Sesenne

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Dame Marie Selipha Descartes (born Charlery ; born March 28, 1914 , La Pointe, Micoud , St. Lucia ; † August 11, 2010 , Mon Repos, La Pointe, Micoud ), better known as Sesenne , was a singer on St. Lucia and a cultural icon. She sang in her mother tongue, the patois , at a time when the authorities prohibited its use. Sesenne developed a large following in the rural areas. The patronage of St. Lucia's first female regent led to her discovery by a cultural protector, who referred her to an American anthropologist who made recordings of her songs.

The recordings were played on the radio and resulted in her being posted as a representative for St. Lucia at the 1969 CARIFTA Expo . Her performances won the competition and many other recognitions followed. She was inducted into the Caribbean Broadcasting Union Music Hall of Fame and named Queen of Culture of St. Lucia.

Life

Marie Selipha Charlery was born on March 28, 1914 in La Pointe, Micoud . Her parents were the small farmers Tewannee and Sony Charlery. She was the youngest of five children and spent much of her childhood with her aunt and godmother , "Ma Chadwick". Her aunt established a strong piety and devotion to the Catholic faith in her .

The youth in the rural, Patois- Kwéyòl-speaking part of St. Lucia, whose customs of flower festivals and séances were ridiculed and forbidden by the British elites, strengthened her love for her culture and a pride in her African traditions. She began her school career at Patience School but dropped out after suffering character assassination by the headmaster.

Career

At the age of eight, Sesenne was used as the lead singer (“chantwelle”) for a La Rose group in the Micoud area. The group was led by her father. At that time, her father was called "La Rose King" and her mother was the "Queen" in his entourage. Sesenne became known as a singer of traditional Saint Lucia music with a unique voice that stood out even in large vocal groups. In addition to singing, she was also a good dancer who mastered the styles bakalow , belair , la commette , chalstan , débot , konte , kontwidance , mapa , mazouk , meina , quadrille and circle dances. Sesenne's voice allowed her to "sing synchronously in seven different pitches" (seven different pitches in synchrony). By touching her throat with her hand, she changed her voice. She also had a special talent for improvising and inventing new chords and rhythms, which she used to shape her performances. Sesenne was highly valued in its rural environment and won many competitions and prizes.

Sesenne's skills in the field of kont , a funeral chant , brought her to the attention of Marie Grace Augustin , a planter and entrepreneur who owned The Hotel guest house on the road between Micoud and Castries . Augustin hired Sesenne as the band leader for a band that offered the guests entertainment with traditional instruments such as banjo , shak-shak , guitar , mandolin , cuatro and violin . Augustin also referred Sesenne to other hoteliers and promoted them. And soon after, Harold Simmons , a local promoter of culture, took an interest in her. Simmons tried to convince Sesenne that her music should be recorded. When she agreed, after some hesitation, she introduced Simmons to Daniel J. Crowley , an American anthropologist interested in Caribbean folk music . The recordings were also played on the radio and Sesenne became known nationwide.

The recording initiative also convinced the government that Sesenne would be suitable as one of the performers at the regional CARIFTA Expo 1969. CARIFTA was the forerunner of the Caribbean Festival of Arts . In Grenada she won the main prize with her version of the song "Wai" ("Why"). Her program was performed entirely in Kwéyòl and the audience rewarded her with multiple standing ovations .

In 1983 plans were made for a Jounen Kwéyòl (Day of Creole) to appreciate the importance of the Kwéyòl language in St. Lucia and to promote official recognition. Fifteen hours of music, news and poetry in Kwéyòl were broadcast on Radio Saint Lucia . The following year the Sesenne celebrations opened. On this occasion, not only radio broadcasts, but also live events with dancers, musicians and literary lectures were organized. Later that year, in October, Sesenne was crowned Queen of Culture in St. Lucia. The ceremony took place with family and friends in the Catholic Church in Mon Repos . The Department of Culture produced an audio cassette of Sesenne's music in the 1980s, with the assistance of guitarist Ronald “Boo” Hinkson . In 1987, Sesenne received an award from the Ministry for Women's Affairs on International Women's Day . A music album was recorded in connection with a UNESCO project in 1991.

Sesenne was married to Tennyson Descartes , a worker from Micoud. The couple had seven children: five boys and two girls. They lived in Mon Repos, La Pointe. When she died, Sesenne had 34 grandchildren and 38 great-grandchildren.

Death and legacy

The Nobel Prize winner Derek Walcott wrote in his poem "Homecoming":

"My country heart, I am not home till Sesenne sings, a voice with wood smoke and ground-doves in it ..."

"My rural heart, I'm not at home until Sesenne sings, a voice with wood smoke and pigeons in it ..."

- Derek Walcott

In 2000, Sesenne was honored with the award of a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire for her service to the community and the preservation of cultural heritage. Soon after, the government of St. Lucia built a new house for Sesenne in the Patience settlement of Micoud. The plans already provided that this house would later be converted into the "Sesenne Descartes Folk Heritage Museum". In 2005 she was named a “National Cultural Hero” by the Folk Research Center.

Sesenne died on August 11, 2010 in Mon Repos at the age of 96. She was buried with a state funeral on August 28, 2010 at St. Lucy's Catholic Church in Micoud. On the occasion of her funeral, then Prime Minister Stephenson King announced the creation of the "Dame Sesenne Descartes National Endowment for Creative Industries" to honor cultural achievements. In 2014 a biography of Sesenne was published.

Honors

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g St. Lucia's Dame Marie Selphia “Sesenne” Descartes dies at the age of 96 . In: Carpet Magazine . Castries, St. Lucia August 12, 2010 (English).
  2. ↑ a b c d e John Robert Lee: Woodsmoke and ground-doves . In: The Caribbean Review of Books . Media and Editorial Projects, September 23, 2010, ISSN  1811-4873 (English).
  3. ↑ a b c d e f Sessenne, St. Lucia's Lady of Culture passes at 96. In: slanocal.blogspot.com. St. Lucia Association of Northern California, August 12, 2010, accessed October 14, 2018 .
  4. ↑ a b Tamra Orr: Saint Lucia . Marshall Cavendish benchmark, Tarrytown, New York 2008, ISBN 978-0-7614-2569-4 , pp. 102 (English, limited preview in Google Book Search).
  5. ↑ St-Hilaire 2011: 68.
  6. ↑ St-Hilaire 2011: 77-78.
  7. ↑ Aimable 2016.
  8. ↑ February 2017.
  9. ^ A b Nicholas Laughlin: CRB • Antilles • RIP Sesenne Descartes, St Lucian singer, 1914-2010. In: caribbeanreviewofbooks.com. August 12, 2010, accessed October 14, 2018 .
  10. ↑ a b Julita Peter: "Sesenne" Receives Her Rightful Honor. In: archive.stlucia.gov.lc. Government Information Service, Government of St. Lucia, December 1, 2000, accessed October 14, 2018 .
  11. ↑ a b c d Dana Augustin: A Palace for a Queen - Sesenne to Receive a New Home. In: archive.stlucia.gov.lc. Government Information Service, Government of St. Lucia, June 16, 2000, accessed October 14, 2018 .
  12. ↑ a b c d e f St. Lucia. Death. Queen of folk culture dies. In: antiguaobserver.com. August 12, 2010, accessed October 14, 2018 .
  13. ↑ National Review 2010: 9.
  14. ↑ National Review 2011: 11
  15. ^ AL Dawn French: Profile: Cultural Heroes of Saint Lucia. , vol. 18, Folk Research Center 2014.
personal data
SURNAME Sesenne
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Descartes, Marie Selipha
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Lucian folk singer
DATE OF BIRTH March 28, 1914
PLACE OF BIRTH Micoud (St. Lucia) , St. Lucia
DATE OF DEATH August 11, 2010
Place of death Mon Repos, La Pointe, Micoud (St. Lucia) , St. Lucia