MANMAN LA MER (MANMAN THE SEA)

Manman la mer tells the story of Marjolaine, gifted with the power of knowing the future. Discouraged by her mother, the child suppresses her gift of clairvoyance. But twenty-six years later, dismayed by a mysterious and incurable disease, she has no choice but to travel to Haiti and rely on the good care of her grandmother, Manman la mè. Is she a midwife? A mystic? Or merely a simple grandmother full of love?

Manman la mer celebrates women and Haitian spirituality, joyfully exploring themes of mother-daughter relationships while shaking to the rhythm of traditional Haitian storytelling.

Manman la mer, by Haitian-born artist Djennie Laguerre, premiered in Ottawa in February 2020 just before the start of the pandemic. It has since been performed in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, Saskatoon, Sudbury, Toronto and Montreal.

Presented by La Presse