Henry Christophe: A Black King Victim of History 10/15

10/04/2021
By Monica Melo

Sponsored by the Department of World Languages & Cultures
Lecture in English

Event title: Henry Christophe: A Black King Victim of History
Guest Speaker: Linsey Sainte-Claire, Ph.D., Middlebury College
Date/Time: Friday, Oct. 15, 9 a.m.
Via Zoom

Henri Christophe, the first king of Haiti who implemented a monarchy in the North of Haiti in 1811 while his rival Alexandre Pétion implemented a democracy in the South, remains undoubtedly one of the most fascinating figures in the history of Haiti and thus one of the most frequently mentioned both in the fields of history and literature. This talk will highlight how Aimé Césaire, in his play The Tragedy of King Christophe (1963), portrays Christophe as the victim of the inescapable “unique road” of History. The spectator/reader is consequently confronted with a complex character simultaneously unwilling and unable to act or think in constructive ways to build up his nation, but whose tragic failure remains nonetheless didactic for future black leaders.