jacques stephen alexis

Noirisme movement, a result of the American occupation in Haiti

In the 1930s, US invaded Haiti and introduced a racist policies carried out by U.S. Marines. An overall preferential but still racist treatment of Haiti's Mulato elite. During and after the American occupation in Haiti, a movement started that turning the intellectual class toward a greater appreciation of blackness, African culture. Francois Duvalier campaigned on this political ideology Noirism or Negritude Movement

"Noirisme Ideology" was defined by Matthew J. Smith (2004) as an ideology "which advocated total control of the state apparatus by black representatives of the popular classes." It is a form of political and cultural ideology that grew out of indigenism (ideologies associated with indigenous peoples), which in turn was a reaction to the American occupation of 1915 to 1934, and until the 1940's when Haiti gained back the control of its national bank. Although "color politics" were an integral part of Haiti's political scenery long before the arrival of the Marines, their presence served to strengthen the problem. During this period of U.S occupation, Haiti put an end to the Franco-German control of the Haitian economy and permanently shifted towards the U.S. However, Smith himself considered this as incomplete definition unless Occupation and post-Occupation scenarios in Haiti are considered and factors like radical, psychological, cultural, ethnological and political ideologies are taken into account.

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Jacques Stephen Alexis, born in Gonaives

This is the Haitian writer Jacques Stephen Alexis. He was born in Gonaives in 1922. His father was, Stephen Alexis, who was also a writer.

Jacques Stephen Alexis was mainly influenced by other Haitian writers such as Jacques Roumain. Some of his works
include: 'Compère Général Soleil', written in 1955, 'Les Arbres musiciens' and 'L'Espace d'un cillement'.

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