Festival in a dreamlandone more festival established in Martinique!! The name “dream country” with which the President and her co-organizers (natives) adorn it, contributes to the postcard of a country, ours, whose landscapes become screens with exotic illuminations that serve as a cover for post-war misery. colonial.
« The power of the book » this is the theme of the third edition of this Festival. Building on its success (it is stated) with national partners (we would like to know which ones), the event which aims (it is declared) to be a sounding board, also highlights “this country Martinique where everyone knows that the destruction of writing, language and words would signify the abolition of a possibility of freedom. »
That authors from Peru, Quebec, Cameroon, the United States, Europe staying a week in Martinique took part in literary meetings, that guest of honor Dany Laferrière, Haitian Francophone writer, member of the French Academy, dialogued with high school students, which was carried out in Martinique the outline of a globalized Grand Village, we applaud but when we note the impasse made regarding the treatment of themes such as Creole/French linguistic coexistence in Martinique, the absence among the guests of authors Martinican creolographers, the non-existence on display of works of literature in the Martinican Creole language, published, nothing is going well! And above all, no one will object to me that the “musical settings” punctuating the literary meetings are a tribute to the Martinican Creole language.
Let us admit that the ill-informed President of the said festival made the mistake of believing that Martinican literary production only exists in the French language, it nonetheless remains true that these (native) running mates should have informed her of this. opposite.
For the attention of those who do not know, pretend not to know, do not seek to know, to make known, the (non-exhaustive) list of Creolographic authors from Martinique, published: History Jean-Pierre Barthéléry Hugues Bellay Romain Barnabas Joby Bookman Daniel Cage Nicole Confident Raphael duration Judes Etienne Rudolph Jala Leotin Georges-Henri Leotin Terez Liénafa Jean-François Lowenski Jean-Louis Monchoachi weight Eric Restog Serge St. Louis Marie-José Vilarson, without forgetting to mention the contribution of those who have left us: Gilbert Scratching Marie-Thérèse Julien Lung Fou Georges Eleuthere Mauvois Vincent Placoly François Kichenassamy Georges of Vassoigne Jean Barnabas Marius Gottin Roger Ebion… so many producers of poems, short stories, novels, chronicles, plays composed in Martinican Creole.
Word of mouth does not charge / promises only bind those who pronounce them. This proverb reveals on the occasion of this Festival the contradiction that there is between saying (the power of the book its theme, in emphasis, the destruction of writing, language and words abolition of a possible freedom) and the facts: exclusion of Martinican Creole authors from this meeting, non-exhibition of their works, absence of debates around, among other things, the status of the Creole language in Martinique… These are sufficient elements which authorize to say that in the end, this “Festival in a dreamland” turns out to be nothing more than a blatant act of cultural discrimination.
Daniel Bookman Martinican cultural activist writer
