Félix Morisseau-Leroy
Félix Morisseau-Leroy (13 March 1912 – 5 September 1998), was a Haitian writer who used Haitian Creole to write poetry and plays, the first significant writer to do so. By 1961 he succeeded in having Creole recognized as an official language of Haiti, after expanding its teaching in schools and use in creative literature. Morisseau also published works on French, Haitian Creole and Haitian French literature. He worked internationally, encouraging the development of national literature in post-colonial Ghana and Senegal. In 1981 he settled in Miami, Florida, where he was influential in uniting the Haitian community  around Creole and encouraged its study in academia. Early life and education. Born in Grand Gosier, Haiti, in 1912 to an educated, well-to-do mulatto family, Morisseau-Leroy studied in nearby Jacmel, where he was educated in French and English. There he met his future wife Renée, who admired his skills as a horseman. Marriage and family. Morisseau-Leroy married Renée in Jacmel, and always said she inspired his poetry. They had two sons and a daughter. Career. After returning from the US to Haiti, he taught in the capital Port-au-Prince. He began to pay more attention  to the Creole of the streets and to think of its power as a written language to unite the country. At that time, French was used by the educated classes, and Creole was the language of the common people. Morisseau-Leroy taught literature and theater, and also worked as a writer and journalist. He was appointed to political offices in government, including director in the Haitian Ministry of Public Instruction and General Director of National Education. Known informally as "Moriso", he was a father of the Creole Renaissance. He promoted the movement to stimulate use of Haitian Creole (or Kreyòl ) language and establish its legitimacy for creative use in literature and culture. As this was the only language of the majority of the people, who were mostly rural, Morisseau believed strongly in using Creole as a means of uniting the country. Morisseau translated the classical Greek tragedy "Antigone" into Creole as "Wa Kreyon", at the same time adapting the characters and context for Haitian culture, for instance, featuring a Vodoun priest. The rise of Papa Doc Duvalier's autocratic regime shut down many of the most promising writers, as he was threatened by free expression. According to one story, Duvalier  sent armed forces to escort Morisseau to the airport and force him into exile because he was offended by his work. Only the fact that they were former classmates and friends probably saved Morisseau's life. Morisseau-Leroy was invited to France to produce "Wa Kreyon" in Paris. While there he met major figures in the Négritude movement, such as Aimé Césaire and Leopold Senghor. They encouraged his work and also influenced his future teaching in nations of Africa and in the United States. He next moved to Ghana, where he taught and headed the national theatre as colonialism was  ending. He taught in Ghana for seven years, then moved to Senegal, where he taught until 1979. Other Haitian writers exiled by Duvalier to Senegal included Jean Brierre, Gérard Chenet and Roger Dorsinville. Morisseau-Leroy last moved in 1981 to Miami, Florida, where there was a large Haitian community. He settled with his family there for the rest of his life. In teaching Haitian Creole and literature, he helped unite immigrants and their descendants around their heritage. He wrote a weekly column carried in the periodical "Haïti en Marche". In later years, his mop of a white-haired Afro became  a trademark, as was his sense of humor. In 1991, his work was included in a collection of English translations (by Jeffrey Knapp, Marie Marcelle Buteau Racine, Marie Helene Laraque, and Suze Baron), "Haitiad and Oddities", published in Miami. It contains "Natif Natal," originally written in French, and 12 poems, including "Boat People," "Thank You Dessalines," and "Water," originally written in Haitian Creole. In 1995 he published his last work, an epic novel of Haiti of which he was proud, entitled "Les Djons d'Haiti Tom" ("People of Haiti with Courage"). He died in Miami in 1998. Félix Morisseau-Leroy Félix