Acrylic and oil on canvas 36 x 48 in. 91.44 x 121.9 cm
Le Jardin de Mackandal centers the tale of François Mackandal who was an Haitian Maroon leader. Maroons were often enslaved people who ran away directly after they got off the ships. They refused to surrender their freedom and often tried to find ways to go back to Africa. The slave Mackandal, knowledgeable of poisons, organized a widespread plot to poison their masters. The movement spread terror among the slave owners and killed hundreds before it came to light. In contrast to this character, the landscape highlighted depicts one of Haiti's biggest slums, Martissant gardens. In a new initiative, Martissant Gardens is being transformed; a once old resort is being converted into a community space that historically belonged to Katherine Dunham and before her the Bonaparte family.
