La Bonne Rekolte (The Good Harvest) by J.B. Chery
Last week I really thought I’d be posting like gangbusters with new music and other lovely goodies I’ve been hoarding but as the saying goes: Life is what happens when you’re out making other plans.
On January 12th, one of the most devastating natural disasters happened to one of the most vulnerable nations on this planet. A nation I am proud to trace my roots to. Naturally, like many other immigrants and first generation Haitian-Americans, the past 2 weeks have been filled with sadness, helplessness, anxiety, motivation, and resolve to help our countrymen. I am extremely fortunate and blessed to not have had any close family members perish, which I attribute to them actually returning to Haiti from NY the day of the quake-it kept them outside of their homes. However, I cannot say the same for the countless friends and acquaintances of Haitian descent I have come to have in my life; almost all have been deeply impacted by a death of a close loved one. I extend my deepest condolences.
I have to say I am extremely grateful and surprised by the outpouring of sympathy and desire to assist Haiti though this time-from donation drives to people lending their talents and resources to raise money to the national telethon (!) that aired this past Friday. I continue to hope that this outpouring continues for years to come as it will be a very hard and long road to rebuild. I did some work on the Gulf Coast last year relating to Hurricane Katrina and the area was still very much on the road to recovery 3 years later-and we live in a country that has the infrastructure and programs to actually implement what is needed to rebuild! Haiti will need support and resources for many years to come.
I’m sure many of you didn’t know much about Haiti prior to this tragedy but our history cannot be denied. From fighting alongside Americans during the Revolutionary War to our contributions in art, music, science, and civil rights, we have shown again and again how significant we are in the history of the world.
Naturally, I can’t leave you without some music! Kompas is one of the more popular genres of music in Haiti and is pretty much the music of the nation. Zouk is also pretty popular but its origins are in other francophone West Indian countries. Racine is another popular kind that is a little more “raw” and has some Vodou traditions tied to it. For the record: Vodou is not evil. Not everyone in Haiti practices Vodou (the nation is largely Christian-mostly Catholic!), though it does have a signficant place in the cultural fabric of the nation. Please don’t spread ignorance about the religion or the people.
So here are songs that are sentimental to me from these genres. Please forgive the song title translations-they probably aren’t exact as my Kreyol isn’t perfect.
DOWNLOAD|Tabou Combo-Lucy
DOWNLOAD|Sweet Micky-Pa Manyen Femn Lan (Don’t Touch that Woman)
I can’t lie: I dislike new kompas. Its so synthesizer heavy! I can’t stand it! I love the horns of older kompas. Tabou Combo and Skah Shah are two of the older, greater kompas bands. My brother and I used to make fun of our parents by singing this song when they’d insult any hip hop we may happen to have been playing at the time due to the heavy hip hop influence on this song. The irony is today it is one of my favorite kompas songs. I’ve been itching to play this at a Haitian party but I don’t think this holds as much sentiment to younger folks like it does for me. The second song is more contemporary kompas but still a classic. Sweet Micky is straight up crazy and controversial and I love it! This isn’t my most favorite of his (“I Don’t Care” is) but this one is a popular one on the dance floor.
DOWNLOAD| Kassav-Zouk La Se Sel Medikaman (Zouk is the Only Medicine)
Kassav is actually from Martinique but this song is a classic in any francophone West Indian country. As soon as that first guitar chord drops, it is ON.
DOWNLOAD| Boukman Eksperyans-K’em Pa Sote (My Heart Will Not Leap)
This song premiered in carnival in Haiti in the early 1990s and took off. It quickly took on a political slant due to a lot of the turmoil the country at the time. Definitely rebel music. My fondest memory of this song is being at a wedding and seeing my grandmother drop it low when this song came on. It stirs the spirit.
Recent Comments