A Conversation with Professor Bayyinah Bello
In honor of Haitian Independence Day, celebrated on January 1, we invited Professor Bayyinah Bello from the State University of Haiti to join us for a conversation about her recent book, published by the University of Notre Dame, Enperatris Felicite, Peyi n Ayiti that tells the story of Haiti’s first empress, Empress Félicité. Professor Bello wrote the book specifically for young readers and expertly uses the story and life of Empress Félicité to illustrate social and emotional skills for young readers through a seldom-known but powerful, historical figure in Haiti.
Dr. Anasthasie Liberiste-Osirus
Thank you, Professor Bayyinah Bello, for taking the time to connect with us and share your knowledge and wisdom of your work in Haiti as it relates to children's books and some historical figures. We hope that our listeners are able to get to know a little bit about you and your work as it relates to your most recent book that was published through the University of Notre Dame. Could you tell us a little bit about yourself and your work in Haiti?
Professor Bayyinah Bello
I am Bayyinah Bello, mother of four, grandmother of ten, great-grandma of four. And, you know, my life in education started probably around 10 or 11 when my grandmother asked me to teach her how to read and write. Since then, teaching has always been an essential part of my life.
Teaching led me to establish Fondation Marie-Claire Heureuse Félicité Bonheur Dessalines or Fondasyon Félicité (FF), named for Empress Félicité of Haiti. The foundation deals with the three primary concerns of Empress Félicité, education, health, and justice, and we see the three as being absolutely intertwined based on how Empress Félicité addressed them.
Liberiste-Osirus
Why Empress Félicité? Why did you choose to tell her story?
Bello
Oh, well, first of all, this is the first, first lady of Haiti, and also the most unknown person in Haitian history. All of Haitian history talks about this general, this man, this other man, and other men...the women have very, very little mention. But then I discovered what kind of a woman Empress Félicité is...this is a woman who's future minded in her mission. For example, I, and other historians, don't look at her life and in retrospect say that she's about education, justice, and health. She said, a long time ago, that these are the three vital things of life and should be the priority for any nation.
Liberiste-Osirus
As it relates to our project that we did with the Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) framework, what inspired you to use Empress Félicité to relay social and emotional skills to our children in Haiti?
Bello
Well, when you get to know this woman, she's a mastermind. After more than 30 years of studying her, the more I understand, and I come to understand in fact, that if she was not with Jean-Jacques Dessalines, the revolutionary leader of Haiti who is a fabulous visionary and a great military person, he would not have been as successful. She was the political mind next to Dessalines who thought about everything that needed to be done for everyone to have their share of independence. For example, Dessalines’ first order as ruler of the country, the first thing that he did, was to order a census. He wanted to know what kind of land Haiti had, how much water was on it, what could be done with it, how many people were living on it, and how many people it could sustain.
As they were doing this census, the Empress said to Dessalines, we also need to know how many people have lost something during the war, such as an eye, an arm, or a leg, so that we know how we can organize people to live next to each other, so they can help one another. For example, when they placed a person who had lost his left arm, next to him, they would place someone who had lost his right arm. So that together, they could do a lot of work. Work as one. She wanted to make sure everyone felt like they were a useful citizen.
Liberiste-Osirus
Well, I definitely see how she empowers our young ladies and shows the importance of including both genders in the process of creating and building.
Bello
Absolutely. When Dessalines first asked her to marry him, she said no because, to her, marriage had a way of obstructing a woman from her mission. But Dessalines went on and on, he was Colonel Dessalines, the future liberator of this country, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. That was 1799.
She said, ‘Yes, I know. But, you have children with other women. I know who you are.’ He was a little taken aback but continued to talk to her. Finally, she said, ‘If we are to marry, I have four conditions that you have to agree to and sign. First, we have to have a contract.’ Sure enough, he said, ‘All right. Write the contract.’ ‘Number two, you will take all your children to the notary public and recognize them. Every child should have the comfort of knowing they have a father and a mother. Number three, you will give to their mothers what they need to properly raise their children.’ He said, ‘Well, okay, but I'll have to take from what I was going to give to you to give to them.’ She said, ‘That's fine. Those children are us tomorrow. Number four. Just because you have enemies, does not mean they are my enemies.’ He said ‘You don't understand I'm running a war here.’ She said, ‘Both politics and the military are full of lies. We are not talking about politics and the military. We are talking about family. If there is only one decision-maker in the family and that person makes a mistake, the family crumbles. But if there are two heads, one can correct the mistake of the other. That's why if you become enemies with somebody, I will be free to continue my friendship with them until I know where I stand.’ He agreed.
Liberiste-Osirus
That's pretty powerful. She's definitely unique. So very strong, especially for that time and bold. I can see why you used her as the historical figure in your book.
Now, thinking about what you've shared with us. Some of the content is very heavy for our children in primary school, but you have a way of delivering it to children in a way that is understandable. Can you share the process of how you decided to use certain stories and certain facts to relate to students on their level?
Bello
Well, the first thing is that who I am writing for will determine who does the writing. What I mean by that is as a grandmama and great-grandma, I have to share information with grandchildren and great grandchildren all the time. So, when I have to write for that age group, then I let the grandma do the writing. If Professor Bello was doing the writing, none of the children would enjoy it.
Liberiste-Osirus
Yes, you have such a unique way of navigating that challenge. I love it.
Bello
Oh, well, you know, I’ve always been a teacher. As I said earlier, I was teaching my grandmother from an early age. And that was quite an interesting thing. You see, my grandma would have us grandkids recite our work to her every day, and I slowly began to notice that she didn't know how to read and write. When I finally had the courage to tell her that I noticed that she didn't know how to read. She said, ‘Well, if you speak it, you will no longer have a tongue!’ [laughter]. So of course, I was shaking in my pants. She comes back to me and says, ‘I'm going to wake you up after everybody goes to sleep, and you're going to teach me how to read.’ That’s how my career as a teacher started. Oh, I used to teach dogs, stones, sticks, shoes…I would have a school no matter what, no matter who or what my students were. [laughter] Grandma was my first human student. So teaching is innate to me. It’s in my blood.
Liberiste-Osirus
I just want to expand a little bit more on your grandmother and your relationship with her and how that has impacted your trajectory in terms of what you've decided to focus on as an adult. Can you share with us a little bit more about her impact on your life?
Bello
Well, she remains the most intelligent woman I've ever met. Because when I realized that she didn't know how to read and write, she had been tricking all of us for so long. I was 10 or 11 at the time, but there were a couple of cousins that were older than me and were already in secondary school. Nobody had noticed that she didn't read! So that became a bond between the two of us. I will always see her as the most brilliant person that I’ve known, especially knowing that not knowing how to read never stopped her.
My grandfather, her husband, was a lawyer. When people would come to see my grandfather, and he wasn't there, she would ask them what the problem was. And they would say, ‘oh my neighbors are encroaching on my land’ or this, that, and the other thing. Grandma would quote - law articles, saying, ‘My husband is going to read you article 432, blah, blah, blah... article 1, blah, blah, blah. But if you’re smart, you will go back and talk to your neighbor, and agree on how to deal with this thing without involving lawyers or the court. I mean, if you give my husband the job, I'll eat plenty of chicken, and our table will be full of good food. But if you’re smart, talk to your neighbor.’ I can always remember her saying this. She was good. She would always tell people that their best interest was to get along with their neighbor. Talk with your neighbor and agree on how to settle the situation.
A very smart woman. I did not see her as much as an adult, and she eventually moved to Canada, but my admiration for her never stopped.
Liberiste-Osirus
I see how the Empress and your grandmother have a lot in common with the characters in your book. Both very strong women.
Bello
Yes. Strong and soft spoken. That's the thing that I have not mastered. I've tried. I've been trying recently to soften my way of speaking. Very strong, but very soft-spoken these two women.
Liberiste-Osirus
Tell me about your hope for the children and the parents who are reading your books in regards to the Empress. What do you want them to gain from reading your book?
Bello
Well, the number one thing is that sharing is the first law of life. We understand that even as we live, we exist because we breathe. In and out. In and out. We take, and we give, we take, and we give continuously. If at some point we decide we're not going to give any more, we're going to kill ourselves. So, the first law of nature is sharing.
I also hope that by learning, by reading the story, people come out with three things. One, we are all responsible for each other. We don't believe in charity. But we do believe in sharing. We are duty bound to share as much as we can. That's the number one principle of life. Second, we also have a duty to think, speak, and act in ways that will maintain our health. The divine has given us this health. We are duty bound to do that which promotes and maintains it. So, eating the right foods, preparing the food properly, avoiding things that are unhealthy is a duty to each human. And the third element justice. Sharing is already an element of justice. People think of justice and think going to court, lawyers, government, and all that stuff. No. Justice begins in your everyday thought, in your everyday word, in your everyday action. Do you want to be fair? Look at what the Empress said to Dessalines. I will marry you if you recognize your children and their mothers and give to them what they need. That’s justice.
So, in our everyday life, if we do not promote justice, then there will be no justice in a society. We cannot expect any justice from governments or courts or whatever. It has to first be in our everyday practices. And that's what I hope everyone will get out of my book as they read the story of this woman. I hope we see that in everything we do on a daily basis, we are either promoting education, health, and justice, not just for ourselves, but for everyone around us.
Liberiste-Osirus
That’s beautiful. Thank you for joining us Professor Bello. We are grateful for your time and expertise.
