Manno Charlemagne

Joseph Emmanuel "Manno" Charlemagne (April 14, 1948[2] – December 10, 2017)[3] was a Haitian political folk singer, songwriter and acoustic guitarist, political activist and politician. He recorded his political chansons in both French and in Creole. He lived abroad in exile twice, both during the 1980s and again during the years 1991–1994, when the country was ruled by a military junta led by Raoul Cédras.

Manno Charlemagne
Manno Charlemagne
Born
Joseph Emmanuel Charlemagne

April 14, 1948[1]
Port-au-Prince, Haiti
DiedDecember 10, 2017 (aged 69)
Miami Beach, Florida, U.S.
OccupationSinger, songwriter, acoustic guitarist, activist, politician

Early life

Charlemagne grew up in Carrefour, to the south of the capital of Port-au-Prince, where he was influenced as much by the songs of the peasants who moved into the area in search of a livelihood, as by his Catholic school choir. Raised by his aunt, he did not know who his father was until he was 37 years old.[4]

Political career

In 1986, after the fall of the Duvalier dictatorship, Charlemagne organized a youth group and choir in his old neighborhood, Carrefour. For a brief time following Jean-Bertrand Aristide's landslide victory on 16 December 1990, Charlemagne found himself in the role of a government booster. He served as an unofficial minister in the Aristide cabinet, an assignment that ended abruptly nine months later, when a military junta overthrew Haiti's first freely elected president.[5]

On 11 October, a truckload of troops pulled up to his home, roughed him up in front of his family, and hauled him off to jail. His wife, Chantel, went into hiding with the couple's baby son, Ti-Manno, and later fled to the island of Guadeloupe.[6]

Music

Charlemagne took up guitar and singing at the age of 16. By 1968, he had formed a band named Les Remarquables. He later started a twoubadou band named Les Trouvères with Marco Jeanty.[4]

Death

Charlemagne died in Miami Beach, Florida on December 10, 2017, aged 69, after a struggle of several months with lung cancer which had metastasized to his brain.[7]

Discography

1978, Manno et Marco, Marc Records 1984, "Konviksyon" 1988, "Organizasyon mondyal" 1988, "Fini les colonies" 1993, "La Fimen"

References
  1. "Haitian blogs". Bostonhaitian.com. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
  2. Davison, Phil (23 January 2018). "'Manno' Charlemagne, Haitian troubadour and political activist, dies at 69". The Washington Post. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
  3. Davison, Phil (January 23, 2018). "'Manno' Charlemagne, Haitian troubadour and political activist, dies at 69". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2018-01-24. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
  4. Averill, Gage (April 15, 2008). A Day for the Hunter, a Day for the Prey: Popular Music and Power in Haiti. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 9780226032931.
  5. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2017-12-13. Retrieved 2017-12-12.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. Steven Almond (January 29, 1992). "Manno Charlemagne". Miami New Times. Retrieved November 4, 2008.
  7. Glenn Garvin. "Haitian folk singer who had sharp words for politicians dies in Miami Beach". Miami Herald. Retrieved December 11, 2017.

Sources
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