Lyrics Justin Lhérisson Adopted 1904 | Music Nicolas Geffrard | |
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La Dessalinienne ([la dɛs.salinjɛn]) is the national anthem of Haiti. It was written by Justin Lhérisson and composed by Nicolas Geffrard.
Overview
To commemorate the 100th year anniversary of the Haitian Revolution, a competition was held for a national anthem in 1903. The poetic words of Justin Lhérisson and martial composition of Nicolas Geffrard won over the judges, which led to its official adoption as national anthem in 1904. La Dessalinienne was named in honor of Haiti's revolutionary leader and first ruler Jean-Jacques Dessalines.
There is a Haitian Creole version that was created by Raymond A. Moise. Ansy Dérose, a Haitian singer, helped popularize it. Although it became widely accepted, the 1987 Haitian Constitution makes no mention of this particular version.