ASSOCIATION LASOTÈ

Created in 2008, the goal of the Lasotè association is to transmit and safeguard the cultural and cultivation methods of the North Caribbean Mornes. Among the peasants of the North Caribbean, solidarity was the key word for their survival and that of their families. After the abolition of slavery in 1848, the peasants of the North Caribbean found themselves free but with very little financial means. It was impossible to use plows to plow their farms located in sloping areas with little access. To be able to work their fields, they grouped together in companies, with the aim of helping each other and giving each other a hand in solidarity, so that everyone could see their land plowed. This is how the lasotè was born, the name given to the plowing work punctuated by the sound of drums.

All this was done to the sound of precise rhythms that indicated the type of work: the “Gran son”: used to break and degrade the earth; the “Mazon”: a rhythm that allows the earth to be furrowed before starting to plant; the “Riviè léza”: to relax the men after their hard work or to do other menial tasks.

Each type of mutual aid has a different name depending on the work to be done. The main types of help are: “lasotè”, “terrage kaï”, “gragé manioc”, “sciieur de long”, “dansé kako'”.

Beyond the rhythm, lasotè is above all a lesson on mutual aid and solidarity.

The association organizes transmission workshops and visits around this ancient culture.