PHILIPSBURG:--- To write creatively is to illustrate with words; and to illustrate with words, one must be able to articulate what they envision in their own imagination. A few students of the St. Dominic High School opted to challenge themselves to undertake the aforementioned through a creative writing workshop, which was facilitated and headed by Mr. Nelly Blaise, an established author hailing from Sint Maarten with humble and cultured origins from Hispaniola (Haiti-Dominican Republic territory). Blaise has gracefully taken on the role of an exemplar, inspiring and guiding those of the younger generation who have taken an interest in the art of giving words a more vivid familiarity, which helps to enthrall audiences and keep them engaged throughout the work. Primarily, the students of the International Baccalaureate Programmed (IBO) volunteered to participate in the workshop presented by Blaise and his team; where he expounded on his experiences, gave us a perspective on his journey with creating his own written pieces, and demonstrated several concepts he learned and developed into his own style of writing.
Nelly Blaise is the author of ‘The Origins of Kushobi’, a piece that he had developed as documentation of historical background and its significance to his identity. The author shared personal insight into his self-discovery which led to his inspiration for his storyline, which is based on the science of African and Indigenous cultures, enriched with influences of Egyptian mythology and the history of the Benin Kingdom. The researched and informative style of the book is complemented in the Japanese style anime which aids in conveying the storytelling aspect in an interactive and alluring manner that will relate to modern audiences. The context of the work entails a variety of concepts that are regarded as unconventional topics outside that of folkloric tales, such as ‘voodoo and cosmic energy. The story incorporates the rise and downfall of a man of divine favour, with several supporting minor plots, backstories, and characters that give the book literary and cultural diversity.
In an attempt to integrate what he has taught into an applicable manner for the students to actively exercise and be involved in, Blaise has cleverly, and creatively created a murder-mystery scenario that incorporates relevant trends here on the island of St. Maarten. From this, the volunteers for the workshop from the IB classes, and community service volunteers for the interactive activity from St. Dominic High School, were able to play a role in pulling together the final product of the experience. From here on, us IB students were able to utilize the information afforded to us, to develop creative writing pieces of our own, for which we later received insightful feedback. “Personally I enjoyed writing a work of fiction using characters inspired by pop culture and mainstream mass media; these of which influence the turn of events in the world that affects me and those around me. Additionally, I felt quite liberated to express myself in a manner that was preservative of my identity, thoughts, ideas, and experiences” said Sarah Sheriff of her workshop experience.
As a progressing author on a journey to master his craft, Blaise has clearly understood and benefitted from creative writing, and has since aimed to reinforce these positive influences in the youth amongst which he grew up, motivation for what he has accomplished so far, and a representation of his younger self that he may always remember.
Mr. Blaise brought a meaningful closure to the creative writing workshop experience by gifting the students with an autographed copy of his book ‘The Origins of Kushobi’ and his closing remarks: “I would like to firstly thank Ms. Arlene Halley, Mrs. Maartje de Groot, and Mr. Jonathan van Arneman for the opportunity to give a creative writing workshop to the students of St. Dominic IB Year. A big ‘thank you to St. Dominic high school for their support. I would like to thank the students who taught me about the astonishing academicians they are, I was moved by their level of intellectual capacity. I am convinced St. Maarten’s future is bright and prosperous and I will continue to assist in guiding the youth of St. Maarten with Arts, Culture, Sports, and Education.”
