THE IMPASSE

The breathtaking narrative of the deadly assault on Jean De Lacroix and Pierre Beaujour aboard the ship La Mirabelle exposes the terrifying experiences of Haitian boat people desperately searching for a way out of poverty and political injustice. The two young men wanted a better fate, but they encountered momentous obstacles that tragically impacted their lives.
In the middle of the night, in a situation of extreme peril, they left Haiti for The Bahamas. La Mirabelle, a ship that ran an illegal business between the two nations, was the principal theater of their tragedy.
The two friends were aware of the danger looming over the heads of boat people. Despite the risk of being robbed or killed, they decided to make the trip. Under the cover of darkness, in a group of more than one hundred people, they left for Nassau. After horrendous suffering, they finally reached their destination.
They worked on the island for eight years and decided to return to Haiti. Because of problems associated with the political situation in the country, once again, they traveled aboard La Mirabelle headed by a new shipmaster; but a deadly surprise awaited them. Jean is killed. Gravely wounded, Pierre is left for dead in the ocean.
Their parents experienced a terrible ordeal. Chantale, Jean’s fiancée, was deeply troubled by the tragic event. Jean was coming back to marry her. She quickly grew into a source of inspiration for the city’s poets. Composed of riveting strophes, passionate elegies to love narrated her pathetic story.
Gobino Chalamar Sr, the man who owned La Mirabelle, had political resources allowing him to commit abusive actions with impunity. During the trip to The Bahamas, the two friends had experienced his rage and arrogance. On the way back, Gobino Chalamar Jr, his son, was the shipmaster. Jean and Pierre fell victim to the young captain’s shrewdness and cruelty.
Their tragic adventure had given way to extraordinary events in the city of Port-de-Paix, their hometown. Under popular pressure, government authorities took appropriate police measures to apprehend the people guilty of that horrible crime. Pursued by soldiers of the Haitian Army, they were arrested, tried, convicted, and sentenced to long prison terms.