From his musical debut between 1955 and 1959, Harry Belafonte's producer was Haitian guitarist and composer Frantz Casséus, who was the origin of several well-known titles from that time. A mentor and companion for the artist, Casséus invited Belafonte to his home country to better understand the musical culture of the Republic of Haiti. "Belafonte was as much an artist as he was a civil rights activist, sharing any cause that defended the rights of any individual who could be a victim of racism or social controversies alongside Pastor Martin Luther King Jr. Harry Belafonte, therefore, seized this opportunity to form his own ideas by exploring one of the world's first black republics," says musician Jean Jean-Pierre, former drummer of the Bossa Combo group and a connoisseur of Haitian music history.

Attracted by various well-known Haitian songs of the time, the singer of Jamaican descent produced diverse interpretations of these pieces, taking some artistic liberties, translating Creole texts into English, but also relating them to the genre of calypso, a musical style originating from the Caribbean, showing affinities with Brazilian baïon.