On March 8th, Jean Bernard Cerin traveled to Bucknell to present the documentary screening of Lisette, 2022. The film centered around the study of “Lisette quitté la plaine,” which is the oldest surviving song text in early Haitian Creole. Lisette was first written by a white colonist, Duvivier de la Mahautière, in Saint-Domingue around the year 1757. The song reflects the life of an enslaved African man, who’s wife (Lisette), was either forcibly sent to another plantation or sent away to serve as a domestic slave. The song beautifully entangled the new Creole language with a popular French melody from the time, and became quite popular amongst upper and middle class French colonists. The documentary traces the long and varied history of the Haitian song, with speakers Nathalie Cerin, Claude Dauphin, Lauren Eldridge, Deborah Jensen, Henry Stoll, Toni Caldwell Hall, Eve Miller, Debra Nagy, and Richard Stone’s commentary on the piece. Afterwards, Jean Bernard Cerin conducted a Q&A with the audience, sharing his opinion and other facts on the piece, his inspiration for creating the documentary, and how music inspires him in his everyday life.
– Taylor Collins