Jan. 30, 2002 – Striding across the stage, Clarence Cuthbertson cuts a compelling figure as Toussaint L'Overture, the 18th century Haitian liberator and a major player in Caribbean history, in the Carabana Ensemble Theater Co. production of "Toussaint."
"I refuse to betray my people," his character tells those gathered at the open-air Cinnamon Bay Campground amphitheater for the free half-hour performance. at 7:30 p.m. each Thursday.
The play is scheduled to run through April 25.
"Toussaint" recounts the life story of a heroic leader who died of cold and exposure in a French dungeon at the age of 60. It has a cast of three — Cuthbertson, who also wrote the play; Dwyght Browne, who plays all of the other male roles; and Nyasha Mutunhu, who plays all of the female roles.
Cuthbertson and Browne live on St. John. Mutunhu, the reigning Miss University of the Virgin Islands, is a psychology student on the St. Thomas campus at UVI.
With drumming in the background and under the guise of a newspaper interview, Toussaint begins his story by relating how his parents were sold into slavery in Africa. Born in Haiti, the young Toussaint learns the harsh realities of slave life early on. However, his mother gives him good advice: "Learn all you can from the Frenchman's books. Unless you master that, you will always be a slave."
Toussaint learns to read, which opens his eyes to the revolutions fomenting around the Caribbean as well as in France at the time. In concert with another slave named Boukman, he soon joins the rebellion.
"We started a march to Cap Haitien," he says. "Every Frenchman was slain, including women and children." After the French behead Boukman, Toussaint leads on. "I became the titular head of the rebellion," he says as the sound is heard of a conch being blown.
After Toussaint abolishes slavery, an enraged Napoleon has him arrested and hauled off to the French dungeon.
In a discussion session that follows the play, Cuthbertson explains that he wrote the play "to highlight people from the black experience who have become marginalized."
As Toussaint, he says that the truth of any telling depends on who tells the tale.
The Friends of the V.I. National Park funded the production. Joe Kessler, Friends president, said it has provided the support in order to promote cultural preservation on St. John and in the national park. "It's part of our mission," he said.
