The Lisette Project: Haitian Creole Music

This program features “Lisette quitté la plaine,” the oldest known song text in early Haitian Creole. Composed around 1757 in Saint-Domingue by French colonist Duvivier de la Mahautière, it tells the poignant story of an enslaved African man. Set to the popular French melody “Que ne suis-je la fougère,” the song weaves together Creole and European elements. The program follows its remarkable journey across Haiti, France, Cuba, New Orleans, and back to its place of origin in Haiti.

Join us for a Special Documentary Film Screening of Lisette (2022) on Monday, January 12, 2026, 6:30pm. Learn more.