Ever think about what it would be like to have Lil Wayne for president? Or how about Jay-Z? No, this is not in the foreseeable future for America. As of 2010 Barack Obama is still president and no music artists are looking to run in an election. In Haiti, it’s a different story.
Legendary artist Wyclef Jean has announced he plans to run for president of Haiti. This internationally well known recording artist has Haitian roots and has always integrated political themes into his music. In 2004 he released an album titles “Welcome to Haiti Creole 101”, which has many politically influenced recordings. This is just one example of how he merged the two fields.
According to an article in the New York Times, he will be running against several people including his uncle, who was formally Haiti’s ambassador to the United States.
Wyclef Jean’s Musical Background
Jean got his musical star in the 1990s with the Grammy-winning group the Fugees. Towards the end of the 90s he started slowly emerging as a solo artist. He has also reordered music with variety of artists ranging from Shakira to Lil Wayne to Norah Jones.
Wyclef Jean’s Work in Haiti
Jean has always been active in his support for his country. He created The Yele Haiti Foundation to raise money in an effort to aid Haitians. After the Haitian earthquake in January 2010 Jean worked harder to raise money by performing in “Hope for Haiti Now” along with a lot of other artists.
Entertainment Weekly has reported that Jean has since resigned as leader of the foundation. He released a statement August 5, 2010 confirming he was resigned as chairman, effective immediately. In that statement he said ““I am not stepping down in my commitment to Haiti. On the contrary, regardless of what path I take next, one thing is certain: My focus on helping Haiti turn a new corner will only grow stronger.”
Wyclef Jean to Run for President
The Miami Herald reported on Jean’s official announcement that he was running for President of Haiti. After months of speculation Jean had an hour-long radio interview on August 5, 2010 announcing his candidacy. He is going with a “Face to Face” slogan to go along with a street, youth-oriented movement. He must file his paperwork by Saturday, August 8, 2010 by midnight in order to run.
He also must prove that he holds Haitian citizenship, lived in Haiti for five consecutive years and own land in Haiti, all in which falls under the Haitian law for running for president.
The presidential election is set for November 28, 2010.
Pareles, Jon. "Wyclef Jean Moves From Musical Unity to the Political Kind." New York Times. Web. 5 Aug. 2010.
Wete, Brad. "Wyclef Jean resigns as head of Yele Haiti charity." Web. 5 Aug. 2010..
Daniel, Trenton. "It's official: Wyclef Jean to run for Haiti president." Miami Herald. Web. 5 Aug. 2010.
Nicole Dales - Journalism is my passion. I have been writing for the last 5 years. I wrote for my high school paper for three years and I had an ...
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