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Title
Jan Mapou interview
Date(s)
- August 9, 2013 (Creation)
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Jean-Marie Denis a.k.a Jan Mapou was born in the city of Les Cayes in the southern part of Haiti. He studied at the University of Ethnology and became a school teacher in several schools in Haiti (1965-1969). Later, he earned a BA degree in Accounting. In the cultural arena, Jan Mapou is one of the founders of the Haitian Creole Movement, which began in Haiti in 1965. That same year, he created Sosyete Koukouy or Society of Fireflies, a multi-disciplinary arts company dedicated to preserving Haitian cultural traditions and rituals. In 1969, Mapou was jailed by the Duvalier (Papa Doc) governement for his intense activities in promoting Haitian Kreyòl throughout the country. He was forced to immigrate to New York in 1972. Then in 1984, he moved to Miami where has put down roots and founded the Miami chapter of Sosyete Koukouy in 1985. Jan Mapou is the artistic director of Sosyete Koukouy of New York and Miami. Its immediate mission is to build bridges and increase dialogue and understanding between Haitians and other ethnic groups. The company has performed throughout the USA, Canada, and Haiti. Jan Mapou and the artists of Sosyete Koukouy were key players in working with Miami-Dade County to make "Discover Miami Program" a successful community event for four years. Mapous is well-known as a poety, playwright, columnist, and author of several books. Jan Mapou is the owner of Librer Mapou (Mapou Bookstore) next to the Caribbean Marketplace in the heart of Little Haiti. It is the only Haitian owned bookstore in the nation with an impressive inventory of books in Creole, French, English, and Spanish exclusively about Haiti. He received the MAXIE Award; the highest award an artist/promoter may receive in Miami and recently the governor of Florida, Charlie Chris, honored him in Tallahaseee. He was the recipient of the 2007-Folk Life Award from the State of Florida. In June 2011, he was a special guest of the Library of Congress in Washington D.C. where he recorded his many accomplishments for history and humanity. Interviewer: Lucrèce Louisdhon-Louinis Miami, FL