Vincent Ozier Lafontaine, 90, died on Friday evening, June 23, 2023, at the Pierre Zobda Quitman Hospital in Fort-de-France. He left “after more than a week of suffering,” his family said.

Daniel Betis • Published June 24, 2023 at 12:33 PM, updated June 24, 2023 at 12:39 PM.

Originally from the Trénelle district of Fort-de-France, Vincent Ozier-Lafontaine is one of the great composers who brought West Indian music to its heyday. This iconic figure later grew up in Châteaubœuf, another popular neighborhood in the city of Foyalaise.

An example of courage, ambition and success

The multi-professional artist began his active life at a very young age. Not wanting to remain idle, he started out as a cabin boy, then worked as a salesman, delivery boy and gas station attendant before becoming emeritus managing director.

Guy Méthalie and Vincent Ozier-Lafontaine, an unshakable friendship for old rivals of Creole song. • ©DB

Back then, producers Debs and Célinini from Guadeloupe landed with their equipment to record artists from our region. Vincent decided that artists should be autonomous,

It is addressed to Mr. Balthazar and forms the basis of the first recording of a 45 rpm record. He composes and interprets his titles like “Loto ka kôné”. Success is immediate!

In 1962 he surprised the organizers of the Creole Song Contest with the quality of his popular compositions. Vincent Ozier Lafontane could have won the biguine, waltz, vidé and mazurka prizes.

In order not to alienate the other Kaziken composers, the jury “arranges” and awards him two first prizes and two second prizes.

He has created more than a hundred works

Who hasn’t hummed “Homage to my mother”, “The fate of Gisèle” or “Saint Chabin”, but Vincent Ozier-Lafontaine is: “Homage to my father”, “Homage to the 3rd age”, “charged”, all emotional music.

Produced by José Versol, it also included songs of praise

The reactions

Bernard Bolosier in 2018 had put him in the spotlight. Several speakers followed one another to testify, including Guy Méthalie, José Versol, Marie-Ange Ravin, Michel Beroard, Jean-Luc Danglades and Gabrielle Talbot. They highlighted the talent of the author, the poetry expressed in his texts, the generosity of the man and that humility that remains the prerogative of the great.

A hard worker, a builder of our Martin society. He was decisive in his decisions and actions. He was also a great nature lover. In his spare time he is a trumpeter, singer and comedian. We especially remember this timeless song “Tribute to my mother” from him. A passionate defender of our musical heritage, his compositions were often charged with emotion. I still remember the warm welcome he gave Daniel Bétis and I when we met at his home, and he did not hesitate to offer advice based on his experience. Farewell, Vincent.

Bernard Bolosier – President of Carrefour Barel Coppet

He is a role model for the younger generation when it comes to success. Starting from scratch and getting to the top. He was a talented composer who created beautiful works. He was able to convey values ​​and music to his children. That’s a great man.

Guy Méthalie – Singer-songwriter

Vincent Ozier Lafontaine’s Recent Recordings • ©Vincent Ozier Lafontaine Productions José Versol

Cuba, a country living under an escalation of oppression and torture

The NGO Prisoners Defenders (PD) has counted 17 new political prisoners in Cuba, for a total of 1,037. The bulk of the list corresponds to people convicted for taking part in the July 11, 2021 anti-government protests. Among them are 35 minors, 18 of whom are being prosecuted or have already been convicted of “incitement to hatred”. The average sentence for these minors is five years, “a sentence that is on average higher than that suffered by adults in political prisons prior to July 11.” “In the last 12 months alone, we have confirmed and added 246 new political prisoners in Cuba to our list.” The Madrid-based organization also asserts that the prisoners of conscience “have suffered judicial sentences without any judicial supervision or legal defense, which is a blatant violates international law which protects due process”.

Prisoners Defenders has also published the first comprehensive study on the subject torture in Cuba Monitoring of 181 cases showed that “all prisoners of conscience and/or politicians are mercilessly tortured every day.” Forced labour, solitary confinement as a form of punishment, physical assaults, willful disorientation; threats to the integrity and safety of both prisoners and their families; Humiliation, degradation and verbal abuse”.

Brazil is on the verge of barring Bolsonaro from political activity until the 2034 presidential election

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro Since yesterday he has been on trial before the electoral tribunal for spreading false information about the reliability of the electoral system in light of last year’s presidential elections. If convicted by a seven-judge jury, Bolsonaro will be barred from running for political office until 2030. The first presidential elections in which he can participate are therefore those of 2034, when he will be almost 80 years old.

Paolo Manzo, June 24, 2023

All about Latin America and its impact on the economy and politics of the old continent. Subscribe to Paolo Manzo’s newsletter for free http://paolomanzo.substack.com. After one week, you are entitled to exclusive webinars and investigation dossiers as well as the newsletter with a subscription of 30 euros per year.

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“This measure is completely illegal and seriously violates the fundamental rights of Chinese citizens and businesses. China condemns them in the strongest terms,” ​​the Chinese Foreign Ministry said.

Beijing this Saturday “vehemently” condemned the US authorities’ “illegal” decision to accuse four Chinese companies and eight of their employees of bringing to the United States the components needed to manufacture fentanyl, a highly addictive drug.

Two of the eight employees were arrested in an unprecedented punitive action in Hawaii and taken into custody, the US Department of Justice (DoJ) announced on Friday.

“This is a typical example of arbitrary detention and unilateral sanctions,” China’s foreign ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

“This measure is completely illegal and seriously violates the fundamental rights of Chinese citizens and businesses. China condemned them in the strongest possible terms,” the ministry continued.

According to the Justice Department, Amarvel Biotech, one of the Chinese companies targeted, is accused of importing more than 200 kilograms of chemical precursors into the United States alone, “with the goal of producing more than 50 kilograms of fentanyl, enough to… Kill 25 million Americans.

The three other companies targeted by US authorities are Anhui Recheng Technology, Anhui Moker New Material Technology and Hefei GSK Trade.

These allegations “deeply jeopardize the establishment of antidrug cooperation between China and the United States,” the Chinese ministry said.

The United States has recently stepped up efforts to stem the spread of synthetic drugs, which have been responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths on its territory over the past decade.

Washington is specifically targeting Chinabased companies suspected of supplying fentanyl components to Mexico, the main supplier for synthetic drug sales in the United States.

During a visit to Beijing this week, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken discussed the issue with Chinese leaders.

Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is 50 times more potent than heroin, is currently the leading cause of death among US citizens aged 18 to 49.

China banned the export of fentanyl to the United States in 2019, a decision welcomed by thenUS President Donald Trump’s administration.

However, according to experts, the country continued to supply chemical precursors to fentanyl, mainly to Mexico and Central America, where cartels manufacture the drug before exporting it to the United States.

Beijing has in the past denied any responsibility for the fentanyl overdose crisis, blaming it on American society and its drug companies.

In the United States, opioid overdoserelated deaths have increased in recent years, from 69,000 in 2020 to 81,000 in 2021 and 110,000 in 2022.

Washington recently imposed sanctions on several Chinese companies accused of involvement in the drug trade.

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador also denied his country had a problem with fentanyl and accused the US of not doing enough to prevent its use on its own territory.