Saturday around noon, the writer Dany Laferrière, the newly elected to the French Academy, surprised everyone by arriving in Petit-Goâve, the city where he grew up and completed his primary education. He walked several streets such as street Saint-Paul and Lamarre where he met with young people. Residents of all social classes came to greet and congratulate the man who is now the pride of Haiti and especially the town of Petit-Goâve.

Thereafter, Dany Laferrière went to Madame Michel Nelson (his cousin), where he dined with journalists and some citizens on the porch of the house. The new academic tasted his favorite dish (ground corn with avocado slices) and drank juice of chadèque while responding at the same time journalists' questions and talking about his childhood in the street Lamarre. From time to time, he read excerpts from one of his novels to show how Petit-Goâve had been his inspiration and played a key role in his work.

Dany Laferrière urged all Haitians to preserve the ancient institutions of the country and natural sites and argued in favor of Creole-French bilingualism.

Dany presented his countrymen as true conservatives of the Francophonie "For example in the U.S., Haitians speak a lot more French language than the French who live in North America," and concluded by inviting the youth to read without stopping and to train constantly.

See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-10096-haiti-social-petit-goave-proud-of-dany-laferriere.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-10075-haiti-culture-a-great-day-for-haitian-letters.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-10073-haiti-flash-dany-laferriere-elected-to-the-french-academy.html

HL/ HaitiLibre / Guyto Mathieu (Correspondant Petit-Goâve)