Paulette Poujol-Oriol, who died March 11 at age 84, left her birth country, Haiti, a legacy that is immeasurable. She was one of Haiti’s most ardent feminist leaders, as well as an unmatched cultural producer and worker.
Gina Ulysse, “The Legacy of Haitian Feminist Paulette Poujol-Oriol,” Ms Magazine (29 March 2011)
In addition to her contributions to Haitian arts and literature, Oriol was also a fervent feminist, a commitment that was evident in her literature, her non-fiction writing, and leadership of the Ligue Feminine d’action sociale. Her important contributions to the feminist movement in Haiti continue to inspire a generation of women in Haiti and the diaspora such as Kettly Mars, Edwidge Danticat, and Myriam Chancy.
Régine Michelle Jean-Charles, “Paulette Poujol Oriol (1926-2011),” Tande (14 March 2011)
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Paulette Poujol-Oriol, Feminism, Haiti: http://bit.ly/l6wt7O
INSIDE OUT: BBC TV. POGUS CAESAR RETURNS TO HANDSWORTH, BIRMINGHAM, UK
The riots in Handsworth, Birmingham in 1985 saw some of the worst urban violence Britain had ever seen. And film maker and photographer Pogus Caesar found himself caught up in the heart of the unfolding battles.
The images that Pogus took in 48 hours provided a startling and horrifying insight into naked anger and terrifying violence on inner city streets.
But those pictures lay hidden for 20 years – and he destroyed many of the negatives. Pogus explains why he waited so long to reveal the photographs that graphically illustrate such a dark and chaotic period in Birmingham’s history. “If you pass on your images to a newspaper, they have to sensationalise them. I would have had to live with that, and it’s something I wouldn’t have been proud of,” Pogus reveals.
The Handsworth riots produced a massive media reaction, but Pogus was able to get where reporters could not. He was a local man who was trusted. “When the pictures came to life, I was very pleased with what I had taken,” he said. “It was an important way of showing not only the community but the wider public at large what we were kind of witnessing at that particular time.”
Twenty five years on, Pogus reflects on the simmering tensions that created an urban battleground with violent clashes, looted shops, firebombed buildings, and the deaths of two people.
“The first thing that really hit me was the choking smoke,” he remembers.
“There were bottles flying everywhere, there were stones, there were flames, there were cars being overturned.
“There were black people, Asian people, white people – a lot of people saw themselves in crisis.”
But what of Handsworth in 2010? And what future does Pogus see for an area that still has a colourful mix of cultures? “It is a resilient community, it’s a community that’s getting better and when I talk to people who live here they are trying to heal a lot of wounds. “The scars of 1985 will never heal completely but people of Handsworth are strong, they are resilient.
“The candles are burning slowly but the flame is bright.”
http://youtu.be/Ey7ijaXv6UQ
Paulette Poujol-Oriol and Haiti: http://t.co/9yWnEk8q
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