Haïti 2042: les possibles futurs by Gary Victor (review)

For those dedicated followers of Haitian life, literature and culture, there is more often than not an inherent cautiousness associated with envisioning the country's future. And even though that wariness may be justifiable based on past, present, and presumed realities, it is indeed both a productive and yet challenging exercise to imagine just what the coming years hold for the citizens of Haiti and, most importantly, for its youth. Gary Victor's collection of short stories gleaned from the twelve winning laureates in a scholarly fictional writing competition (there were over 1000 total submissions for this fourth edition of the contest) gives us possible answers and much unsettling food for thought in a superb collection of predictions for Haiti in the year 2042. Following Victor's prescribed incipit which sets up a several hour visit to the future via a time machine, these "écrivains en herbe" (12) manage to create compelling futuristic scenarios which are deftly communicated with distinct individualism and impressive writing styles. Equally impressive are the distinguished jury members who chose the winning narratives including, among others, Dany Laferrière, Gary Victor, Kettly Mars, and Yanick Lahens. Some of the broadly treated subjects interjected into many of the texts are understandable references to present-day Haitian and global concerns: a continuation of issues between Haiti and the Dominican Republic; ongoing political corruption; additional natural disasters; a war that finally takes place between the United States and North Korea, and planetary destruction due to ozone neglect. More hopeful passages in the collection, though notably fewer in number, point to the enormous affection and positive vision these young writers have for their country and whose predictions of problems solved sit in stark contrast to the more somber texts. As Joédyne Jean-Baptiste expresses: "Le panorama était trop parfait. Les larges avenues étaient impeccablement asphaltées. Les trottoirs bien délimités sans les habituels commerçants qui les occupaient anarchiquement. Il n'y avait plus cette odeur fétide de l'eau dans les rigoles et dans les égouts" (142). Or as Gil Sander Joseph writes: "Je m'étonnais de découvrir les récentes recherches scientifiques qui avaient abouti: guérison du cancer, traitement plus efficace contre le SIDA, robotisation des voitures. Tout cela me passionnait et me faisait oublier un instant que le monde était affreux" (178). But a clearly dominant and most heartening theme in the volume is the notion that Haitians, now and in the future, have control over their destiny and must have the courage to assume individual and collective responsibility for the country's advancement. As aptly stated by Étienne Oremil in the Avant-Propos: "On constate avec bonheur que beaucoup de participants à ce concours décrivent la possibilité d'un sauvetage collectif. Ce recueil de textes habités, pour la plupart, par un esprit positif de persévérance intelligente, mérite d'être lu et diffusé à grande échelle" (12). As such, this text is a worthy addition to Haitian literature course reading lists "comme outil de vulgarisation de la littérature jeunesse, d'incitation à la lecture et à l'écriture" (12) and one's personal collection.