ABSTRACT
One of the most important characteristics of French opera of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries was the emphasis placed on the construction of a dramatically sound libretto. In order to fully comprehend the significance of opera productions in French Caribbean colonies, one must have some grasp of the high esteem in which the French regarded their musical theater. The musical theater was a thriving enterprise in the colonies by the mid-eighteenth century and became one of the prime vehicles through which colonialism was not only tolerated but promoted and glorified. Since most African music was strictly prohibited, the enslaved and free gens de couleur were immersed in French music on a daily basis—not only in the theater but also in the parishes, in the homes of colonists, on the docks, and in other places of business. Blinded by their greed and their need to maintain control, colonizers disregarded, ignored, and attempted to erase the rich cultural heritage of imported Africans.
