Ina Césaire, the playwright ethnographer
Ina Césaire, born in 1942 in Martinique, is the daughter of Suzanne and Aimé Césaire, both the brilliant intellectuals and writers that we know.
But Ina wasn't just "daughter of."
She is an ethnographer, specialized in Creole cultures and traditions, novelist, playwright, director, with a good number of novels, plays, poetry, tales, academic essays and documentaries to her credit.
Her work is inspired by both her personal history and her career as an ethnographer with the drive to transmit a collective memory and the struggles for emancipation in the Caribbean.
But did you know that Ina also had another talented string to her bow, as a songwriter?
Ina Césaire, the songwriter
Indeed, she has built an interesting career as a songwriter, some of which are among the great classics of French West Indian music. Let's have a look at her work...
Malavoi
The first to have asked her for her talents as a songwriter was none other than the Malavoi group created by her cousin, the violinist, Emmanuel dit "Mano" Césaire.
The collaboration with Malavoi began in 1986 and continued on several albums:
1986
« Apré la pli »
« Sport national »
Paroles : Ina Césaire
Music : Emmanuel « Mano » Césaire
Vocals : Ralph Thamar
1988
« Philomène »
Lyrics: Ina Cesaire
Music : Paulo Rosine
1989
« Retour d’exil »
Paroles : Ina Césaire
Music : Emmanuel « Mano » Césaire
Vocals : Pipo Gertrude
« Bet a fé »
Lyrics: Ina Cesaire
Music : José Privat
Vocals : Valérie Odina
« Anfans »
- Lyrics: Ina Cesaire
- Music : Jean-Claude Naimro
- Arrangement : Thiery Vaton
Une nouvelle version du titre original sur l’album de Ralph Thamar en 1991.
Ralph Thamar
Parallel to Malavoi, Ina begins to write for Ralph Thamar, the emblematic singer of the group, who begins a solo career.
1987
« Exil »
Lyrics: Ina Cesaire
Music : Emmanuel Cesaire
"Exile" is an essential song of the French West Indian heritage which transcribes well the identity of the French West Indians.
Building on its success, the title "Exile" appeared on the next album in 1989.
« Caruso » (Lucio Dalla_1986) Adaptation: Ina Césaire
- « Anfans«
Music : Jean-Claude Naimro
Original version which will be readjusted in 2009 on Malavoi's "Pep-la" album.
1993
« Nostalji »
Music : Emmanuel Cesaire
Lyrics: Ina Cesaire
1993: On Ralph Thamar's album "A tout...", "La vi sé an bato" original title of Puzzle, created in 1990, becomes "Nostalji", for a new adaptation.
1996
« Dézarwa »
Lyrics : Ina Césaire
Music : Claude Césaire (’Emmanuel « Mano » Césaire's son)
Puzzle
1990
« La vi sé an bato »
Lyrics: Ina Cesaire
Music : Emmanuel Cesaire
Puzzle is the setting to music and storytelling of a Creole adaptation of Shakespeare's Sophocles_Pè Filoktèt_ by the Regional Dramatic Center (CDR), directed at the time by the storyteller, actor, Elie Pennont. The musical direction falls to CLaude Césaire, one of the sons of Emmanuel "Mano" Césaire.
Palaviré
1995
"La vi sé an bato"
Lyrics: Ina Césaire
Music: Emmanuel Césaire
Arrangement: Manuel Césaire
The song"La vi sé an bato" produced in 1990 for a play, was adapted in 1995 by the Palaviré group of Emmanuel "Mano" Césaire, who in the meantime left the Malavoi group he had founded to collaborate with his sons, Manuel and Claude.
Jean-Claude Naimro (Kassav)
1999
« Mem jou tala »
Lyrics: Ina Cesaire
Music : Jean-Claude Naimro
The pianist of Kassav had already collaborated with Ina in 1991, on the song "Anfans" for the album "Caraibes" by Ralph Thamar, which will be readjusted in 2009 on the "Pep-la" album by Malavoi.
Charly Trio & Co
Lyrics: Ina Césaire
Music: Charly Labinsky
Arrangement: F. Clarion
Charly Labinsky of the Caribbean jazz band Charly Trio, presents the title "Tjimba" on a text by Ina. »
More information :
Wikipedia page of Ina CésaireIna Césaire
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