By Mel Cooke, Freelance Writer

The Hanging of Angelique. - contributed

History met poetry in the work and person of Afua Cooper at the University of the West Indies, Mona campus, on Thursday evening.

The Jamaican, who lives in Toronto, Canada, launched a book of poetry, Copper Woman and Other Poems, and The Hanging of Angelique: The Untold Story of Canadian Slavery and the Burning of Old Montreal (Harper Collins), packing emotional punch under both poet and historian hats.

There was also significance to the book launch, held at the Undercroft of the Senate Building, being staged by the Institute of Caribbean Studies.

rich, poetic source

Anthea Morrison, head of the Department of Literatures in English, commended Cooper for "using history as rich poetic source" and said The Hanging of Angelique is "haunted by a poetic presence."

In introducing Cooper, writer and radio host Mutabaruka said, "I feel good, because I know her personally for a longer time as a poet and I see the accolades she is getting as a writer." After reading some of the biographical information from The Hanging of Angelique, including that she has a PhD in African Canadian history and is co-author of a book that won the Joseph Brant Award for history.

"Is nuff tings, for somebody I know as Pam," Mutabaruka said, to laughter.

And as Afua Cooper started the evening's extended readings, she blended poetry and history, preceding the reading from the history book with the poem Confessions of a Woman Who Burnt Down a Town, she read, "I only intend for one house to burn."

Before reading from the book, Cooper gave extensive back-ground to the story, Angelique's history and that of Canada as well as black people in the country. She noted that many people do not associate slavery with Canada and while slavery was legal there, it has "disappeared from that country's historical records". "Black history has less to do with black history than with white pride," she said.

"They have a nickname for it, 'The Great White North', disconnected from anywhere else. That is not true," Cooper said. With that, she read from the first chapter, The Torture and Hanging of Angelique, which dealt with the brutal torture and hanging of the woman for starting a fire that razed the town on April 10, 1734. There were sighs and pained expressions in the audience as Cooper described Angelique's torture with the 'laced boots', under which she pleaded to be hanged now.

changing hats

She announced she was changing hats and started the readings from Copper Woman with Daily Bread. She closed her eyes, leaned back and ended "dark earth, come listen to my poems." Negro Cemeteries spoke of the burial spots of black people rising from the earth in Canada to "speak in funeral language".

Giving the background to the poems before reading, she did Diamonds Is a Girls Best Friend. There was poetic tribute to Lisa Carter, one of a group of Canadians who secured the release of boxer Reuben 'Hurricane' Carter, and Cooper moved the podium to go into full performance and emotional mode for The Child Is Alive and Children Gone To War.

The mood was changed on Making Love In Lotus Pose, and she ended with Africa Wailin, where the song of Tony Rebel and Burning Spear was woven into the poem.