Who wrote the lyrics of Haiti’s national anthem, “La Dessalinienne”?

Justin Lhérisson wrote the lyrics of Haiti’s national anthem, “La Dessalinienne.”

Lhérisson was a Haitian writer and journalist whose work helped shape Haitian literary culture. He supplied the words for the anthem, while Nicolas Geffrard composed its music. The song was adopted in 1904, one hundred years after Haiti declared independence from France.

The anthem’s subject is national unity and the memory of the Haitian Revolution. Its title refers to Jean-Jacques Dessalines, a revolutionary leader who proclaimed Haiti’s independence in 1804. The words therefore connect civic identity with the country’s successful anti-colonial struggle.

The anthem is associated with both French and Haitian Creole usage, since those are Haiti’s official languages. That bilingual context can lead readers to encounter differing translated or adapted versions of its text. Lhérisson’s authorship, however, is distinct from the music credit: Geffrard wrote the melody. It is also unrelated to France’s “La Marseillaise,” despite the similar revolutionary setting and French-language title.