“Renaissance Woman” by Stevy Mahy
T/n : this French version was first published on March 5th of 2019 on myinsaeng.com. You can find it here. is le 5 mars 2019 sur myinsaeng.com.
My last book review was almost six months ago. I’ve read at least ten books since Gisèle Pineau's Le parfum des sirènes. I’ve enjoyed these books but none of them have made me want to write. Two years ago, I decided to treat myself for my birthday with the Kreyol novel "Dyablès" by TiMalo. At the beginning of 2019, my literary treat to myself was "Renaissance Woman" by Stevy Mahy.
I had discovered Stevy Mahy in 2017 while researching for my special edition on the representation of slavery in Caribbean music. I fell in love with her track "Haïti Chérie" (2012) which illustrates a folk music style with Caribbean colors exactly as I like it. So I started to follow her on social networks and I realized that she was a creator in every sense of the word since she also has her jewelry line "Moun". Seeing a woman's entrepreneurial spirit and how she finds fulfillment in her creations is always inspiring so I was all the more intrigued by her book "Renaissance Woman, diary of a renaissance" released in March 2018.
So I had been planning to buy this book for more than a year. I listened to the eponymous album and read the readers’ thoughts. I almost attended her signing session in November 2018... In the end, it wasn't until February 2019 that I felt that it was finally TIME. I bought the book online and it was in my hands three days later. Once in absolute silence to avoid any distractions, I started reading.
I'm not sure what I expected. An essay on personal development ? Life anecdotes to illustrate her encounter with herself? A fiction with metaphors blurred enough to fit everyone and no one at the same time ? During my time of introspection from 2016 to 2018, I didn't have the strength nor intellectual energy to immerse myself in philosophy or in contemporary bestsellers to help me find the meaning of my quest to a better self. I never verbalized this journey out loud. My blog articles gave a glimpse of it, but the process itself was so personal that I never talked about it because I’ve never felt the need to do so. Or at least that's what I thought. I didn't feel the need to because I wasn't aware that I was holding these inner dialogues I read in this book. This diary is a collection of short but precise and direct dialogues on essential points to build one's happiness.
Oprah Winfrey always says that the greatest gift you can give yourself is time. From Miami (USA) to Paris (France) via Port-au-Prince (Haiti) and Les Abymes (Guadeloupe), Stevy Mahy takes the time to discover herself, to understand herself, to learn to love herself unconditionally. Reading her doubts and fears, I’d always tell myself "that’s definitely the right question to ask" and I would formulate an answer that was rather similar to the answers given by her inner voice. I think that's why my reading was fast. A year ago, reading this would have certainly taken me longer because I’d have taken breaks to take to understand myself. Today, this reading has allowed me to do a casual check in with myself. If you are at the beginning of your quest, this diary can point you in the right direction. If you’ve already met yourself and are on the path to exploring your potential, this book can help you check in with yourself and serve as a reminder. Currently, the chapter "Determination" describes the situation I’m in. I have ambitions, I have plans and I know that determination is the key to make them come true. The vision of what I want that is still too blurry. My first assignment will be to clarify this vision in order to set my goals and give me the means to achieve them.
It takes courage to confront oneself and even more to share moments of vulnerability. The goal is for everyone to find their own keys to live fully and enjoy every moment of their rebirth.
Official site: www.stevymahy.com
Instagram: @stevymahy