Tonton Bicha
Daniel Fils Aimé (born July 7, 1973) (“Tonton Bicha”) is a Haitian comedian, spokesperson, musician, actor, writer, author, radio host and producer. He is Haiti’s best-known comedian and most recognizable spokesperson. He is primarily known and recognized for his on-screen and stage character named “Tonton Bicha”, a humble elderly bearded man with a distinctive drawl, whose speeches are usually delivered in a quick dialogue with Haitian idioms and wit.
The New York Times, one of the United States’ most venerable daily newspapers, called Daniel Fils Aimé’s “Tonton Bicha” “Haiti’s most popular TV character” and Fils Aimé himself as “the best-known Haitian comedian” today. The New York Times also highlighted Mr. Fils Aimé’s accomplishments as Haiti’s number one spokesperson stating “Mr. Fils Aimé has become rich and famous as a pitchman… has lucrative contracts to star in ads for almost 20 products… Bicha is also a paid communications adviser to President Michel Martelly.”
The name “Tonton Bicha” has been trademarked and copyrighted in the Republic of Haiti. Mr. Fils Aimé has become Haiti’s number one spokesperson by using the character of “Tonton Bicha” to represent Haitian companies, international companies, and for government agencies targeting Haitians in Haiti and those living abroad. He prefers to be referred to by the name “Bicha.” The character of “Tonton Bicha” is such an icon in today’s Haitian society that he has been painted on several Tap Tap buses (Haiti’s famous brightly painted commercial buses usually decorated with religious figures and sayings, as well as, famous people images). He also appears in works of fiction such as the book titled “Hold Tight, Don’t Let Go” by Laura Rose Wagner. As well as, the non-fiction book by Rebecca Dirksen “After the Dance, the Drums are Heavy: Carnival, Politics and Musical engagement in Haitian (Currents in Latin American and Iberian Music)”
He is a successful author with a top selling book in Haiti called “Tonton Bicha”. In which, he describes his career path as an artist and a brand ambassador, the successes, failures, and the risks involved as a spokesperson. This book is currently used as a textbook for marketing/sales majors at the elite Quisqueya University of Haiti, as well as other professional schools and education institutes in Haiti. Bicha often speaks as a guest lecturer at the University and has led several seminars on marketing. He is also called upon to give motivational speeches at conferences, such as in the TechCarribbean. Fils-Aimé’s work as a spokesperson is not limited to working with the private sector. He was a paid communications adviser to the former president of Haiti, Michel Martelly and continues to serve under this role with the current president of Haiti, Jovenel Moise’s administration. Fils-Aimée runs a successful charitable foundation named “Fondation Bicha” which distributes school supplies at the beginning of the school year and shoes throughout the year to underserved children in Haiti. The foundation also holds toy drives for distribution during the holidays.
Personal
Daniel Fils-Aimé is married to Virginia Domercant, a physician, and has four children.
Early Life and Education
Daniel Fils-Aimé was born July 7, 1973 in Cap-Haitien, Haiti to Deaista Bélizaire and Alcinor Fils-Aimé, merchants/wholesalers and theatre actors. He is the youngest of two siblings. Fils-Aimé joined his family’s theatre group called Troupe des Jeunes Patriotes Capois (“Young Capois Patriots”) at the age of 6 years old. When he was 15 years old, he adopted the stage name “Bicha”. He came up with this name after a conversation with his mother. Fils-Aimé and his mother would frequently go to the movies together and discuss the movie’s plot at length. On one occasion, she was unable to accompany him. When recounting the kung fu movie’s plot to her when he returned home, he described the movie’s sound effect used whenever a martial arts move was performed by the actors as sounding like “bicha”, “bicha this and “bicha that”. His mom would eventually remember the conversation and started calling him by the nickname “Bicha” and this name eventually stuck. Fils-Aimé attended the Frères de l’Instruction Chrétienne for elementary school and Collège Christ-Roi for middle school, both were located in Cap Haitien. He went to high school at Lycée National de Pétionville in Pétionville, Haiti. He took college classes in computer sciences, accounting, international advocacy, and filmmaking.
Career
Comedian and Actor
Fils-Aimé started his career as a comedian, at the age of 6 years old, when he joined his family’s theatre group called Troupe des Jeunes Patriotes Capois (“Young Capois Patriots”). Although Fils-Aimé continued to act in various shows with his parents’ theater troupe, he developed his own style with the character of Tonton Bicha. By age of sixteen, Fils-Aimé had his own following in Cap Haitien and became quite sought-after by Cap Haitien’s local radio stations as an announcer for radio ads and general announcements. During this period, he entered and won second place as a performer in the musical comedy category in a “Say No to Drugs” campaign competition organized by the Haitian government’s Center for Information and Cooperation, a public department geared towards public health. His big career break came in 1992, when one of the highly popular of reggae/roots Haitian musical band of the times called Brother’s Posse asked him to appear as the character “Tonton Bicha” on their popular song “Anne”. Fils-Aimé performed a comedic skit on the record and the music video. In addition to Brother’s Posse, he has gone on to appear in several music videos of the international renowned Haitian roots band Boukman Eksperyans, and appeared on the albums of the Orchestrates of Tropicana and Orchestrates of Septentrional, both bands are considered Haitian’s icons nationally and internationally, as well as, other well-known Haiti bands, such as Djakout Mizik, and Haiti Twoubadou (a collaboration band of several well-known musicians).
In 2003, Fils Aimé appeared as “Tonton Bicha” in a film based on the King Posse song “Anne” titled “I love You, Anne” and he reprised the role in its 2012 sequel “We Love You Anne”. This movie syndicate are to date the most popular and the highest-grossing Haitian films ever made. It introduced Fils Aimé and the character Tonton Bicha to international audiences. Fils Aimé has since gone on to perform in over 150 films, television, music videos, musical collaborations with several Haitian bands, concerts, stage and radio productions in Haiti and abroad, including the U.S., Europe, and Canada. The Miami Herald has called him “one of the country’s (Haiti) best-known comedians”
Bicha has been awarded numerous nominations and awards for his contributions to the arts, social and his philanthropic endeavors. He received the following awards and nominations:
Radio and Television
From 1996 to 1999, Fils Aime hosted a popular radio program called “Show du Samedi” (the Saturday Night Show) on the radio station in Haiti called Maximum Power and later on Radio Megastar. The show ran from 10:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. every Saturday. Its style was based like an old-fashioned radio serial in which a group of actors would perform about a current issue and the audience would call in to discuss or comment on the show’s presentation. This radio program was called both innovative and groundbreaking at the time.
Fils-Aimé has also appeared on television. His character “Tonton Bicha” was a judge on Digicel Haiti Stars, Haiti’s most popular music talent competition show, based on the same premise as the U.S.’s show “American Idol”. Fils-Aimé also had his own television show called the “Bicha Show”, which was formatted like a Jerry Springer type television program on the Storm TV channel which ran from 2015 to 2017 on StormTV Haiti. Brands Ambassador and Spokesperson
The character of Tonton Bicha has become a household name in Haiti and throughout the Haitian Diaspora. Daniel Fils Aimé is currently the most sought-after product pitchman/brand ambassador in Haiti and within the Haitian diaspora. The character of Tonton Bicha has become a Haitian culture icon, someone that Haitians can easily recognize, relate to, love and adore. Due to the character’s huge following and instant brand recognition, companies seek him to promote their products or brands to the Haitian community.
Fils-Aimé started his career as a spokesperson in 1990 when he was asked to pitch the soda “Solo Mio” produced by the Beckman Company located in Haiti. He has since pitched products made by local, national and international companies and corporations seeking to sale in Haiti and to the Haitian diaspora worldwide. Such as the most viewed and liked commercial for Protecta Insurance Company. In 2014, he was given the very competitive and lucrative spokesperson contract for Natcom, one of the two leading mobile network/internet companies in Haiti with over 2 million subscribers. He is the face of Rhum Bakara and continues to be well sought after by various privately owned Haitian and non-Haitian companies. Fils-Aimé has contributed significantly to the public sector as a spokesperson as well. His character “Tonton Bicha” is so influential that when the U.S. Embassy and the Haiti Government wanted to combat the spread of a deadly Cholera outbreak, shortly after the 2010 Earthquake, they turned to Tonton Bicha to advise and teach the Haitian population of the preventive steps to combat this disease. During the Coronavirus pandemic, the Haitian government once again turned to TonTon Bicha to educate the Haitian public of the dangers of this virus and the safety measures needed to take to prevent the exposure and the spread of virus.
Filmography
La Peur D’Aimer (2000); Millionnaire Par Erreur (2003); I love you Anne (2003); We love you Anne, II (2012)
Stand Up Comedy
Tonton Bicha Live at Montreal (2005)
| Title of Award | Year | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Organisation Enfants du monde Droits de l'Homme | 1994 | Honor |
| Ticket Magazine “Best Haitian Actor” Award | 2004 | Award |
| Haitian Entertainment Awards “Best Haitian Comedian” | 2003 | Award |
| Ministry of National Education and Reading Award for Contribution to the National Campaign for Reading | 2007-2011 | Award for the National |
| Le Nouvelliste Newspaper Top 12 Persons of the Year | 2011 | Award |
| Association En Route of Technology (ETCH) Honored for his talent dynamism and creativity in Haitian Society | 2011 | Honor |
| Ralph Creation – Contribution to the Advanced Progress and Growth of the Haitian Culture and Education | 2014 | Award |
| 4th Annual MPAH Haiti Movie Award | 2014 | Honoree |
| Creole Magazine 2015 Publicist Award | 2015 | Honor |
| Haitian Music Awards Top Comedian | 2016-2017 | Award |
| U.S. Embassy Port-au-Prince | 2016 | Certificate of Appreciation |
| First Class Production | 2019 | Honor Tribute |
| 4th Annual Haiti Tech Summit 2020 | 2020 | Nominee for Haiti’s Top Influencers of Industry Culture (May 2019) |
References
Alessandra Stanley, “Where Cholera and the Good Life Rub Shoulders,” New York Times, July 11, 2012
http://www.haitianinternet.com/photos/photo-haiti-transport-bus-with-tonton-bicha-portrait-on-the.html and https://www.instagram.com/p/CJHAWFOlAJg/
Wagner, Laura Rose, Hold Tight, Don't Let Go: A Novel of Haiti. Amulet Books, 2015
Dirksen, Rebecca er the Dance, the Drums Are Heavy: Carnival, Politics, and Musical Engagement in Haiti. New York: Oxford University Press, 2020
“Haitians living abroad outraged over new tax” by Jacqueline Charles, Sept. 17, 2017, Miami Herald https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nationworld/world/americas/haiti/article170730377.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZ64RGFQxbU
“Haitian Health Officials Launch Massive Cholera Education Campaign” The Haitian Times, May 5, 2012 https://haitiantimes.com/2012/05/05/haitian-health-officials-launch-massive-cholera-education-campaign/
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