Lasana M. Sekou

Lasana M. Sekou (born January 12, 1959) is a Caribbean poet, short story writer, essayist, journalist, and publisher from the island of Saint Martin.

Contents

Biography

Sekou has authored over 13 books and is considered one of the prolific Caribbean poets of his generation. Dr. Armando Lampe writes that "he’s considered the ‘Walcott’ of the Dutch Caribbean"[1] because of his prolific output, the range of subject matter and unique literary styling, which often includes the use of Caribbean Creole languages, Spanish, French, and Dutch — sometimes in one poem.

Reviewers have compared the poetry of Sekou to the works of a range of poets, including Aimé Césaire, Oswald Mtshali, Kamau Brathwaite, Dylan Thomas, e.e. cummings and Linton Kwesi Johnson. However, writes literary critic Howard Fergus in his book Love Labor Liberation in Lasana Sekou, "The voice that reaches us is sui generis, unique and Sekouesque."[2]

Sekou’s titles, such as the critically reviewed The Salt Reaper – poems from the flats[3] along with 37 Poems, Nativity, and Brotherhood of the Spurs have been required reading at Caribbean, North American, and United Kingdom universities. The author is himself a graduate of Howard University (MA, Mass Communication, 1984) and Stony Brook University (BA, Political Science/International Relations, 1982).

Awards and honors include an International Writers Workshop Visiting Fellow (Hong Kong),[4] a James Michener Fellow (University of Miami), a knighthood (The Netherlands),[5] Recognition for literary excellence in the service of Caribbean unity (Dominican Republic), Culture Time Literary Artist of the Decade, and the Caribbean Tourism Organization Award of Excellence.[6]

Sekou’s poetry and reviews of his works have appeared in Callaloo, The Massachusetts Review, Del Caribe, De Gids, Das Gedicht, Prometeo, World Literature Today, Caribbean Quarterly, Postcolonial Text, Jamaica Gleaner,[7] Caribbean Review of Books, Boundary 2,[8] Harriet, and Calabash.[9] His poems have been translated into Spanish, French, Dutch, German, Turkish, and Chinese. Sekou has presented papers and recited his poetry at cultural and literary conferences and festivals in the Caribbean, North and South America,[10] Africa, Europe[11] and Asia. His recitals usually draw large crowds. In St. Martin he is often invited by schools and cultural organizations and NGOs to recite his poetry and appears regularly on radio and TV discussing cultural, socio-historical, literary, and political issues.

The author’s writings are also used in high schools and in carnival stage presentations. He is the editor of National Symbols of St. Martin – A Primer and The Independence Papers, Vol. 1; and the producer of Fête – The first recording of Traditional St. Martin festive music by Tanny & The Boys.[12] Sekou can be heard reciting his own poetry on The Salt Reaper – Selected poems from the flats (Audio CD, 2009) with music produced by award-winning digital arts designer Angelo Rombley.[13]

Sekou founded House of Nehesi Publishers (HNP) in his dorm room at New York’s Stony Brook University in 1982, which has published his books (and others) since that time. He remains active as HNP’s projects director since establishing the small press in St. Martin in 1984. At House of Nehesi Publishers he secured the publication of literary luminaries and pioneers such as George Lamming,[14] Kamau Brathwaite,[15] Amiri Baraka,[16] Shake Keane, Chiqui Vicioso[17], Howard Fergus, Marion Bethel, and the Palestinian author Nidaa Khoury, notable for her concept of post-monotheism. A host of first-time authors from St. Martin and other Caribbean countries and territories such as Ian Valz, Charles Borromeo Hodge, Jennie N. Wheatley, and Laurelle Yaya Richards have also been published by HNP.[18]

In 2003, Sekou co-founded the St. Martin Book Fair with Shujah Reiph, a leading cultural activist and president of the Conscious Lyrics Foundation.[19]

Sekou is an advocate for the independence of St. Martin, which is a colony of France and the Netherlands.[20] In the 1994 and 2000 consultative constitutional status referenda that were held in the Southern or Dutch part of St. Martin, Sekou was a leading organizer and speaker for the Independence option as a member of the Independence for St. Martin Foundation, of which his brother and political scientist Joseph H. Lake, Jr., was the founding president.

Works

Fiction

Poetry collections

Pamphlet

Discography

Producer

Edited Publications

References

  1. ^ Lampe, Armando. "Examen de libros por la aparición de Double Play." RMC, 10 (2000), 233-240
  2. ^ http://www.themontserratreporter.com/index.pl/article_local?id=934244; http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1P3-1273697561.html
  3. ^ Beck, Ervin. “Lasana M. Sekou. The Salt Reaper: Poems from the Flats.” World Literature Today Mar. 2006: 58. http://www.ou.edu/worldlit/onlinemagazine/2006march/Mar06-19Reviews.pdf; Unigwe, Chika. “The Salt Reaper: Poems from the Flats.” Postcolonial Text, Vol 2, No 3 (2006). http://postcolonial.org/index.php/pct/article/viewFile/470/316
  4. ^ http://iww.hkbu.edu.hk/index.php?fl=writers_vw_2004
  5. ^ “St. Martin Author Lasana M. Sekou Knighted by Dutch Queen Beatrix,” http://www.nathanielturner.com/lasanamsekou4.htm
  6. ^ “CTO ready to honour key players,” http://www.breakingtravelnews.com/news/article/btn2007061312312821
  7. ^ Cooke, Mel. “Salt of the earth finds voice.” Jamaica Gleaner 17 Mar. 2006. http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20060317/ent/ent4.html; Hanna, Mary. “Sekou writes with ‘erotic power’.” Jamaica Gleaner 5 Nov. 2006. http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20061105/arts/arts4.html
  8. ^ http://boundary2.dukejournals.org/cgi/content/citation/33/2/6
  9. ^ http://www.nyu.edu/calabash/vol5no1/0501003.pdf
  10. ^ “Eterno tiempo de siembra (Lasana Sekou, Saint Martin).” YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8l-AON1cqZ4
  11. ^ Veenbaas, Jabik. “Lasana M. Sekou – [Netherlands Antilles] 1959- / Poems by Lasana M. Sekou." Poetry International Web. http://international.poetryinternationalweb.org/piw_cms/cms/cms_module/index.php?obj_id=441&x=1
  12. ^ “Profile of Tanny & The Boys string band – The Men and Musical Tradition of Tanny & The Boys.” http://www.houseofnehesipublish.com/music.html
  13. ^ Romero, Ivette (blog post). “Lasana Sekou’s The Salt Reaper: Poems from the Flats.” Repeating Islands 21 July 2009. http://repeatingislands.com; “The Salt Reaper – Selected Poems From the Flats.” http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/lasanamsekou
  14. ^ http://www.houseofnehesipublish.com/lamming.html
  15. ^ http://www.houseofnehesipublish.com/kamau.html
  16. ^ http://www.houseofnehesipublish.com/baraka.html
  17. ^ “Eva/Sión/Es, de Chiqui Vicioso, logra buena acogida internacional.” Diario Libre – Revista 11 de Julio del 2007. http://www.diariolibre.com/app/article.aspx?id=112441; http://www.houseofnehesipublish.com/vicioso.html
  18. ^ Lamming, George. “The Audacity of The Adventure of House of Nehesi Publishers.” Geoffrey Philp’s Blogspot 21 Aug. 2007. http://geoffreyphilp.blogspot.com
  19. ^ Reffes, Melanie. “St. Maarten/St. Martin’s Arts & Culture.” http://www.experiencestmaarten.com/islandfacts/artscene.html; http://www.houseofnehesipublish.com
  20. ^ http://www.houseofnehesipublish.com/sekou.html; http://www.winternachten.nl/winternachten/deelnemerpagina.php?deelnemer_id=0143&editie=0006&taal=engels

Further reading

External links