Articulating Haitian Conflicts in a New York City Basement: The Global Stakes of Franketyèn's <em>Pèlin-tèt</em>

Abstract

Through the lens of Haitian popular theater, this article examines the impact of globality on the experience of displaced Haitians, demonstrating how the United States serves both literally and metaphorically as a space for negotiating entrenched political, economic, and cultural tensions originating in Haiti. These Caribbean conflicts are inscribed in dramatic works published in Kreyol by the prolific writer and artist Franketyen/Franketienne. Perhaps best known for his foundational role in the Spiralist movement begun in the 1960s, Franketyen remained in Haiti despite the difficult circumstances imposed by the Duvalier dictatorship; his literary and theatrical works subtly, yet explicitly contest material conditions at home while simultaneously deconstructing the colonized position of Haiti with respect to the global North. Writing against the (French) grain, in Haiti's second(ary) national language, Franketyen acknowledges the centrality of the oral tradition in Haiti and renders theater accessible to all audiences. His most-performed play is Pelin-tet ( The Noose ) (1978), which to date is understudied. Its focus is an unlikely pair of Haitian men sharing a dank basement apartment in New York City: the uneducated, penniless Piram, who is fluent only in Kreyol, and Polido, a French-speaking pseudo-intellectual. The tense interactions of these symbolic immigrants speak volumes about issues of poverty, marginalization, and political and linguistic categories, on both local and global levels. Ultimately, through P e lin-tet , Franketyen suggests several ways of avoiding the North-South noose: his theatrical work problematizes stereotypical notions of the Haitian experience, reaffirms the significance of the Caribbean social, linguistic, and cultural context, lashes out against rural/urban dichotomies, and argues for increased solidarity amongst members of the Haitian Diaspora and beyond.