301:. The following year, Sesenne opened the festivities, which not only featured broadcasting, but included live performances of dancers, musicians and singers, as well as literature written promoting the language. Later that year, in October, Sesenne was crowned with the title "Queen of Culture in St. Lucia" at a ceremony held with family and friends in the Catholic Church in Mon Repos. The Department of Culture produced an audio cassette with the help of guitarist
196:-speaking part of St Lucia, whose customs of flower festivals and séances, were both frowned upon and prohibited by the British elites who governed the island, Sesenne learned to embrace her culture and celebrate its African tradition. She began her schooling at the Patience School but did not complete her primary education, after unfounded gossip by the school principal made her fear for her reputation.
220:, with a unique voice, which could be recognized even within a large group of other singers. Besides singing, she was an accomplished dancer of many styles, including the bakalow, belair, la committee, chalstan, débot, konte, kontwidance, mapa, mazouk, meina, quadrille and ring games. Sesenne's vocal ability allowed her to sing "seven different pitches in
167:
The recordings were played on the radio, leading to her being selected to be one of the representatives for St. Lucia at the CARIFTA Expo in 1969. Her performance won the competition and many accolades followed. She was inducted into the
Caribbean Broadcasting Union Music Hall of Fame and designated
163:
singer and cultural icon. Singing in her native patois language, at a time when authorities barred its use, Sesenne developed a wide following in the rural area in which she grew up. Patronage by St. Lucia's first woman legislator led to the singer's "discovery" by a cultural preservationist, who in
334:
Sesenne died on 11 August 2010 in Mon Repos, Saint Lucia, at the age of 96. She was given a state funeral on 28 August 2010 at the St. Lucy's
Catholic Church of Micoud. Plans were made to revisit the conversion of her home into a museum and to initiate a program to digitize the works of Sesenne. At
330:
for her community service and cultural preservation efforts. Soon thereafter, the government of St. Lucia built a new home for
Sesenne in the Patience community of Micoud. The plans included an initiative for the home to later be converted into the "Sesenne Descartes Folk Heritage Museum", as a
184:
to
Tewannee and Sony Charlery. She was the youngest of five children born to a subsistence farmer and his wife and spent most of her time as a child with her maternal aunt, known locally as "Ma Chadwick". Her aunt, also her godmother, developed in her a strong sense of spiritual devotion and a
224:", by touching her throat to change the pitch. She also had an instinctive ability to improvise for dramatic effect which allowed her to discover chords and rhythm which amplified her performances. Sesenne was widely recognized in her rural area, winning many competitions and prizes.
309:
Sesenne married
Tennyson Descartes, a labourer of Micoud and the couple had seven children: five boys and two girls. They made their home in Mon Repos, La Pointe. At the time of her death, Sesenne had 34 grandchildren and 38 great-grandchildren.
33:
297:(Creole Day) to mark the importance of the Kwéyòl(Creole) language in St. Lucia and press for its official recognition. Fifteen hours of radio programming, including music, news and poetry performed in(Creole) Kwéyòl, were broadcast by
325:
wrote "my country heart, I am not home till
Sesenne sings, a voice with wood smoke and ground-doves in it…" in his poem "Homecoming", Sesenne was immortalized. In 2000, Sesenne was awarded the distinction of Dame Commander of the
339:
announced the creation of the "Dame
Sesenne Descartes National Endowment for Creative Industries" to promote growth and development of cultural endeavors. In 2014, a biography of Sesenne was included in A. L. Dawn French's book,
305:
in the 1980s of
Sesenne's music. In 1987, Sesenne was honored on International Women's Day by the Ministry for Women's Affairs. Her only album was produced in conjunction with a UNESCO project in 1991.
847:"Government Grants Sesenne Official Funeral And Acts To Imortalize Her Life And Work / Message by Prime Minister Stephenson King on the Occasion of The Funeral Service of Dame Marie Selipha Descartes"
275:, an American anthropologist interested in preserving Caribbean folk music. Once the recordings were completed, the music began airing on local radio and propelled Sesenne to even greater fame.
1003:
271:, a local cultural advocate. Simmons sent an associate to find Sesenne and convince her of the need to record her music. When she somewhat hesitantly consented, Simmons introduced her to
290:, where she won the event with her rendition of the song "Wai" ("Why"). Her performance was sung entirely in Kwéyòl and energized the audience with numerous standing ovations.
741:
1008:
998:
896:
801:
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group in the Micoud area begun by her father. At the time, her father held the title "La Rose King", and her mother served among his followers as
846:
708:
836:
790:
697:
243:. Augustin hired Sesenne as the principal performer of a band which entertained guests with the use of such traditional instruments as the
1018:
1013:
993:
988:
944:
331:
repository to preserve the folk heritage of the island. In 2005, the Folk
Research Centre designated her as a National Cultural Hero.
643:
757:
1023:
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140:
904:
302:
365:
283:
209:
809:
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267:. Augustin introduced Sesenne to other hoteliers increasing her reputation, which soon piqued the interest of
278:
The recording initiative, convinced the government to send
Sesenne as one of the performers in the regional
79:
879:. San Francisco, California: St. Lucia Association of Northern California. 12 August 2010. Archived from
928:
857:
724:
983:
978:
353:
232:
217:
148:
144:
260:
832:
828:
Kwéyòl in Postcolonial Saint Lucia: Globalization, language planning, and national development
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as St. Lucia's "Queen of Culture", in addition to having many other awards bestowed upon her.
952:
826:
228:
782:
454:
452:
450:
448:
446:
444:
336:
221:
692:. Folk research Centre. Vol. 18. Castries, St. Lucia: Double F. Publishing House.
319:
177:
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turn introduced Sesenne to an American anthropologist to make recordings of her songs.
57:
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61:
32:
951:. No. 14. Castries, St. Lucia. 27 August 2011. p. 11. Archived from
856:. No. 14. Castries, St. Lucia. 28 August 2010. p. 9. Archived from
753:
720:
458:
248:
897:"St. Lucia's Dame Marie Selphia "Sesenne" Descartes dies at the age of 96"
256:
240:
945:"The Dame Sesenne Descartes National Endowment for Cultural Industries"
362:
inducted into the Caribbean Broadcasting Union Music Hall of Fame, 1991
287:
279:
264:
252:
189:
903:. Castries, St. Lucia: Carpet Media. 12 August 2010. Archived from
244:
204:
At the age of eight, Sesenne was chosen to be the lead singer, or
831:. Amsterdam, the Netherlands: John Benjamins Publishing Company.
808:. Castries, St. Lucia: Government of St. Lucia. Archived from
671:. Castries, St. Lucia: Government of St. Lucia. Archived from
344:, volume 18 of a series produced by the Folk Research Centre.
781:. Tarrytown, New York: Marshall Cavendish Benchmark. p.
646:. Castries, St. Lucia: St. Lucia News Online. Archived from
235:, a planter and entrepreneur who owned guest house called
216:. Sesenne became a locally renowned singer of traditional
748:. Port of Spain, Trinidad: Media and Editorial Projects.
715:. Port of Spain, Trinidad: Media and Editorial Projects.
567:
565:
563:
561:
155:; 28 March 1914 – 11 August 2010), best known as
927:. St. John's, Antigua. 12 August 2010. Archived from
877:"Sessenne, St. Lucia's Lady of Culture passes at 96"
665:"A Palace for a Queen—Sesenne to Receive a New Home"
469:
467:
176:
Marie Selipha Charlery was born on 28 March 1914 in
548:
546:
126:
118:
110:
102:
94:
86:
68:
39:
23:
1004:Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire
774:
534:
459:St. Lucia Association of Northern California 2010
431:
429:
427:
425:
423:
372:Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire
610:
595:
411:
8:
921:"St Lucia—Death—Queen of folk culture dies"
497:
485:
31:
20:
802:"'Sesenne' Receives Her Rightful Honour"
583:
571:
690:Profile: Cultural Heroes of Saint Lucia
509:
391:
342:Profile: Cultural Heroes of Saint Lucia
1009:Recipients of the Order of Saint Lucia
999:Recipients of the British Empire Medal
740:Lee, John Robert (23 September 2010).
625:
359:designated as "Queen of Culture", 1984
709:"R.I.P. Sesenne Descartes, 1914–2010"
707:Laughlin, Nicholas (12 August 2010).
552:
16:Saint Lucian singer and cultural icon
7:
473:
435:
282:Expo '69, (precursor event to the
239:on the roadway between Micoud and
185:commitment to the Catholic faith.
14:
800:Peter, Julita (1 December 2000).
642:Aimable, Anselma (12 May 2016).
231:brought her to the attention of
663:Augustin, Dana (16 June 2000).
806:Government Information Service
669:Government Information Service
1:
746:The Caribbean Review of Books
713:The Caribbean Review of Books
106:Singer, dancer, cultural icon
825:St-Hilaire, Aonghas (2011).
742:"Woodsmoke and ground-doves"
377:National Cultural Hero, 2005
335:her funeral, Prime Minister
137:Dame Marie Selipha Descartes
688:French, A. L. Dawn (2014).
328:Order of the British Empire
293:In 1983, plans began for a
1040:
1019:21st-century women singers
1014:20th-century women singers
994:Saint Lucian women singers
989:People from Micoud Quarter
366:Saint Lucia Medal of Merit
284:Caribbean Festival of Arts
30:
80:Mon Repos, Saint Lucia
44:Marie Selipha Charlery
227:Sesenne's skill with
188:Raised in the rural,
354:British Empire Medal
303:Ronald "Boo" Hinkson
907:on 19 November 2016
773:Orr, Tamra (2008).
760:on 23 December 2016
1024:Saint Lucian dames
955:on 7 February 2017
931:on 7 February 2017
925:The Daily Observer
883:on 6 February 2017
863:on 7 February 2017
812:on 7 February 2017
675:on 7 February 2017
536:The Daily Observer
218:Saint Lucian music
122:Tennyson Descartes
838:978-90-272-8464-8
792:978-0-7614-2569-4
699:978-1-503-25439-8
299:Radio Saint Lucia
273:Daniel J. Crowley
178:La Pointe, Micoud
134:
133:
111:Years active
98:Sesenne Descartes
58:La Pointe, Micoud
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756:. Archived from
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723:. Archived from
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500:, p. 77-78.
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314:Death and legacy
286:) to be held in
95:Other names
75:
53:
51:
35:
21:
1039:
1038:
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969:
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949:National Review
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934:
932:
919:
910:
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901:Carpet Magazine
895:
886:
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875:
866:
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854:National Review
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845:
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813:
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761:
739:
730:
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727:on 24 June 2016
706:
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662:
653:
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644:"Did you know?"
641:
637:
632:
624:
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612:National Review
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597:National Review
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590:
582:
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498:St-Hilaire 2011
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486:St-Hilaire 2011
484:
480:
472:
465:
457:
442:
434:
421:
413:Carpet Magazine
410:
393:
389:
384:
350:
337:Stephenson King
316:
202:
174:
82:
77:
73:
64:
55:
49:
47:
46:
45:
26:
17:
12:
11:
5:
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986:
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650:on 13 May 2016
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320:Nobel Laureate
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269:Harold Simmons
233:Grace Augustin
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76:(aged 96)
72:11 August 2010
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616:, p. 11.
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584:Laughlin 2010
580:
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573:
572:Augustin 2000
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323:Derek Walcott
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295:Jounen Kwéyòl
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103:Occupation(s)
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63:
59:
54:28 March 1914
42:
38:
34:
29:
22:
19:
957:. Retrieved
953:the original
948:
933:. Retrieved
929:the original
924:
909:. Retrieved
905:the original
900:
885:. Retrieved
881:the original
865:. Retrieved
858:the original
853:
827:
814:. Retrieved
810:the original
805:
776:
762:. Retrieved
758:the original
745:
729:. Retrieved
725:the original
712:
689:
677:. Retrieved
673:the original
668:
652:. Retrieved
648:the original
635:Bibliography
621:
611:
606:
601:, p. 9.
596:
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579:
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510:Aimable 2016
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493:
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412:
368:(SLMM), 1994
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187:
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166:
161:Saint Lucian
156:
152:
136:
135:
74:(2010-08-11)
18:
984:2010 deaths
979:1914 births
777:Saint Lucia
626:French 2014
374:(DBE), 2000
356:(BEM), 1972
182:Saint Lucia
87:Nationality
62:Saint Lucia
973:Categories
959:7 February
935:7 February
911:7 February
887:6 February
867:7 February
816:7 February
764:7 February
731:7 February
679:7 February
654:7 February
553:Peter 2000
382:References
206:chantwelle
172:Early life
90:St. Lucian
50:1914-03-28
754:1811-4873
721:1811-4873
387:Citations
249:chak-chak
237:The Hotel
222:synchrony
114:1922-2010
474:Orr 2008
436:Lee 2010
257:mandolin
241:Castries
192:(Creole)
159:, was a
153:Charlery
127:Children
348:Honours
288:Grenada
280:CARIFTA
214:"queen"
210:La Rose
208:, of a
157:Sesenne
25:Sesenne
835:
789:
752:
719:
696:
265:violin
261:quatro
253:guitar
200:Career
194:Kwéyòl
190:patois
119:Spouse
861:(PDF)
850:(PDF)
318:When
245:banjo
151:(née
961:2017
937:2017
913:2017
889:2017
869:2017
833:ISBN
818:2017
787:ISBN
766:2017
750:ISSN
733:2017
717:ISSN
694:ISBN
681:2017
656:2017
614:2011
599:2010
538:2010
415:2010
263:and
229:kont
145:SLMM
69:Died
40:Born
783:102
149:BEM
141:DBE
975::
947:.
923:.
899:.
852:.
804:.
785:.
744:.
711:.
667:.
560:^
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60:,
963:.
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891:.
871:.
841:.
820:.
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735:.
702:.
683:.
658:.
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555:.
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130:7
52:)
48:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
