To understand Haitian Roots Music
you have to understand the roots of the Haitian people.
Thousands of enslaved Africans carried the spirits with them out of Africa on drumbeats like heartbeats across the Atlantic. Generations found hope & celebration in the music of their faith during two hundred years of oppression. New spirits of revolution and of purpose rose out of the soil in Haiti to lift it to freedom as the first independent black republic in the New World, the first to abolish slavery, to embrace the dawn of a new era of life & liberty. The music was there in celebration of the spirits, the ancestors, and the people. Haitian traditional music remains an important part of Haitian culture today. It is the sound of history, of hope, and of home. The musicians of Haiti welcome the world to share their vibrant art and to celebrate with them. When the music plays, everyone is Haitian!
Haitian roots song and dance by Boukman Eksperyans
with Toto of Kreyol Roots on guitar
Kreyol Roots at Montrose Beach, Chicago, Illinois
