went through the growing pains of life in a new world, she never forgot her culture, her life in Haiti and the people who enriched it with wonderful stories.
She earned a BA in French Literature from Barnard College, to fulfill her parent's desire that she be successful in spite of, or because, she is an immigrant. She continued on to earn a Master of Fine Arts degree at Brown University in 1993. As her thesis she started to write her first novel, "Breath, Eyes, Memory" (Soho Press, 1994).

Drawing from her own life, Edwidge Danticat tells the story of four generations of Haitian women who through their strength overcome poverty and sense of powerlessness. The story with a universal appeal is rich with wonderful Haitian culture, phrases, rhythm, sound and even taste of Haiti. Edwidge also explores some disturbing familial traditions, most importantly the rural practice of "testing" a daughter to confirm that she is still a virgin.

Critics praised Breath, Eyes, Memory and hailed Danticat as the next Alice Walker and a new voice for Haitians."That makes me nervous," says Danticat. "I don't want to represent anybody; I'm not a politician. I represent at best, myself."

Her second book, Krik? Krak! (Soho Press, 1995) is a book of short stories, with different flavors and spices, like manman's kitchen cabinet. In an interview with NPR, Edwidge said of her book: "I wanted to raise the voice of a lot of the people that I knew growing up, and this was, for the most part, . . . poor people who had extraordinary dreams but also very amazing obstacles."

In her writing, Edwidge focuses on the women characters. These women are normally strong and independent but not without flaws, which makes them seem real. In the coming Cultural Revolution of 2004, Edwidge Danticat is already leading a lot of people into a battle to change their mind on how Haitian culture is viewed. No doubt that she spent many days in the kitchen, at the feet of her aunt who raised her in Haiti. The stories that she now is telling the world tell us that she was learning to become a kitchen poet like her aunt and so many other great women before her.

Ayibobo!!!!!

EchodHaiti.com