Roro is not a money haunter, he had a vision and he believed that sports was the right way to break through the political, social and economic barriers of this corrupt society.
In Haiti, vocation does not carry much weight in the process of making decisions on education and training. The most considerable aspect is that one’s chosen career be appropriated to one’s social class and the myth of family legacy. Saving time and money may also be factors. This old prejudice prevails only when little or no thought is given to abilities and desires. Roro Nelson had the conviction that leaving the choice to chance generally proves unsatisfactory and leads to boredom with work and difficulty in performing the job well.
In 1979, Roro moved to Boston to join his loving mother, where he completed a military training. Then, inspired by his friend and mentor Nono Jean Baptiste, Roro Nelson stepped into sports broadcasting. Jean Baptist is a world famous soccer player who successfully led Haiti to the World Cup in 1974 and is presently coaching Haiti’s national soccer team.
Roro managed, through his local radio and television show, to educate and entertain his listeners while informing them of the latest developments in sports. Roro did not take long to build his own legacy, which overshadowed the endowment of his parents. No one can beat him when it comes to sports broadcasting. He has interviewed the most famous world soccer players including King Pele and Maradona of Brazil. The public loves him; he is the master of Massachusetts Haitian Creole broadcasting. Thousands of Haitians watch Tele Diaspora every Sunday morning on Channel 19, Somerville Community Access TV for other shows but look forward to Roro’s sports segment the most.
Roro has revitalized sports in the Haitian Community of New England as well as in Haiti. He has become a legend, a role model for our young children, but he still lives as an average citizen in his mother’s Dorchester home. He uses his celebrity status to raise money to fund youth projects and to develop soccer programs, as it is the most popular sport in Haiti.
Roro’s first appearance as a coach, as well as a player, in the Championat la Liberte (an annual summer Haitian soccer tournament) has captivated the attention of his fellow countrymen. Roro Nelson led the Colocolo soccer team to win the "Championat
La Liberte" two times, an annual Soccer Tournament organized on Almont Park in Mattapan Massachusetts. He created his own soccer team, the ASC, (Association Sportive Club Des Cites) which won this soccer tournament another three consecutive times.
In addition to his personal success, Roro had made an enormous contribution to sports in general. He helped build a stadium in his hometown which he named after former Haitian soccer celebrity Arsene August commonly called "Pelar". In 1991, he played a key role in the formation of COSCOB, a Boston- based Haitian non-profit organization dedicated to raise funds to sponsor sporting events in Haiti. This organization has raised thousands of dollars on behalf of the Haitian national soccer team. Later, with the aid of his posse Patrick St Germain, Dukela Cola and Beethoven Camille, Roro created CODACENA. This organization sponsored a soccer tournament in Somerville, MA in which for the first time, Haiti’s national soccer team played in Massachusetts. This initiative allowed the soccer lovers to watch a live professional soccer game while contributing to the development of sports in their home country. This tournament brought revenue estimated at $25,000. And this money was donated to cover training expenses for the Haitian national team. Last spring Roro coordinated a Celebrity Soccer Game to raise funds on behalf of the national soccer team; the players were all TV and Radio personalities and artists. This game gathered over 25,000 soccer fans in Sylvio Cator Stadium in Port-au-Prince. Haitians everywhere applauded Roro’s inspiring and generous initiative.
He received several awards and certificates of recognition in Massachusetts, Canada, Florida as well as in Haiti, for his contribution to the promotion of sports. More recently, Roro Nelson was honored in Florida by the Dade County Mayor.
Roro’s best friend, Michel Markely, known as Sweet Micky is perceived as a prospective candidate for public office. Micky has never made any formal statement to deny or confirm the rumors of his possible candidacy for the 2001 Haiti’s presidential election. As Roro Nelson is considered as Micky’s shadow, everyone is left with the impression that Roro Nelson may be forced to engage himself in politics, should Micky decide to run for public office. Roro Nelson has not confirmed whether or not that his pal will run for president but he said: "Micky has the characteristics of a great leader but I would never advise him to move into politics." Roro Nelson describes Sweet Micky as generous, kind, honest, a great patriot and second best loved Haitian celebrity after former president Aristide. Obviously, Roro is not politically astute; however, Micky and Roro would not be the first celebrities to have political ambitions.
Roro avoided discussing Haitian politics, he is not a member of any political party, and tiptoe’s when making any public statement that may be interpreted as partisanship. "I don’t want politics to interfere with my sportive activities," said Roro. Nevertheless, like most Haitians, he is an admirer of former priest president Jean Bertrand Aristide. He openly expressed his hope to see the popular Haitian singer and performer Sweet Micky joining forces with the very popular former president Jean Bertrand Aristide to achieve the best for the future of their most impoverished island of Haiti.
Roro Nelson is best known among Haitians as a bright man, a genius entertainer, a prominent sports broadcaster and the most distinguished Haitian eligible bachelor. According to his friends Roro is going through a very stressful situation that has caused him to lose more than 30lb, since his alleged love affair with his former private council seems to have stalled in a gridlock. There are rumors that his former girlfriend, a well known attorney who has a practice in Codman Square, is currently dating a former NBC cameraman who is now working as a health educator for the Haitian American Public Health Initiative, in Mattapan, MA. Roro Nelson denied his affair with the attorney and refused to make any comment about the allegation. ¨
