Haiti is a country in the Caribbean, apart of the Greater Antilles. It shares a land mass ( the left side when looking at a map) with the Dominican Republic (The land mass is known as Hispaniola). Haiti possesses a rich culture, a strong and proud people and also a series of unfortunate events.
https://haiti.fandom.com/wiki/Haiti
When mentioning Haiti, there is a negative connotation, a lot of which I believe to be media influence and miseducation. Haiti, once the jewel of the West Indies, was one of the most prosperous countries this side of the globe known then as Saint Domingue, a French colony. Rich with history and culture, the story of Haiti has been misguided and deserves to be shared appropriately. Haiti was the first black republic of the New World, following the Haitian revolution lead by a Haitian general who fought for the emancipation of Haiti from the perilous grip of France (Kedon Willis,2022). The Haitian Revolution is the only successful slave revolt in history, and resulted in the establishment of Haiti, the first independent black state in the New World in 1804.
Creolization in Music
Kompa
Kompa is a popular form of jazz-based dance music that originated in Haiti during the mid-twentieth century. Kompa is derived from méringue de salon, a string-based style of Haitian dance music inspired by contra dance, a dance style from Europe (Gangelhoff & LeGrande). The dance and the music smoothly marries each other in an intimate graceful way that, when watching and listening, one becomes enamored. The rhythmic sway of the waistline, the way the two bodies melt in to one is a bit hypnotizing.
The music video I chose below is from Nu-Look, a popular Kompa band. I first saw the lead singer perform at a venue in Miami Gardens during Haitian Independence a few years back and I fell in love with Kompa.
FUN FACT
Did you know that one of Haiti's former presidents was a musical entertainer👀👀?.... And no we're not talking about Wyclef.
Food in Haiti, just like music, is reminiscent of European influence. Take for example the Soup Joumou. Haitian people recall stories from that time, of a pumpkin soup that the French colonizers loved to eat and it was forbidden for slaves to eat (Carlos Olgachea, 2016). Now every New Year's day, Haitian partake in the soup joumou as a celebration of emancipation.
In your face colonizers!!!😁
This video explains the simply, the history of Haiti, its independence and the meaning of the soup. The passion in the narrators voice shows the strength, passion and power of the Haitian people.
La'Union fait la force: Union makes strength.
Refernces
Gangelhoff, N. & LeGrand, C. (2020). Tour de Force: A Musical Journey of the Caribbean
Olgachea, C. (2016, August 17). Six Haitian Staples and Specialities to Try | MOFAD City. Eater.Com. Retrieved May 30, 2022, from https://www.eater.com/a/mofad-city-guides/miami-haitian-food
Willis, K. (2022, April 26). How Toussaint L’ouverture Rose from Slavery to Lead the Haitian Revolution. HISTORY. Retrieved May 28, 2022, from https://www.history.com/news/toussaint-louverture-haiti-revolution
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