Essay by Umme Al-Wazedi, Associate Professor of English

Alexis Patrick painted a traditional aspect of life in Haiti—a Haitian market, which is the main venue of commerce. According to many Haitians, the market place is Haiti's answer to one stop shopping. The origins of Haitian markets may have been either French or West Africa and existed as early as 1803. These markets may be located in a short distance or could be as far as 20 miles away from the village. The center of a town acts as a major entrepôt which is linked through bus routes depending on seasons.

The market is the heart of the economic life of the peasants. While agriculture is a primarily male occupation, the marketing of the produces remains in the hands of the women. Most peasant women have experience of going to the market to sell or buy vegetables and other necessities and so they nearly always can say that they are daughters of traders (Underwood 5). James G. Leyburn, in his book The Haitian People, writes "One of the characteristic sights of Haiti is the seemingly endless procession of women coming down from the hills trudging, or rather swinging majestically along, with a great load on the head, or riding on the haunches of a tiny donkey loaded with bulging panniers" (196).

The women spend all day in the market and often they spend the night too in order to finish selling or buying things. Most often they are accompanied by small children. The market also acts as the social gathering for the women where they frequently get "their fill of companionable gossip" (Leyburn 197). Amid the bustle, the gossip and "the endless buzz of tongues" this becomes "distinctly ladies' day" (Underwood 12). Many think that since the family structure of the peasants is matriarchal in some ways, it is natural that the women should attend to the business dealings of the market place. However, Haitian women "keep the proceeds of their own economic activities" (Bellegarde-Smith 28) and often use it to open small businesses after taking care of the household financial needs. This shows their entrepreneurial spirit.

The autonomy and economic importance of the Haitian peasant women contrast sharply with the lives of élite women. Although the Haitian economy is in a shambles, people have been impressed with the vigor, the color and the socio-economic importance of the local markets as the painting communicates. Though this is a painting of 1986, one can envision the powerful Haitian spirit by imagining women going to the market after the 2010 earthquake with this approach: Sélavi (That is life).