At the suggestion of the Embassy of the Republic of Haiti in France, Frankétienne was posthumously awarded the French Senate Medal and a diploma from the President, Gérard Larcher.

The Embassy of Haiti in France is honored to announce that the President of the French Senate, Gérard Larcher, has posthumously awarded the Senate Medal to Jean-Pierre Basilic Dantor Frankétienne D’Argent. A major figure in Haitian and world literature, he was a poet, playwright, painter, and co-founder of the Spiralist movement.

Last week, the official medal presentation ceremony was held at the Pavillon de l'Orangerie in the Garden of the Presidency of the Senate, as part of the opening of the Latin America and Caribbean Weeks. The event brought together Minister of Culture Patrick Delatour, Haitian Ambassador to France Louino Volcy, Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of Haiti to UNESCO Lilas Desquiron, members of the diplomatic corps, and Darline Cothière, a former recipient of the Prize and a laureate representative for Haiti. Mrs. Guerda Cadostin, Frankétienne's cousin, received the Senate Medal of Honor, designated by his widow, Marie-André Etienne.

Before the presentation of the medal and diploma, President Gérard Larcher stated that Frankétienne had her "place alongside the greatest French-speaking authors." He praised his spiralism, recalling that the novelist, playwright, poet, and painter was awarded the Grand Prix de la Francophonie by the Académie Française in 2021. "He is an alchemist of words. Always alongside the most disadvantaged. His weapon was the pen. I would like to quote a quote from Frankétienne, which could serve as a reference for us today in the Senate : 'Dreaming is the first path that leads to freedom. To dream is already to be free.'"

"The Embassy's initiative to propose to the French Senate that this year's Prize be awarded posthumously to Frankétienne is a way for our Diplomatic Mission to pay tribute to this emblematic and versatile figure of Haitian culture. I am delighted that the Senate accepted and decorated, on behalf of the French Republic, this unclassifiable giant, Frankétienne, whose famous saying, which never failed to attract the attention of travelers on line 10 of the Paris Metro, is If you happen to fall, learn quickly to ride your fall, may your fall become a horse to continue the journey."

IH/ iciHaiti