DINING WITH THE DICTATOR

By Dany Laferriere

 

 

In the dreamlike An Aroma Of Coffee, Montreal writer Dany Laferriere let his imagination run wild through his childhood in the thimble-sized town of Petit Goave, Haiti.

The universe known to young Dany -- or "Old Bones" to his mystic grandmother Da -- was confined to whatever excitement he could eke out from observing ant colonies and playing peek-a-boo with the insane cast of characters parading by his front porch.

In these pursuits, he was free of ever-looming of poverty, corruption and the ultimate futility of a meagre existence.

In Aroma's sequel, Dining With The Dictator, Bones' odyssey doesn't skip a beat as he enters into the dice-throw of adolescence. Da has passed away, and Bones is holed up in early 70's Port-au-Prince with his Bible-thumping mama and countless spinster aunts.

They all demand things from him that they could never deliver themselves.

Bones plays their games to the hilt, for Da's sensibility lives on in Bones' ability to cope with any situation. The problem is -- being a 15-year old dude, all he can think of is girls. And lucky for him, there's a houseful right across the street. Everyday he squints hard for a glimpse of what his objects of desire are up to.

Bones' other escape is hanging with his demented, street urchin pal Gege. Together they romp through the grittiest hovels in parts unknown of Port-au-Prince. As a result of their hilarious adventuring, Bones winds up a "prisoner" in the very house that rules private moments.

A Gege prank gone bad sends Bones on the lam from dictator Duvalier's death troopers, known as Sharks. But in this world -- a sharp contrast to the facade on the other side of the dirt -- Bone feels alive.

A great wit, Laferriere captures the essence of teen wonder and insight with an adulterated view of the wacky funk of kids living a real life, reacting as best they can to circumstances beyond their control.

--sigcino moyo

original publication: NOW