Letter from Beyond the Grave to Patrice Michel Derenoncourt, February 27, 2026

My dear Patrice, Today, you would have been 65 years old. Time passes, but your absence remains, both sweet and painful. I often think of our discussions, your passion for knowledge, that light you effortlessly carried and which continues to illuminate my memory. They thought they could silence you, but they didn't understand that free spirits do not disappear. You still live in my thoughts, in my commitments, in every idea we shared. During a doctoral residency, Dr. Pearce just helped me change the perspective of my thesis. She loves Haiti and guided me towards a more demanding reflection on the design and implementation of public policies in the country, as a challenge to integrate our reality into modernity. I would have loved to talk to you about it. I can already imagine you questioning my hypotheses, refining my arguments, reminding me that to think of Haiti is also to believe in its capacity to reinvent itself. Thank you for the fraternity, for the rigor, for this faith in intelligence that continues to guide me. Rest in peace, my brother, while still harnessing your Bizango work for the country!
Our conversations will never cease, my brother! Akbolisabadya! Happy birthday Patoutou! Your little brother,
El Yves
February 27, 2026
Atlanta Georgia