Nah, I ain’t joking either. Check here for yourself!
The cast list has some heavy hitters, with Don Cheadle and Angela Bassett playing Toussaint Louverture and Suzanne Louverture respectively. Oh and of course, Danté (aka Mos Def) too on the bill. Sounds hot, right?
rebel
I know most of you out there sleeping on Haiti, so here is some history for you:
François-Dominique Toussaint Louverture (born 20 May 1743 - died April 8, 1803) was an important leader of the Haitian Revolution. Born a slave in Saint-Domingue, in a long struggle for independence, he led enslaved Africans to victory over Europeans, abolished slavery, and secured native control over the colony in 1797 while nominally governor of the colony. He expelled the French commissioner Léger-Félicité Sonthonax, as well as the British armies; invaded Santo Domingo to free the slaves there; and wrote a constitution naming himself governor for life that established a new polity for the colony.
His name, translated from French, would mean “all the saints awakening.”
Toussaint Louverture played a key role in what was the first successful attempt by a subject slave population to throw off the yoke of Western colonialism. He defeated armies of three imperial powers: Spain, France, and Great Britain. The success of the Haitian Revolution had enduring effects on the institution of slavery throughout the New World. Haiti became the second independent republic in the Western Hemisphere.
Of course, there is mad drama surrounding this production. First and foremost is the fact that Danny ain’t shooting the film in Haiti, instead he is shooting it in Venezuela. Next is the fact that Hugo Chavez wants to support this project so much he has given Danny 18 million dollars to complete the film. (which has a 30 million dollar budget) Native filmmakers of Venezuela were no doubt miffed at this generous gesture. Politically speaking, it is kinda crazy for a leader of a country to do something like that; then again, the subject of Haiti itself is a ticking time bomb for most people. So in that way, it makes sense…
It will be very interesting to see if this project actually gets finished and how it will be received internationally. Haiti is pretty much synonymous with REBEL and all things anti western dominance. You just don’t mess with Haitians as a rule of thumb. Africa is flowing through their veins in a very potent manner. I’ll be following this one closely for sure…just imagine a film like this coming out with Obama as president (don’t forget the Wyclef meme angle either!)…think about it….
Toussaint
I think Haiti’s plight and struggles may finally surface in this country. People need to wake up.
Lets hope they will…
