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Title
Jean-Michel Daudier interview
Date(s)
- September 28, 2010 (Creation)
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This interview was conducted with Jean-Michel Daudier in Aventura, Florida, in Spetember 2010. Mr. Daudier is most well known for his anthem "Lem Pa We Soley La" (When I Can't See The Sun) and its historical place in the popular overthrow of Haitian dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier on February 7th, 1986. The song became an anthem for the movement and mobilized many demands for Duvalier's removal. Daudier partnered the song with the rising influence of the Catholic Church as the main voice of opposition by using popular themes of liberation theology that took hold in the country at that time. This interview focuses on the issues surrounding the writing of the song, his life following the democratic moment, and his career in the United States. Mr. Daudier left Haiti in 1989 after he felt very little had changed in the country. Because he was a visible symbol of resistance to the Duvalier regime, he often felt threatened and was subjected to frequent stops during the military-mandated curfew. Such factors caused him to leave his home country and live abroad in the "Tenth Department." He now performs his important song and many others weekly at Casa Champet in Pembroke Pines, FL. Interviewer: Kevin Mason Aventura, FL