Excuse My French!

Wednesday 19 October 2022
MUSI 322-01

Sailing through Mentorship in the French Caribbean 

Hey blog bestie! What a pleasure to have you back with me as we continue our exhilarating journey throughout the vast ocean of mentorship in Caribbean music. In this session, we'll take a quick stop in the French Caribbean and dive into the various pools of mentorship opportunities the countries there provide. Although most countries of the French Caribbean don't have official mentorship programs, there are countless musical icons who are direct products of Martinique, Guadeloupe, and Haiti, who have paved the way for upcoming generations of musicians.  

In the past two blogs, we unveiled the theme of mentorship and came into contact with various programs that have been implemented, as a means of passing the baton of Caribbean musical culture to future generations. However, in acknowledging the legendary/iconic musicians of the French Caribbean regions, this blog affords us to view mentorship in a different light. In other words, we get to observe how past and/or current French musicians have paved and are currently paving the way for young people of their country. An exemplary musician who was adamant about giving back to his home country by serving as a prominent mentor/educator was Mr. Julio Racine (1945-2020), shown below. 

Julio Racine is pictured above. (Retrieved from http://africlassical.com/)

Mr. Julio Racine: Music Educator

As noted by Gangelhoff and LeGrand (Gangelhoff & LeGrand, 2020), Racine, who was born in Port-au-Prince, served as an important figure in Haiti's music education. As a matter of fact, he served as the musical director and conductor of the Holy Trinity Philharmonic Orchestra, which is associated with a top music school in Haiti (i.e., Ecole de Musique Saint Trinite). This extraordinary musician acted as a mentor, providing inspiration for generations of young Haitian musicians. A great joy in his life was seeing his students, among which were his own three children, bloom into accomplished musicians (Julio Racine Obituary - Louisville, KY, n.d.). I find it heartwarming that despite his successful career as a renowned flutist, arranger, and composer, Racine still returned to his homeland to share his knowledge, skills and talent with aspiring musicians in Haiti. To me, this is an honorable act of selflessness, and it presents him as a role model/living proof that if he can do it, other young musicians can as well. 

In the image below, a few students from Haiti's Holy Trinity Music School are pictured during a live in-studio performance in Louisville. The young musicians visited Louisville in September 2019 to conduct a series of fund-raising performances in efforts to rebuild the school's facilities, since it was destroyed in a 2010 earthquake (Art xFM WXOX 97.1FM, n.d.).

 

Students from Holy Trinity Music School in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti (Photo retrieved from http://artxfm.com/HolyTrinity/)

The Holy Trinity Music School also features a melodic choir. The video below showcases their 2013 performance at the "Sing with Haiti" gala concert held in San Francisco. However, before I give my feedback, I'll let you take a look at it for yourself: 

Sing With Haiti Holy Trinity Music School 2013 San Francisco Performance (Courtesy of the "Sing with Haiti" YouTube channel)

Did y'all heart that?! As a matter of fact... did y'all see that?! Man listen, we have to give credit where credit is due. This choir was neatly dressed and groomed which provided a sense of uniformity. Moreover, from the children's facial expressions alone you can tell that they were having fun; and don't get me started on their lil groovy two-step 😂. All of this goes to show that Racine, alongside other music educators, have made it possible for young, talented Haitians to perform internationally and do it with zest, class and most importantly, passion. I chose this video because this performance embodies each of the aforementioned traits and I believe that if you're going to do something, ensure that it is something you love. In watching this performance, I have no doubt that these kids don't have a passion for music.

Whew!! All that information had me thinking that this blog post was about Haiti alone. But don't give up on me just yet blog bestie, because it's now time to dive into the blue hole filled with information about Guadeloupe's most important musical figure: Joseph Bologne (1745-1799). 

Portrait of the Chevalier de Saint-Georges (retrieved from Tour de Force Gangelhoff & LeGrand)

Mr. Joseph Bologne: The Black Mozart

In the modern age, Joseph Bologne, the Chevalier de Saint-Georges, is referred to as the "Black Mozart" due to the great similarity he and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's (1756-1791) compositions shared. Unlike Julio Racine from Port-Au-Prince who returned to his homeland, Joseph Bologne never returned to Guadeloupe. Nonetheless, his legacy remained and still remains a significant part of the island. Reason being, there are many events and locations in Guadeloupe which are named after him. I believe that this generates a great sense of pride among citizens on the island and more importantly, inspires young, aspiring musicians that their talent can certainly make room for them.

Outside of the various events and locations named in Bologne's honor, Gangelhoff and LeGrand make note of a Mr. Marlon Daniel, who keeps Bologne's works alive by showcasing his compositions, along with those of other composers at a public festival. Daniel serves as the music director of the New York-based chamber orchestra as well as the artistic directors of the Festival International de Musique Saint-Georges. The international festival is held in Guadeloupe, which is a great way to honor Bologne, considering that this is his homeland. Therefore, although he never returned, his works have returned on his behalf. Isn't that amazing??!!

 

Artistic director Marlon Daniel (retrieved from AfriClassical: Marlon Daniel)

It's time for us to get groovy againnn, so let's take a break from all of the reading and have a look at the 2021 Festival International de Musique Saint-Georges trailer. Unfortunately, I couldn't find live footage from a participant's perspective of the festival. Nonetheless, the trailer lures us into the rich presentation of classical music. I also believe that mentorship is tied in due to the fact that the annual showcases afford upcoming musicians to gain some sort of inspiration. More importantly however, it acts as a great networking opportunity. Students can team up and petition to be included within the festival to to put on a performance of their own. Who knows where one greeting, handshake or if they're lucky, how far one performance will take them. 

2021 Festival International de Musique Saint-Georges Trailer (Courtesy of Ensemble du Monde YouTube channel)

Haitian Center for Leadership and Excellence: Youth Program

I know music holds the key to our heart, especially when it comes to mentorship. However, I'd like to introduce you to the Haitian Center for Leadership and Excellence (CLE). For ease of reference, we can think of CLE as The Bahamas Red Cross Society for instance. This association aims to build more effective Haitian leadership.

In 2014, CLE launched a National Youth Program to identify, connect and develop the leadership of like-minded youth (CLE HAITI, 2021). CLE's youth program consists of the following three pillars: 

1. Regional and national events (which unite and inspire like-minded youth)
2. Leadership Training Programs (which build skills for social change and impact in transformative environments)
3. Access to catalytic resources (including funding, scholarships, mentorship, and technical assistance)

The program also launched a series of conferences (in 2015), in 7 different departments to influence young employed Haitians to foster changes among different disciplines such as women's leadership, entrepreneurship, civic engagement, and community development. I don't know about you, but just from reading about this program had me excited to know that there are still organizations and people in general who care about and continue to invest in our young people. I'm even more proud that such an initiative has been taken in Haiti, especially considering the many hardships many Haitian children face as they are growing up. Therefore, I believe that this youth program is a great outlet to encourage young people to get involved in networking with other like-minded young people so they can all bring about a change for the greater good within both themselves and their community.

Members of CLE celebrating International Youth Day 

(Retrieved from the official CLE Facebook page Centre Haïtien du Leadership et de L’Excellence - Posts | Facebook)

 I've included a 2-minute clip which outlines the various roles taken on by different young people within the program and how they contribute to their communities since joining. The video also encourages other young people to become actively involved in their community. Let's take a look:

Courtesy of CLE Haiti YouTube Channel

 Boy! I know that was a lot to take in but I'm sure you're more knowledgeable of the role models and mentorship programs offered within the French-Caribbean (even if you only gained 0.00001% of knowledge, outside of what was already noted in the Tour de Force textbook). You may have also realized that mentorship programs are limited in the countries which make up the French-Caribbean as opposed to those in the English-speaking Caribbean for example. Nonetheless, it's important to note that mentorship takes many different forms whether it's through returning to your birthplace to educate young people, as seen with Julio Racine; maybe it appears as countless events and locations which honor noteworthy musicians born in the same country as you such as Joseph Bologne; or it may creep up on you through an organization which offers countless mentorship activities/opportunities like the Haitian Center for Leadership and Excellence.

It's time to jump back on board and dry off our swimsuits/trunks because our time in the French-Caribbean waters has come to an end. We'll have a lot of time before we reach our next destination: the Dutch-Caribbean. 

SN: Hey blog bestie, Gabby the mentorship advocate once again! I hope that you enjoyed this blog session and truly gained more information about mentorship in the French-Caribbean and how the composers mentioned have contributed to this theme. Thank you for continuing this journey with me!

References 

CLE HAITI. (2021, September 20). Youth Program. Retrieved October 19, 2022, from https://clehaiti.org/youth-program/

CLE Haiti. (2020, November 6). Patisipe nan Konbit Jèn 3.0 [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved October 19, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjpeFit4GfI 

Gangelhoff, C., & LeGrand, C. (2020). Tour de Force: A Musical Journey of the Caribbean (1st ed.). Sound Caribbean.

Julio Racine Obituary - Louisville, KY. (n.d.). Dignity Memorial. Retrieved October 19, 2022, from https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/louisville-ky/julio-racine-9689367 

Sing WIth Haiti. (2013, November 28). Haitian Youth Choirs from Holy Trinity Music School, Port-au-Prince [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved October 19, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5EtCOwXAwA