Claudel Casseus is a young man in his 20s who lives in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. On the 15 December 2009 he found himself holding a ladder that I was up while painting the words IMAJINE OU LEVE DEMEN EPI MIZIK DISPARET (IMAGINE WAKING TOMORROW & ALL MUSIC HAS DISAPPEARED) on a wall. This wall was the side of a building off the Grande Rue in down town Port-au-Prince. The ladder was unstable, I was grateful for the assistance. Over the next few days Claudel assisted John Hirst and I, in what we were doing with The17 in Haiti. For those that do not know, John Hirst has worked with me on numerous jobs over the past eight years. John and I were there as part of the first ever Ghetto Biennale. Although our Haitian Kreyòl* was non-existent and Claudel’s English was very minimal, we learnt a lot about his life - his Father died some time ago, his mother was ill in hospital with a heart condition and he had four younger siblings who he was responsible for. He was also a man with ambitions way beyond being the holder of a ladder.
On my return to the UK, Claudel and I were in email contact, he was keen to practice his English. After the earthquake on the 12 January, all forms of communications with Port-au-Prince were down, thus I heard nothing from him. Over the first week some patchy communications with the place started to re-establish themselves. We learnt bit by bit, regarding the people we had been working with, who had survived and who had been killed. But nobody had heard anything about Claudel. We presumed the worst. Then on the afternoon of the 20 January my mobile rang, the screen showed Claudel’s name. I answered, it was him, he was standing in the Grand Rue talking to me on the other side of the world. But the interference on the line and our lack of a common language made any sort of meaningful dialogue impossible. Over the next few days he tried phoning a few more times, each time I would phone him back to save on his battery and whatever credit he may have. The interference on the line and the language barrier never improved. I then got an email from him. I answered by offering him a deal, I would pay him $100 US (not Haitian) via Western Union, for 5,000 words about everything that had happened to him and his family from the second that the earthquake hit until now. I told him to write this in Kreyòl and that I had no idea what I would do with what he wrote. $100 for 5,000 words is a shit deal if you are a journalist in the UK. $100 for 5,000 words in Haiti is a great deal, especially when there is no paid work to be had. I also thought it might help him to write down what had happened, in the knowledge that some one else, somewhere in the world might get to read it. Claudel is also a life time member of The17.
You may question my motives – at times I do.
This evening I got an email from him with the first part of his story. Just over 1,500 words in all.
*Haitian Kreyòl is based on 18th-century French with some African, Spanish and Taíno mixed in. If you can read French you can get the drift of it, except that it is written as it is spoken, which means it is written nothing like French.
If there is anybody out there that would like to have a go at translating what Claudel has written, please do. Send your translation to admin@The17.org. We will put it up on The17 site along side his original Haitian Kreyòl version.
Bill Drummond
4 February 2010
Madi 12 janvye 2010 sete yon jounen si bel nan maten,kote tout mounn nan peyi dayiti t'ap fe aktivite yo: Men jou sa a te gen deye'l yon gwo manman trajedi !!
11 Janvye 2010.Mwen ak yon ti fre'm te fe foli pou al vizite fanmi bo manman nou yo nan provens ke yo rele <Lascahobas> gras ak bondye nou te rive tre byen se te pou nou younn nan pi bel jou ke nou te pase ak fanmi bo kot manman nou yo men tankou pwoveb la di ''abitan pa mize lavil'' kidonk madi bone nan maten nou te fe paket epi nou tounen potoprens le nou te rive li te ka anvirons 4:49 pm nan apre midi nan le sa Ayiti ta pral fe fas ak yon terib tranbleman te ke nou menm ayisyen pat janm imajine,nan moman tranbleman te sa tap boulvese peyi d'Ayiti mwen te nan lakou lakay mwen ,chans pou mwen mwen pat anba gwo kay.Pandan yon bon ti bout tan mwen pat konn si pou'm moute si pou'm dessann tou swit apre mwen kouri al nan lycee Toussaint kote yon ti fre 'm te lekol aaa.. pat gen pi tris pase sa tou rout nan potoprens sete kadav ak anpil mounn ki te blese le mwen te resi rive nan lycee kote ti fre'm nan te ye a, mwen te jwenn li tonbe ra pye te! le sa premye reaksyon sete kriye rele telman mwen te santi'm efondre chans pou mwen ti fre'm nan te gen tan soti mwen te vit ale nan lopital kote maman'm te te ye a ak tout ti se'm nan,chans pou mwen le'm te rive trajedi sila te epanye maman'm ak tout tise'm nan,jou sa sete tout moun ki tap benyen nan lapenn.Apre yon ti refleksyon mwen te reyini ak tout fanmi mwen yo sou kibo nou pral ye paske tranbleman pat kite yon grenn blok lakay mwen et tou pounn te konnen nan ki fason pou nou ede lot pi feb yo ,mwen te konseye yo desann nan yon teran inivesite ke yo rele '"Kiskeya" men elas te a te kontinye sekwe.10 minit apre yon bon pwochan ki te a letranje te telefonenm e li te di'm ke pa rete bo lanme paske le gen jan de tranbleman sa yo li fasil gen yon inondasyon apre paske lanme a kapab ajite.tou swit mwen pran tout fanmi'm yo anko et mwen fe mesaj la pase bay tout mounn ki te presan pou'm di yo kite bo lanme e nou te moute sou chanmas kom maman'm te malad li te banm anpil pwoble'm nan rout la,malgre sa mwen pat dekouraje paske sak te pi anpotan se ke maman'm te anvi ak tout fanmi'm.Le mwen te rive chanmas pou mwen sete pi bon kote yon mounn te ka rete nan moman sila mwe te komanse santi’m yon lot jan apre yon ti moman ke tou genyen sou chanmas la te dayiti te kontinye tranble e lit e fe tout nwit la ap boulvese nou de tan an tan se te pi move sware pandan tout vi mwen lit e fe fret tankou la nej malgre sa tout mount e oblije rete nan mitan fredi a paskegwo kay dal beton se te pi gwo enmi chak grenn ayisyen nan moman sila.
Pep ayisyen rete kwe nan mond nan pa gen yon bagay ki pi mal pase trajedi sila
Pandan sware sa tout mounn te pran kriye,rele envoke Espri ki te pi enpotan pou yo.
Paske yo te bezwen yon sekou fas ak gwo tonton pwoblem sa denye bagay kite pi tris se te tout moun ki tap chache mwayen telefonik pou konnen si fanmi lwen yo pa mouri {podyab} pa gen mwayen pou appel yo te pase paske menm jan ak nou tout anplwaye konpani telefonn yo te kite pos yo anplis peyi a te plonje nan yo nan yon kokenn chenn black out
Malgre maman’m se yon mounn ki malad li te mete’m sans ouf pou’m te rele fre ak se li yo pou li te kapab jwenn nouvel yo move chans pou nou mwen pat ka jwenn kominikasyon perz ak melankoli te soto pou touye li mwen te telman angwase mwen leve ma’l chita nan ti kwen pou kont konsa gen yon bagay mwen te li ke yon atis te ekri ki di ( IMAJINE OU LEVE DEMEN EPI MIZIK DISPARET ) se te yon sware kote mwen tapral konprann vre sans fraz sa paske mwen pat santi’m te ka ni chante ni tande mizik e sitou pa gen moyen pou yon moun te tande mizik trajedi sila te ede’m konprann tou ke mounn pa anyen eke ou dwe pwofite tan ke ou genyen pou ou viv la paske ou pa janm konnen kile w’ap mouri.
Sware 12 Janvye 2010 bagay yo te red pou kek vil nan peyi d’Ayiti manman pitit se mare vant pwofese,elev,ti machann,ouvriye,dokte,boujwa,malere,tout sot de mounn te tonbe nan menm tristes la gen mounn ki di ayisyen ki sa ou fe wap peye,e pandan sware sa gen mounn ki te blese gravman ki te kontinye ap mouri pandan tout nwit lan paske yo pat ka jwenn dokte ak swen medikal podyab dokte yo te gen pwoblem pa yo pandan tout nwit sa sekous la pat janm mande rete li te kontinye ap bay ayisyen pwoblem se te youn nan pi gwo dram ke Ayiti pat janm konnen nan tout l’istwa li,gwo zotobre nan leta pat ka fe anyen yo menm tou te bezwen mounn pou te pote yo sekou se te komsi sware sa te pi long pase tout lot yo pesonn pat gen domi nan je selman yo tap taann ki le pou te gen yon ti kal klete men malerezman joua k nwit te vle di menm bagay nan pwoblem sila elas mwen pa ka di’w plis ke sa..
Madi 12 janvye a 4 h nan apre midi rive mekredi 13 janvye se konsa sa te ye.
Mekredi 13 janvye 2010 se toujou menm presyon an paske te a pat sispann tranble,sa kite pi tris mwen pat gen lajan nan menm pou mwen achte manje pou’m manje ni okenn moun nan fanmi’m tou paske nou te kouri evakye san panse ak lot bagay ke sove vi nou,e moun ki te sove ak yon ti kob nan poch yo pat kapab itilize’l paske preske tout boutik yo te kraze ti sa ki pat kraze yo te pe ouvri pot yo a koz ke de tanzantan te a te toujou ap sakaje peyi a.
Timachann ki te reziyen yo pou ouvri komes yo te tou jwen okazyon pou yo te fe mache nwa yo te moute tout bagay sa vle di si yo te konn vann yon bagay 5goud yo moutel 20goud sa anko se te yon lot kalamite, pou tout res mounn ki te rete an vi pandan moman sa, nou ta pral pran nan yon lot gwo pwoblem anko le li te fe 11h nan aswe pandan ke nou te sou chanmas te gen yon sel pwopagann ki te lage nan tout rakwen peyi ke lanme ap moute vinn inonde tout vil la.le sa tout moun te pran kouri moute nan monn .mwen te oblije fe menm jan ak yo mwen te pete kouri sou plas kote nou te ye a te gen yon gwo barye se nan li tout moun te bezwen pase an mem tan,nan kouri sa anpil moun te pedi lavi yo genyen ki te blese tre grav gen moun ki pedi manman,gen moun ki pedi pitit,e te menm genyen ki te pedi tout fanmi yo e youn nan bagay ki te pi tris yo pat menm gen mwayen pou te antere moun mouri yo.Elas ! sa anko se gte yon twazyem touman .Le nou ta pral we se te yon fo s alet li te gentan minwi egal nou te oblije rete nan tet monn boutilye avak anpil ke kase tout moun te mete te yo ansanm pou nou priye chante rele granmet la pou di’l ;Granmet gen pitye pou nou paske nou pa ka sipote anko’’ nap peri si ou pa di yon mo pou nou sa te vinn pemet pat gen oken moun ki te gen somey nou tap veye yon sel bagay kile pou lanjelis te paret e nwit mekredi a te tre long menm jan ak sa nou te pase madi a,gen fanm ki te ansent ki te nan wout pou yo te akouche, e byen nan mitan nwit sa yo te rive fe pitit la malgre yo pat gen dokte pou ki te pran swen yo gen fanm kif e 2pitit,genyen ki yon sel,gen ladan yo tou ki te arive mouri nan moman akouchman an sa vle di gen ti bebe kap viv andedan trajedi sila kip a gen ni manman ni papa,paske papa a te gen tan mouri anba gwo kay et manman yo pandan lap fe timoun nan koulye a mwen pral pale de ti granmoun ki pedi lavi yo tou nan moman nwit sa genyen yon seri de ti granmoun ki pat menm ka mache alevwa pou kouri,men te oblije kkom tout moun tap chache yon jan pou sove lavi yo kouri tou alo mwen pa bezwen di nou ki jan yo mouri.Gen ladan yo se moun kip ase sou yo,genyen tou se ke yo ki bloke paske se monn yo tap moute sa vle di menm le yon ayisyan pat gen youn nan fanmi’l ki mouri se tout moun ki tap kriye,glo nan je pat ka seche tristes ak melankoli te fe ylon sel andedan