The
Haitian
Hour
Radio
Project
Formely known as “Echoes in Exile”
Project Description
The Haitian Hour Radio Project is an archival initiative that preserves, documents, and catalogs the history of the first New York Haitian radio broadcast, “The Haitian Hour.”
The goal of the project is to educate the public about radio’s role in fermenting political discussions and societal change in Haiti and its diasporic communities.
Founder
Ayanna Legros is the metadata specialist, archivist, and preservationist of the Haitian Creole radio program, “The Haitian Hour.” This broadcast ran on WKCR 89.9FM from 1969 to 2002.
Since 2016, she has worked with researchers, audio-engineers, archivists, librarians, and radio station managers to develop preservation strategies for this important broadcast. Her written work explores archival theory, Haitian migration, histories of exile , health, gender, blackness, diaspora studies, politics, and family history.
Currently Legros serves on the board of the Library of Congress Radio Preservation Task Force. Previously, she served on boards of the Latin American Studies Association, Haitian Studies Association, and Hurston-James Society. She is an alumna of Northwestern University, New York University, and Duke University.
Radio’s Significance in Haiti
& the Diaspora
Radios carry deep meanings for Haitians culturally, politically, and socially. It maintains African oral traditions. Yet, its ability to travel through the air and its unique technological capacities distinguishes it from oral histories. Radios defy national borders.
The “Haitian Hour” shared political news during declared President-for-Life, François Duvalier. It played folkloric music for nostalgic Haitians waiting to return to Haiti after the fall of Jean-Claude Duvalier. Callers debated ideas about democracy, the boat refugee crisis, and U.S. foreign policy with the hopes of building a better nation for all.
Conservation Timeline
2002 - Program ends on WKCR 89.9FM. Cassettes are stored in a tool shed. (*2000 - year of decline*)
2012 - Hurricane Sandy hits tool shed.
2016 - First set of oral history interviews begin with Lionel Legros & Daniel Huttinot.
2017 - Cassette location is identified, pulled out of tool shed, and shipped to North Carolina.
2018 - 2019 - Independent digitization work begins.
2019 - 2020 - “Radyo Ayiti Nan Nouyòk” (Radio Haiti in New York) collaborative archival project begins with Radio Haïti archivist, Laura Wagner, and Ayanna Legros. About thirty tapes are digitized and added to Duke’s Radio Haïti’s online repository.
2021 - 2022 - Collection’s ephemera is retrieved from New York City.
2023 - 2024 - American Archive of Public Broadcasting, Library of Congress, and WGBH solicits all cassettes for preservation and digitization. Ayanna Legros creates an inventory of the entire collection.
2024 - Ephemera inventory is completed.
A Brief History of the Program
Following the 1968 Student Takeover at Columbia University, WKCR 89.9FM station sought new voices on and off campus. A group of young friends and students decided to create a program called Haïti Cette Meconnue (Haiti, Not Well Known). This show was a “musical postcard” to teach listeners about Haitian culture and folkloric music. The first preserved recording is from November 1969 with exiled artist Raoul Guillaume.
In 1970 the show’s name changed to L’Heure Haïtienne (The Haitian Hour). When it became clear that François Duvalier was rumored to be sick and planned on transferring power to his son, these broadcasters became concerned about the future of the nation and made it more into a political show.
The show changed its name again; it became Lè Ayisyen (The Haitian Hour). This change reflected the growing acceptance of Krèyol Ayisyen (Haitian Creole) as the language of the Haitian people. The show had a wide audience of loyal listeners, maintained popularity, and was championed until the program’s end.
Collection Includes
Photographs, Newspaper Clippings, Cassette Tapes and Cassette Tape Descriptions, Liner Notes, Broadcast Preparation Notes, Tanbou Libète LP Covers, Atis Indepandan Reels, Music lyrics, L’Heure Haïtienne Reels, Clandestine Correspondence, Letters to the station, Protest pins, and Oral histories.
Institutional Partnerships
American Archive of Public Broadcasting
Library of Congress
WBGH Foundation
Duke University Digital Repositories
Smithsonian Folkways
Presentations
Beyond Boat People: New Directions in Haitian Diaspora History. Panelists: Carl Lindskoog, Llana Barber, Monika Gosin, Jeffrey Kahn, Ayanna Legros. Photograph by Mark Steiner
Library of Congress
Association of Sound Recorded Collections
Organization of American Historians
Haitian Studies Association
Society for the History of Technology
Consultation Services
I offer clients support with writing family histories, a field that is still deemed “too emotional” or “non-objective” for scholars or public facing writers.
I provide a safe space for burgeoning writers to develop ideas, select research methods, create writing deadlines, conduct interviews, explore genealogy, and find strategies to produce research that is ethical, exciting, respectful, and rigorous.
Submit Materials
If you find materials related to this radio show, are searching for more historical information, or want to share a testimony, email lheurehaitienne@gmail.com
Contact the Legros Family
To interview Lionel Legros, Jessie Cadet-Legros, or other people who were involved in the creation of the radio broadcast, email lheurehaitienne@gmail.com to schedule an appointment.