Vincent Hazard & Daniel Alexandre
Writers
February 2025
- Comics
- Houston
“The Choctaw Indians, originally settled in Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana, are now in Oklahoma following their forced removal during the terrible “Trail of Tears.” We will visit them primarily in their territory in the eastern part of the state.”
We worked together on our first graphic novel in 2021, with Daniel handling the illustrations and Vincent writing, based on a podcast by Vincent broadcast on the show “Autant en emporte l’histoire” on France Inter. The subject was already set in the United States, recounting the true story of the song “Strange Fruit,” written by Abel Meeropol and performed by Billie Holiday in the 1940s. This graphic novel is now nearing completion and is set to be released by Dupuis in the spring of 2025. Our collaboration was so successful that we decided to continue working together on a new topic, also set in the United States: “Oklahombi,” the story of the Choctaw Indians’ involvement in World War I and their struggle for civil rights upon their return, through the portrait of a war hero, Joseph Oklahombi. We are both passionate about subjects that blend history, politics, and sociological discovery. Daniel has already undertaken several immersive stays in Congo-Brazzaville and Greenland and has published several comics on World War I and the Algerian War. Vincent, coming from the audiovisual field, has also traveled to Vietnam, Albania, and Nigeria to make films. He is also the author of the original podcast “1917. L’arme secrète des indiens Chactas,” broadcast on France Inter in 2018.
Daniel ALEXANDRE, known as “A.DAN,” graduated in wildlife biology and began his career in scientific illustration before moving into comics in 2002. A cartoonist, illustrator, and sometimes writer, he published his first album in 2007 and now has about twenty books with various publishers (Grand Angle, Le Lombard, La Boîte à Bulles, Dupuis/Aire Libre…).
Former sound engineer for cinema, Vincent Hazard joined the Fémis screenwriting workshop in 2016. Since then, he has pursued a career as a writer-director for television, radio, and film. “Oklahombi” is his second graphic novel.
In order to write and illustrate the graphic novel “Oklahombi,” it seemed inconceivable not to travel to the Choctaw lands in the United States to deepen our research and meet the key figures of the story we want to tell. Our ambition is to stay as close to reality as possible, to immerse ourselves in Choctaw culture and philosophy, and to attempt to convey this through text and drawing. For this, Daniel’s drawings need to be inspired by personal encounters, landscapes, and their light, while Vincent must also access specific archives related to Joseph Oklahombi’s journey, that of his fellow soldiers, and the struggle for the civil rights of Native Americans that took place upon their return from the war. Joseph Oklahombi and his comrades were abandoned by the government. Without pensions and suffering from trauma or injuries, many, including Oklahombi, ended their lives prematurely due to alcoholism and poverty. We already have connections with the Choctaw Nation, who will welcome and assist us in our effort to honor them.
Furthermore, both of us have significant experience sharing our expertise through workshops for diverse audiences. We will plan meetings, workshops, and discussions with varied audiences, including students and adults, both Choctaw and non-Choctaw, to discuss our professions and provide a French perspective on the indelible bond created by the Choctaw participation in the war on French soil in 1917 and 1918.
The Choctaw Indians, originally settled in Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana, are now in Oklahoma following their forced removal during the terrible “Trail of Tears.” We will visit them primarily in their territory in the eastern part of the state.
We will travel to conduct academic research in major cities that host universities, museums, libraries, and archival collections, including Oklahoma City, Durant (the capital of the Choctaw Nation), and Idabel. Subsequently, we will gradually visit rural areas where Joseph Oklahombi grew up: Wright City and Tuskahoma. During these travels, we hope to meet descendants of Choctaw veterans (including Joseph Oklahombi’s nephew) who still reside in the region. Finally, we will also briefly visit Washington to consult the archives of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and certain federal archival collections to deepen our understanding of the political dimension of the Choctaw Indians’ civil rights struggle in the 1920s.