Sophia Martelly
Haitian politician From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sophia Saint-Rémy Martelly (born October 9, 1965) is a Haitian health activist, politician, and former first lady of Haiti from May 14, 2011, until February 7, 2016. She is the wife of the former president of Haiti, Michel Martelly.[1] She focused on issues related to public health, healthcare and alleviating malnutrition during her tenure as first lady.[2]
Sophia Martelly | |
|---|---|
Martelly in 2014 | |
| First Lady of Haiti | |
| In role May 14, 2011 – February 7, 2016 | |
| President | Michel Martelly |
| Preceded by | Elisabeth Delatour Préval |
| Succeeded by | Ginette Michaud Privert |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Sophia Saint-Rémy October 9, 1965 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Spouse | |
| Children | Olivier Sandro Yani Malaika |
Biography
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Perspective
Early life and marriage
Martelly was born by Sophia Saint-Rémy on October 9, 1965, in New York City in the United States.[1][3] Her father, Charles Edouard Saint-Rémy, was from Gonaïves, and her mother, Mona Lisa Florez, is from Port-au-Prince. The Saint-Rémy family is originally from Gonaïves, where Sophia Saint Rémy was raised.[4][5] The Saint-Remys suffered under the dictatorship of François "Papa Doc" Duvalier; her grandmother was arrested and detained by Duvalier and two of her paternal relatives were executed during his dictatorship.[5]
Saint-Rémy and her future husband, the singer and politician Michel Martelly, had been friends when they were children, but had lived separate lives as young adults.[4] He migrated to the United States with his American first wife during the 1980s.[6]
In 1986, Martelly divorced his first wife and returned to Haiti.[6] Saint-Rémy and Martelly, who were childhood friends, reunited in 1987, shortly after he moved back to the country.[4] When they tried to marry, both of their mothers objected based on their skin color: she has lighter skin, while he has a darker complexion.[5] They ignored their parents' protests and, instead, moved together to Miami, Florida, later in 1987. where they married in a small 1987 wedding ceremony. He worked in construction, while she worked as a word processor. They returned to Haiti in 1988[5] and had four children, Olivier, Alexandre, Yani and Michel.[4]
Their early marriage was different from Martelly's onstage "Sweet Mickey" persona. He imposed a curfew on her and forbade her to chew gum as recently as the late-1990s. She is four years younger than her husband.[5]
The couple lived in a condominium in Miami Beach, Florida, during the mid-1990s.[5]
References
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