Beethova Obas (born 1964) is a

Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...

an musician.

Background

Beethova's father, Charles Obas, was a painter. A music lover, he named Beethova after

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...

. Beethova was only 4 years old when Charles Obas disappeared after participating in a

protest A protest (also called a demonstration, remonstration or remonstrance) is a public expression of objection, disapproval or dissent towards an idea or action, typically a political one. Protests can be thought of as acts of coopera ...

against murders committed by

François Duvalier François Duvalier (; 14 April 190721 April 1971), also known as Papa Doc, was a Haitian politician of French Martiniquan descent who served as the President of Haiti from 1957 to 1971. He was elected president in the 1957 general election on ...

's dictatorial regime. Charles Obas was never seen again, leaving the family in financial trouble, while also having a social and emotional impact. Beethova became a self-taught musician, learning the

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected string ...

and accordion. His first musical release was a song composed with

Manno Charlemagne Joseph Emmanuel "Manno" Charlemagne (April 14, 1948 – December 10, 2017) was a Haitian political folk singer, songwriter and acoustic guitarist, political activist and politician. He recorded his political chansons in both French and in Creo ...

, "Nwel Anme" (Bitter Christmas). In 1988, he won a Découverte RFI award for the Best Young Singer, when Manu Dibango, President of the Jury noted his voice and talent. In 1991, Martiniquan pianist Paulo Rosine invited Obas to sing on Malavoi's album ''Matébis'' after discovering his voice during a tour of the band in Haiti. Beethova then toured the Caribbean and France, gaining wider exposure and recognition. Obas' favorite artists to work with have been Jocelyne Béroard, Ralph Thamar and

all of whom he credits for helping him develop his craft.

Awards

Best Young Singer, Découverte

Radio France Internationale Radio France Internationale, usually referred to as RFI, is the state-owned international radio broadcaster of France. With 37.2 million listeners in 2014, it is one of the most-listened-to international radio stations in the world, along with ...

contest, 1988

Albums

*''Le Chant de la Liberté'', 1990 *''Si'', 1994 via Déclic (ref. 840 373 2) *''Pa Prese'', 1996 (ref. 842 009 2) *''Planet La'', 1999 *''Ke'm Poze'', 2003

References

Living people 1964 births 21st-century Haitian male singers 20th-century Haitian male singers {{Haiti-musician-stub