Morse - Haiti Observer Blog

Richard Auguste Morse (birthdate 1957) is of Puerto Rican and American parentage, his father an academic and mother a noted Haitian music artist. He attended Princeton University, where he became a musician, singing music popular during the 80s. By 1985, conflicts in his personal and professional lives led him to re-settle in Port-au-Prince. He managed a decrepit hotel there, where he eventually formed RAM, a mizik rasin group. He also met his future wife, Lunise, who became a member of RAM.

Morse's political views are subject to un-predictable shifts in his allegiances to political parties and movements. Initially, he supported Jean-Bertrand Aristide, a pro-democracy politician. One of Morse's songs, "Fèy", became an underground expression of support for Aristide's Lavalas political party. But by the mid-90s, Morse, disappointed in Aristide's effectiveness as a leader, switched allegiances and became a vocal supporter of his cousin, Michel Martelly, who appointed him as his special advisor when Martelly came to power in 2011.

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