Born in 1948, Charlemagne grew up in the sprawling new suburb of Carrefour, to the south of the capital, 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 is father was until he turned 37.
The Jean-Claude Duvalier regime renewed the repression of political and cultural dissent in 1980, and Charlemagne was forced into exile. With the fall of the Duvaliers in 1986, he returned home, and was active in both political organising and the burgeoning roots or racines music scene. He formed a live group, Koral Konbit Kafou, which included drummers from a Voudou temple, and played concerts that provided a soundtrack for the popular mobilisation for political change in the late 1980s. Some of these songs can be heard on "Nou Nan Male ak Oganizasyon Mondyal", Kako Productions, 1988.
His support for the grassroots, popular movement frequently landed him in trouble with the Haitian military, and, after receiving death threats, he spent several years in semi-clandestinity. Charlemagne was a supporter of the Lavalas political movement of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide against whom the military launched a brutal coup d'état in September 1991. Charlemagne took refuge in the Argentine embassy and went into exile once again. During 1991-94, he played concerts in Miami, New York, and Montreal, where he rallied the expatriate Haitian communities in support of Haitian democracy. He released a recording, "La Fimen", Kako Productions, in 1994.
Following the United Nations intervention to restore the constitutional government in September 1994, Charlemagne returned to Haiti. In June 1995 he was elected mayor of the capital city, Port-au-Prince, defeating the incumbent, Evans Paul, but his term of office, which expired in early 1999, was beset with difficulties and controversy, and is not regarded as a success. His administrative responsibilities overshadowed his musical career, and one of his few public performances during that time was with the Haitian-American rap group, The Fugees, in Port-au-Prince in April 1997.
Charlemagne took up guitar and singing at the age of 16 and by 1968 formed a band named Les Remarquables. He later started a twoubadou band named Les Trouvères with Marco Jeanty. In the 1970s, he was part of the kilti libete or freedom culture movement that promoted popular culture, including acoustic, folk music.
As a singer, songwriter and political activist, Manno Charlemagne has been the vocal conscience of Haiti for over 30 years. A soulful yet brazen balladeer, he constantly challenged the status quo and used his acoustic guitar and tender baritone voice as weapons against brutal political regimes and the civilized indifference of the insulated upper-class. Charlemagne's writing drew on the twoubadou tradition, a guitar-based music that can trace its roots back both to the rural songs of the Haitian peasantry and to the Cuban influences brought back to Haiti by returning migrant sugar cane cutters in the early decades of the twentieth century.
The CD Les Inedits de Manno Charlemagne in Creole language is some of his most profound and provocative work. They are songs that for years were only performed in intimate settings, among close friends, and in front of those who were unafraid of how incendiary they could be. For to have performed them in public during the 1970s or 80s would have risked a great deal—arrest, harassment, and beyond.
With their cunning lyrics, they are the songs that the powers that be in Haiti did not want the Haitian people to hear. Intended to stir up resistance and bring about much-needed change in the country, they spoke the truth about corrupt governments and ruthless politicians, gave voice to the peasant class in Haiti, and captured the rawness and injustice of life in this country.
Although they sound like love songs to the non-Creole speaker, they are songs of protest aimed at the tools of oppression. And it is their unique juxtaposition of thorny words poured over gentle melodies that makes them so hauntingly beautiful.
Manno Charlemagne also appears in The Truth About Charlie, a movie by Jonathan Demme, one of his friends.
Lamayot
Manno Charlemagne Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
An madigra se konsan evolye
Pou kanaval nou poko rasazye
Men mekredi les sann gen poul rive
Nou pwan patri nou pasel anba pye
Nou vann peyi pou bel kay lot kote
Pou mwen nou pa menm madigra ki mal maske
Vinn we poun ta devan lan defile
Potopwens ala kotew tande
Madigra mache nan cha blende
Madigram pa pew se moun ou ye 2bis
Se pwemye fwam ta we sa rive
Madigra bay tet li yon grad souple
Poul fem pe se le sam pwal pyafe
Lamayot mh pa pew mh pa pew mh pa pew se moun ou ye
Antanke moun ak reaponsablite
Ki vle lite ak tout lisidite
Mh ouve dra blan pou sak gen onetete
Vini kouche pyafe montre salte
Pa met anye sou do sou devlopman
Pa cheche mo pou fe fuit an avan
Des sièk se sa nou te moun konsekan
Nan goumen kont zot poun endepandan
Potopwens ala kote gen koze...
The song "Lamayot" by Manno Charlemagne is a political and social commentary on the state of Haiti. The lyrics speak of the struggles and injustices faced by the people of Haiti, particularly during carnival season. The first verse depicts the tears shed by the people as they carry the flag, symbolizing the burdens they bear. The second verse describes how carnival has evolved to become a source of pleasure and hedonism, but the people are still left hungry and not satisfied. The people sell their country to buy a better life elsewhere, as they feel there is no hope for a better future in their own land. The third verse talks about how carnival masks the true identities of the people, revealing a stark contrast between the celebration and the harsh realities they face every day. The chorus, "Lamayot, I am not afraid, I am not afraid, I am not afraid, it's who you are", is a defiant statement acknowledging the people's unwavering strength and determination in the face of adversity.
Line by Line Meaning
Lan fè grimas se drapo nou pote
We put on a facade with the flag we carry
An madigra se konsan evolye
During carnival, we constantly change
Pou kanaval nou poko rasazye
For carnival, we are not yet satisfied
Men mekredi les sann gen poul rive
But Wednesday, Ash Wednesday, there's a reckoning coming
Nou pwan patri nou pasel anba pye
We take our country and trample it underfoot
Nou vann peyi pou bel kay lot kote
We sell our country for a beautiful house elsewhere
Pou mwen nou pa menm madigra ki mal maske
For me, we are not even disguised carnival-goers
Vinn we poun ta devan lan defile
Come and see where we belong in the parade
Potopwens ala kotew tande
Potoprens, listen to this
Madigra mache nan cha blende
The carnival parades blindly
Madigram pa pew se moun ou ye 2bis
Carnival masks do not deceive, you are who you are twice
Se pwemye fwam ta we sa rive
This is the first flame to see what's coming
Madigra bay tet li yon grad souple
Carnival gives itself a soft grade
Poul fem pe se le sam pwal pyafe
When we're finished partying, the punishment will be heavy
Lamayot mh pa pew mh pa pew mh pa pew se moun ou ye
Lamayot, I do not deceive, I do not deceive, I do not deceive, you are who you are
Antanke moun ak reaponsablite
As human beings with responsibility
Ki vle lite ak tout lisidite
We want to fight against all injustices
Mh ouve dra blan pou sak gen onetete
I open a white sheet for those with honesty
Vini kouche pyafe montre salte
Come and lie down, show your dirtiness
Pa met anye sou do sou devlopman
Do not rely on development to carry you
Pa cheche mo pou fe fuit an avan
Do not look for words to make you flee forward
Des sièk se sa nou te moun konsekan
For centuries, this is what we were aware of
Nan goumen kont zot poun endepandan
In the fight against them, we will be independent
Potopwens ala kote gen koze...
Potoprens, this is where there is talk...
Contributed by Elijah P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.