Songwriter's Corner: Jean Winer Pascal | Part 2

Songs with Emeline Michel

Kolé Zépòl - Emeline Michel

This song was released in 1987 and Haiti was going through some turbulent times. Tell us about what was going on at the time and your goal with this song?

Yes, we had a very rough time during those years after 1986, it was a new canvas. Change is not easy. We had chaos and a lot of violence. The Haitian family was being ripped apart and we could not find someone to bring us together and that was so unfortunate, since that was really what we needed to move forward. So, the lyrics were to call for peace and togetherness and as well as dealing with all the other issues that were crippling us.

The opportunity came when American Air Lines organized the second music contest and Beethova decided to participate and he suggested that I should write one piece and he would write another one and he would present two pieces. Actually, he ended up winning both first place with "Lagé-l" and second place with " Kolé zépòl ", we invited Emeline Michel to sing it and it was the perfect choice.



27 years later, do you feel the message in this song has resonated among Haitians?

We are still struggling with the fact that we have to unify and that the country belongs to all of us. My wish is that we find a way to listen to each other and come up with a great plan that would help us rebuild the people of our dear Haiti.

In closing, I am thanking the Wikimizik team for their invitation and that the site serves its purpose. Best regards to you all my brothers and sisters in Haiti and around the world. May God bless you.

Jean Winer PASCAL


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