Carole Maroule Demesmin
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Carole is by far one of the greatest performers in Haitian music.
Her name is a household word in every Haitian community. Children, teenagers, and adults enjoy her songs.
She states I only get to see her on TV and I’m like who's this person? There must be another energy inside of me when I’m on stage.
“A defender, a healer, and an artist, Carole Demesmin was born in the city of Léogane, Haiti.
She received her early education in Léogane, and Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
She stayed in Port-au-Prince until she became ill at the age of 10 and went back to Léogane to receive private schooling from Madame Ambroise Baulière.
Baulière was the first to water what was to become an appealing flower.
In 1969, after three years at Lycée Surin Evellard, Carole was sent to New York. She spent three months in New York and moved to Boston.
In 1973 while in Boston she started performing with the cultural group called Haiti Cultural and met Jean Claude Martineau, a renowned Haitian writer who wrote most her early songs.
In 1978 before pursuing her education at Berkeley College of Music she presented Mr. Martineau's songs on her two albums, Carole Maroule and Carole Men Rara.
It was in the summer of 1978 that Carole started to become known to the public.
Her very first concert was a cultural event in Boston, in which Maurice Sixto, a legend in Haitian folktales, presented his popular story of Lea Kokoye.
Carole stole the hearts of the crowd as she sang Maroule for the first time.
Since that time, she gained the name of "Carole Maroule". Her second year at Massachusetts College of Art, she was preparing a show for Martin Luther King Day and discovered that she, like many of us, knew nothing about black history except for what the textbooks opt to tell us.
So in 1982, she did the unspeakable and returned to the land of misery and mysteries integrate with the Haitian people.
During her ten years of research, Carole learned to and respect and to value the Haitian culture.
She started many cultural activities during her stay in Haiti. A notable one was a cultural exchange between Haitians to help them learn about different areas in Haiti.
Carole stresses the importance of the Natives who were in Haiti before the Africans because Haitian culture is a mixture of the Awarak and African culture.
"Haiti is a melting pot the Awarak and their traditions mixed with the diversity of tribes from Africa and left Haiti with a very rich culture.
Carole’s move to Haiti was the best decision that she ever made in her life.
She learned about her history.
She realized that Haiti was the first black nation with the first black society and the first black flag. “We were the first!” She proudly broadcasts.
After her research, she was inspired to share with the world the Haitian version of Haitian history and culture.
She started presenting lectures at universities such as Godar College in Vermont, FIU and Miami-Dade College in Florida.
She did lectures for different groups of African Americans. They talked about Africa and their mission here in America. She continues to show her art and music to the world.
In 1996, she did an exhibition of spiritual objects, "Parquet Congo", in Haitian Voudou at the Historical Museum of Miami.
In 1999, she put together a compilation named "Bel Kongo" with Pierre Rigaud Chery.
Carole’s passion for her people went even further when she started the Carole Demesmin Foundation. A foundation for Haitian Juveniles was created after a young troubled Haitian-American boy was deported to Haiti and ended up dead.
Carole is now in Chicago as she prepares for a production entitled “Wanting Memories Project”. Upon the awareness of her visit to Chicago, The Haitian American Community Association and The Consulate General of Haiti in Chicago jumped at the opportunity of having such a legend in their city and put together a concert.
That concert charmed the whole Chicago community. Before the concert, she came into contact with Greg McConnell, President of the Chicago Music Family and after seeing her performance, he was convinced and offered to have her in the family and they are now working on the Wanting Memories Project. A show that uses music art and dance to educate people about black history and Haitian history, since Haitian history is a proud chapter of black history.
This project is an attempt to open up the people’s eyes and foster unity. “I think of myself as an ambassador for Haitian culture. My mission is to make the world see Haiti from an educated Haitian perspective”
