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29559: Hermantin(News)For Haitians, speaking out is a rasin-d'etre (fwd)
From: leonie hermantin <lhermantin@hotmail.com>
For Haitians, speaking out is a rasin-d'etre
by David Cazares
November 17, 2006
Some of Haiti's most celebrated bands will be in South Florida on Nov. 25 for
Rasin Fest, the annual Haitian roots music festival at Miami's Bayfront Park,
301 Biscayne Blvd.
The annual festival celebrates the Haitian musical style rasin, a sound that
emerged from the fusion of African religious practices with Christianity. The
genre, also an outlet for the political frustrations and hopes of many
Haitians, has gained worldwide popularity in the last few decades. In large
part this is because of the success of Boukman Eksperyans, which headlines the
festival.
Boukman Eksperyans was founded by band leader Theodore "Lolo" Beaubrun Jr. and
family members. They wanted to revive the music that had fallen out of favor
during the regime of the Duvalier family. Roots music, long rejected by the
middle class, was almost abandoned with the emergence in the 1950s of kompas as
the music of choice.
The award-winning group, named for the leader of a slave uprising, mixes
Caribbean and African rhythms with songs sung in Creole. Its members weave
traditional Haitian drumming and melodies with modern instruments. They sing of
peace, unity and change.
They helped spark Haiti's transition from military rule to democracy in 1990
with the song Kem'-M Pa Sote (I'm Not Afraid). It criticized Haiti's corrupt
military government.
Jean-Claude Duvalier's fall amid a groundswell of popular opposition helped
revive rasin. Many groups began combining rock and other modern genres with
traditional rhythms. It also sparked a new wave of political songwriting by
groups such as Kanpech, which also performs at Rasin Fest.
Kanpech stayed in Haiti while other groups left the country to perform and
record. The band often staged unannounced concerts, and its music was dubbed
and passed through Haiti's underground.
Other scheduled performers include Djackout, T Vice, Rev, Azor and Nu Look. The
festival runs from 2 p.m. to midnight. Tickets, $25 in advance and $35 at the
gate, are available from area stores. Contact rasinfest.com or 305-757-9555.
Staff writer David Cázares' Latin/world beat column appears every other week in
Showtime. Write to World Beat, Sun-Sentinel, 200 E. Las Olas Blvd., Fort
Lauderdale, FL 33301. E-mail dcazares@sun-sentinel.com or call 954-356-4207.
Copyright © 2006, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
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