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| Wyclef Jean, Haitian Musician, Is Haiti’s Ambassador The name Wyclef is not new to us. We know that he is a Grammy Award Winner and has been a prominent musician for more than a decade that just recently performed in Miami Gardens, FL at the 3rd Annual Jazz in the Gardens Music Festival. He was a member of the now-defunct group Fugees, which rose to fame in the 1990s. What some of us might not know is that since January 2007, Wyclef Jean has been appointed Haiti's roving ambassador by the country's President, Rene Preval. His duties include promoting the country abroad to bring a positive light to the island nation. Nelus Wyclef Jean, named after the English Theologian John Wycliffe, was born in Croix-des-Bouquets, Haiti in October 17, 1972. He moved to the United States when he was nine years old. As a young preacher's son, Wyclef was very interested in music. He began playing the guitar in High School. Also while in high school, he met Lauryn Hill through his classmate and friend, Prakazrel Michel. The three of them formed the Tranzlator Crew later renamed the Fugees. In 1997, Wyclef went solo and introduced his first solo album; "The Carnival." He has been in the public eye ever since. Undoubtedly, Wyclef has always expressed his love and expressed his intentions to elevate his country. He created a not-for-profit organization called "Yele Haiti" to assist the nation's impoverished children. "Yele Haiti" was created in January 2005 to help bring hope to the eyes of the hopeless. The organization has provided jobs to many men and women. It has given out scholarships to many students and most importantly provided food to the country's poorest sections. Wyclef's organization is also involved in cleaning up the streets in Port-au-Prince. Its efforts have expanded to higher education, environmental awareness, sports, and HIV prevention. As the creator of the organization, Wyclef has not taken a back seat, oh no, he is constantly in Haiti promoting musical contests to try to give the youth another alternative to drug-dealing and gang-banging. The President of Haiti could not have chosen a better person for the job. Maybe it is in his genes to do the right thing since his father was a minister or Wyclef Jean is really a true believer of giving back. Instead of sitting back and criticizing the system, he is physically changing what he thinks should be changed. He is not professing his love for his country through empty words. He is doing it by making sure Haiti gets another chance at making it right. Who better to represent the country but him when he truly has the country's best interest at heart? Appointing Wyclef Jean as Haiti's Ambassador is a sign that the country is taking a step forward in the right direction. Vive Wyclef Jean! write your comments about the article :: © 2008 Jazz News :: home page |