Toto Bissainthe
Encyclopedia
Marie Clotilde "Toto" Bissainthe (1934, Cap-Haïtien
, Haiti
- June 4, 1994, Haiti
) was a Haïti
an actress and singer known for her innovative blend of traditional Vodou and rural
themes and music with contemporary lyricism and arrangements. Born in Cap-Haïtien
in 1934, she left Haïti at an early age to pursue her studies abroad. Her career started in theatre
with the company Griots, of which she was a founding member in 1956. Griots was at the vanguard of négritude-inspired cultural institutions in France
, and was the first African theatre company in Paris
.
With a groundbreaking performance in 1973 at La vieille grille in Paris, Toto Bissainthe established herself as singer-songwriter-composer, stunning the audience with her soul-stirring renditions of original compositions that paid homage to the lives, struggles, miseries and spirituality of working class and rural Haïtians.
An artist in exile, Toto Bissainthe will be unable to return to the Haïti that so inspired her until the departure of Jean-Claude Duvalier
in 1986. However, the multiple disappointments of the unending democratic transition and political infighting would forever embitter the outspoken artist, who had long dreamed of a return to help rebuild her motherland. Saddened by Haïti's social and political degradation, Toto Bissainthe's health would enter a downward spiral ending with her passing from liver damage on June 4th, 1994.
Cap-Haïtien
Cap-Haïtien is a city of about 190,000 people on the north coast of Haiti and capital of the Department of Nord...
, Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
- June 4, 1994, Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
) was a Haïti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
an actress and singer known for her innovative blend of traditional Vodou and rural
Rural
Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...
themes and music with contemporary lyricism and arrangements. Born in Cap-Haïtien
Cap-Haïtien
Cap-Haïtien is a city of about 190,000 people on the north coast of Haiti and capital of the Department of Nord...
in 1934, she left Haïti at an early age to pursue her studies abroad. Her career started in theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
with the company Griots, of which she was a founding member in 1956. Griots was at the vanguard of négritude-inspired cultural institutions in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, and was the first African theatre company in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
With a groundbreaking performance in 1973 at La vieille grille in Paris, Toto Bissainthe established herself as singer-songwriter-composer, stunning the audience with her soul-stirring renditions of original compositions that paid homage to the lives, struggles, miseries and spirituality of working class and rural Haïtians.
An artist in exile, Toto Bissainthe will be unable to return to the Haïti that so inspired her until the departure of Jean-Claude Duvalier
Jean-Claude Duvalier
Jean-Claude Duvalier, nicknamed "Bébé Doc" or "Baby Doc" was the President of Haiti from 1971 until his overthrow by a popular uprising in 1986. He succeeded his father, François "Papa Doc" Duvalier, as the ruler of Haiti upon his father's death in 1971...
in 1986. However, the multiple disappointments of the unending democratic transition and political infighting would forever embitter the outspoken artist, who had long dreamed of a return to help rebuild her motherland. Saddened by Haïti's social and political degradation, Toto Bissainthe's health would enter a downward spiral ending with her passing from liver damage on June 4th, 1994.
Discography
- Toto à New York (Chango, 1975)
- Toto chante Haïti (Arion, 1977, Prix de la chanson TF1 1978, reissued 1989)
- Haïti Chanté - Chant du Monde (reissued, 1995)
- Coda (reissued, 1996)
- World Network Vol. 43: Haiti (with Ti Koka) (World Network, 1999)
- Rétrospective (Créon Music, 2006)
Filmography
- Les tripes au soleil, 1959.
- Le théâtre de la jeunesse: La case de l'oncle Tom, Le, 1963.
- La Noire de..., 1966.
- L'homme au contrat, television series, 1974.
- En l'autre bord, 1978.
- West Indies, 1979.
- Toto Bissainthe de Sarah MaldororSarah MaldororSarah Maldoror, born Sarah Ducados in Gers, France, is a French film director.Maldoror choose her artist's name in remembrance of The Songs of Maldoror by Lautréamont. She attended a drama school in Paris. Together with her companion Mário Pinto de Andrade she received a scholarship and studied...
(5mn - documentary), 1984 - Haitian Corner, 1988.
- L'homme sur les quaisThe Man by the ShoreThe Man by the Shore is a 1993 Haitian-French drama film directed by Raoul Peck. It was entered into the 1993 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Jennifer Zubar - Sarah* Toto Bissainthe - Camille Desrouillere* Patrick Rameau - Gracieux Sorel...
, 1993.
External links
- Toto Bissainthe Official Web Site
- Toto (Marie Clotilde) Bissainthe Mémoire de femmes, Online version
- Toto Bissainthe Filmography at IMDB (Internet Movie Database)