In a contemporary opera, Cincinnati-born Napoleon Maddox and French musician Sorg, Jowee Omicil and Carl Henri Morrisset, both Haitian, transpose the story of Toussaint Louverture, the Haitian legend of the struggle for civil rights and the abolition of slavery.

Based in Besançon, France, Maddox discovers the Château de Mijoux where Louverture was imprisoned and died. How could a nation, the cradle of human rights, imprison a man fighting for liberty, equality and fraternity? Music is the link between past and present.

From the recesses of the gaol comes this show, redolent with blues, jazz, hip-hop and electro beats. They revive the struggles of Toussaint through dark songs, evoking gospel songs and the fervor of struggle, death and combat, in a jubilant poetic flow.

A show that grabs you by the gut and makes you want to fight for freedom and equality.