Celia Cruz & Martha Jean Claude - Choucoune
- 9 years ago
The Story of Choucoune
By Louis J. Auguste, MD
Pikliz
For the past 500 years, Haiti has been part of the world’s history. As a member of the society of nations, Haiti and Haitians have made numerous worthy, but rarely heralded, contributions.
Need we mention the bravery of the future heroes of our Independence, who fought in Savannah under the banner of the French Army to help defeat the English Colonial forces and help free the United States of America?
Need we mention the foundation of the city of Chicago by Jean-Baptiste Point du Sable, a Haitian-born fur trader?
Need we mention the assistance provided to Simon Bolivar by Petion in the form of safe haven when his life was threatened, monetary support, tactical advice and even the provision of manpower to bolster his army?
Need we mention the generous contribution of all the Haitian teachers who responded to the call of our ancestors’ land in the days that followed the massive movement of African decolonization in the 1970s, when all these newly created nations were “dropped” by their former colonizers.
The list goes on and on. However, the greatest contribution of all is an intellectual one.
However, it is painful that one of our most celebrated meringues is hijacked, without giving credit to its original composer.
What is the true story of “Choucoune”?
Believe it or not, Choucoune was a real person. Her real name was Marie Noel Belizaire. She was born in the Village of La-Plaine-du-Nord in the year 1853.
Although her parents are not commonly known, it is reported that Ms. Belizaire had two sisters. Unlike her sisters, she was strikingly beautiful and she was given the nickname of Choucoune. She was dark-skinned, but her long hair was straight, defining the type “marabou”, commonly used in the Haitian vernacular.
Before she could finish her elementary classes, she fell in love with a young man named Pierre Theodore. The two became involved in a common-law marriage. To support her family, she started a small business, detailing various articles of daily necessity.
Soon however, Choucoune realized that the young man was unfaithful.
She left the village and moved to Cap-Haitien, the capital of the Northern Province of Haiti. She resided at 14, Simon Street (Rue Simon) in the neighborhood of Petite-Guinee. She established a small restaurant near the Chapel of St-Joseph, located on 19th Street (Rue 19).
One of her customers may have been one Oswald Durand, famous poet in those days in Cap-Haitien. He was 13 years older than Choucoune. Nevertheless a romantic relationship was quick to start between the two. They seemed to have enjoyed quite a few blissful moments. Those moments unfortunately were short, because Oswald Durand was a known womanizer and often described himself as “the gardener that waters all the flowers”.
Choucoune was looking for a more stable relationship and moved on.
Shortly thereafter, Oswald Durand was thrown in jail for having criticized some of the political leaders in Cap-Haitien. While sitting in his cell, a bird alit on his window and Durand composed one of the most beautiful Haitian poems written in Creole. Its title was: Choucoune, and the year was 1883.
In it, the poet talks of Choucoune’s beauty, of their happy moments and of the pain of their separation, when Choucoune preferred a young French man over him. Choucoune never returned to Durand, despite the fact that he truly immortalized her. She kept looking for the perfect love that never came. She fell on hard times in the later part of her life and returned to her native village.
She became insane and had to beg for survival. My mother who, as a child, used to go to the celebration of Saint James in La-Plaine-du-Nord told me that people would point to the fallen beauty, whispering: “Here is Choucoune! Look at Choucoune!” Choucoune died in 1924.
Link For The Whole Story - http://www.dadychery.org/2011/09/24/choucoune-story-and-song/
By Louis J. Auguste, MD
Pikliz
For the past 500 years, Haiti has been part of the world’s history. As a member of the society of nations, Haiti and Haitians have made numerous worthy, but rarely heralded, contributions.
Need we mention the bravery of the future heroes of our Independence, who fought in Savannah under the banner of the French Army to help defeat the English Colonial forces and help free the United States of America?
Need we mention the foundation of the city of Chicago by Jean-Baptiste Point du Sable, a Haitian-born fur trader?
Need we mention the assistance provided to Simon Bolivar by Petion in the form of safe haven when his life was threatened, monetary support, tactical advice and even the provision of manpower to bolster his army?
Need we mention the generous contribution of all the Haitian teachers who responded to the call of our ancestors’ land in the days that followed the massive movement of African decolonization in the 1970s, when all these newly created nations were “dropped” by their former colonizers.
The list goes on and on. However, the greatest contribution of all is an intellectual one.
However, it is painful that one of our most celebrated meringues is hijacked, without giving credit to its original composer.
What is the true story of “Choucoune”?
Believe it or not, Choucoune was a real person. Her real name was Marie Noel Belizaire. She was born in the Village of La-Plaine-du-Nord in the year 1853.
Although her parents are not commonly known, it is reported that Ms. Belizaire had two sisters. Unlike her sisters, she was strikingly beautiful and she was given the nickname of Choucoune. She was dark-skinned, but her long hair was straight, defining the type “marabou”, commonly used in the Haitian vernacular.
Before she could finish her elementary classes, she fell in love with a young man named Pierre Theodore. The two became involved in a common-law marriage. To support her family, she started a small business, detailing various articles of daily necessity.
Soon however, Choucoune realized that the young man was unfaithful.
She left the village and moved to Cap-Haitien, the capital of the Northern Province of Haiti. She resided at 14, Simon Street (Rue Simon) in the neighborhood of Petite-Guinee. She established a small restaurant near the Chapel of St-Joseph, located on 19th Street (Rue 19).
One of her customers may have been one Oswald Durand, famous poet in those days in Cap-Haitien. He was 13 years older than Choucoune. Nevertheless a romantic relationship was quick to start between the two. They seemed to have enjoyed quite a few blissful moments. Those moments unfortunately were short, because Oswald Durand was a known womanizer and often described himself as “the gardener that waters all the flowers”.
Choucoune was looking for a more stable relationship and moved on.
Shortly thereafter, Oswald Durand was thrown in jail for having criticized some of the political leaders in Cap-Haitien. While sitting in his cell, a bird alit on his window and Durand composed one of the most beautiful Haitian poems written in Creole. Its title was: Choucoune, and the year was 1883.
In it, the poet talks of Choucoune’s beauty, of their happy moments and of the pain of their separation, when Choucoune preferred a young French man over him. Choucoune never returned to Durand, despite the fact that he truly immortalized her. She kept looking for the perfect love that never came. She fell on hard times in the later part of her life and returned to her native village.
She became insane and had to beg for survival. My mother who, as a child, used to go to the celebration of Saint James in La-Plaine-du-Nord told me that people would point to the fallen beauty, whispering: “Here is Choucoune! Look at Choucoune!” Choucoune died in 1924.
Link For The Whole Story - http://www.dadychery.org/2011/09/24/choucoune-story-and-song/