Tan Lapli: A Magnificent piece of literary work by Frantz Benjamin

By Ardain IsmaCSMS Magazine Staff WriterLiterature has different genres, and it is painted in different cultures, depending upon the culture being put on display. Tan Lapli or The Rainy Season is no different. It is an exotic piece of document compiled on a compact disc, where Frantz Benjamin, renowned poet and novelist and Jeanie Bogart, poetess and short story writer, teamed up to give birth to such a dazzling realization.            The disc contains a series of poems exotically written in Creole in which the two poets use their talent as grand diseurs to put prospective listeners in contact and in perfect harmony with all the exuberance that the Creole language has to offer.            The poems are read in a form of a correspondence between two lovers hungry for love and an honest relationship. In this correspondence, long distance although matters, but cannot in any way, shape or form, shrinks their powerful desire to uphold their relationship until death. Through the heart-felt expression of their mutually inclusive dilemma, one can truly sense the pain, the charm, the plight of their fellow countrymen (both in Haiti and in the immigration), the hardships, the search for a simple smile, the wanting-to-be-with at every minute and all other ramification that comes with long distance relationships.            Tan Lapli is truly a masterpiece, a fascinating tale, and a Haitian story that I believe will have a positive impact on generations to come. Although the poems represent the pivotal point of this document, they are by no means everything to it. To bring this chef d’oeuvre to life, the poems had to be framed in what I call a literary craft, where the authors use the soft and charming voice of the renowned Haitian songstress, Emeline Michel, who uses her great talent to uplift the voices reciting the poems while tenderly singing in the background.            Of course, the finish product could not have been otherwise, for Frantz Benjamin, the lead actor of this creation, is an authentic Haitian artist well articulated in both Creole and French. Born in Haiti, he has been living in Montreal since 1986, where he now works in communication and intercultural relations. The poet, according to many, has chosen to live and celebrate his life free as a Haitian dove. Two themes play a central point in his work: Freedom and Love. He is a cultural activist well liked in many cultural venues in Quebec.              Jeanie Bogart, the other voice, is also well known, not only for her contribution to many literary reviews, but also for her acute understanding of what it takes to bring finesse into play. Haitian to the core, although she now lives in New York, the scar of her beloved Haiti never fades from her soul for which she has been named by her colleagues as the great crusader and the unofficial ambassador of Haitian poetry, who cruises the world with the sole aim of working on behalf of Haitian poetry.            A good example to that came two years ago, when she won the poetry contest in Martinique over a hooray of many contestants. Her collaboration with Benjamin in this compact disc weighs a lot in crafting Tan Lapli.            Since the release of this literary work, several academic and literary venues have already critically acclaimed it, showering it with praises from Paris, Brussels and several cities in North America.            Tan Lapli is one that MUST be considered on the holiday shopping list.Also see: Jeanie Bogart won poetry contest in MartiniqueLE JEU DES MOTS DE FRANZ BENJAMIN