Manno Charlemagne

Who is Manno Charlemagne?

Manno Charlemagne, born 1948, is a Haitian political folk singer, songwriter and acoustic guitarist, lifelong political activist and former politician. He recorded his political chansons in both French and in Creole. He lived abroad in exile twice, both during the 1980s and again during the years 1991-1994, when the country was ruled by a military junta led by Raoul Cédras. In 1995, Charlemagne was elected mayor of Port-au-Prince after running as an independent candidate, while Oganizadyon Politik Lavalas, J.B. Aristide's political party at the time, did not present a mayoral candidate for Port-au-Prince, many considered this decision by OPL as a sign that Aristide had supported Manno's candidacy. He was mayor until 1999.