This year, the Faculty of Modern and Medieval Languages and Linguistics (MMLL) and the French Section are celebrating Haiti. Our Année haïtienne pays tribute to the literature, culture, and thought through which the nation of Haiti continues to dream itself into being.

Haitian literature emerged with independence in 1804, carrying in its languages the rhythm of resistance. From the first poets of the École des pionniers to the voices of René Depestre, Jacques-Stephen Alexis, and Marie Vieux-Chauvet, and to those who now write from and beyond Haiti, these works remind us that beauty can live beside struggle, and that Haitian literature continues to shape the world through its depth, diversity, and defiance.

As part of this celebration, the Faculty welcomes three remarkable voices — Herns Marcelin, Stéphane Martelly, and Jean d’Amérique — scholars, thinkers, and creators whose lectures, performances, and workshops will bring Haitian thought and creativity to the heart of Cambridge. Through these events and the conversations that follow, we honour Haiti’s ongoing act of creation: a culture that crosses oceans, carrying its light far beyond the island that first dreamed it.