Homage to My Mothers: Restavek, Vodou, and Haiti’s Stolen Children

By Dady Chery Haiti Chery “There are no orphans in Haiti!” After a long silence at the other end of the line, my friend Jordan murmurs: “Come again?” He must be thinking I lost my senses. I realize how I … Continue reading →

Poem From My Mother | Poème de ma mère

“Le baiser d’une mère” | Commentary by Dady Chery, Haiti Chery. Before I could speak or even breathe, my mother, with a broad smile, read this poem to me. I copy it here from a version she wrote from memory. Based on the style, some of the phrases, and her fondness for Oswald Durand, I think it is his. (French | English)

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Choucoune Story and Song, With English Translation of Lyrics By Dady Chery

First English translation of complete lyrics by Dady Chery, Haiti Chery | Original Creole lyrics written by Oswald Durand, courtesy of Gage Averill | Music by Michel Mauleart Monton | Sung by Martha Jean-Claude | History by Louis J. Auguste, M.D., Pikliz. Osward Durand’s Choucoune was considered to be the best poem in kreyol from the moment it appeared in print. About 10 years later, it was put to music by Michel Mauleart Monton. (Kreyol | English)

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A Valentine for My Restavek Mothers and the Stolen Children of Haiti

By Dady Chery, Haiti Chery. One cannot talk about orphaned Haitian children without confronting two highly controversial and interwoven subjects: Vodou and restavek. Both are part of the very fabric of the Haitian family, which is currently under vicious attack.

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