Haitian Folk Music

Haiti is a country among the Caribbean islands that share a border with the Dominican Republic. Haiti was controlled by France until it won its independence in 1804; where the population was more than half African Slaves. That is why it is a common thing in Haiti is for words to be considered French but are bent into the Creole Dialect. Haiti was the second country in Americans to gain its freedom from colonial influence, they followed after the United States. Sadly, Haiti has been through much hardship including, natural disasters, chronic poverty, and economic, political, and social indifferences. Even though the country has suffered so much hardship the culture and the music surrounding the island are amazing and are what brightens the atmosphere in Haiti. 

5 Main Subgenres of Haitian Folk Music: Affranchi, Kontradans, Meringue, Rara, and Twoubadou which all have a special dance and music. 

The first one will start with is the Affranchi and The Colonial Dance. The Affranchis were the mixed-race children from the common-law marriage of European men and women of African descent. Affranchis’ was also well-known as Mulattos. Afffranchis was a French word and Mulatto is creole; both of these were used to describe them. Europeans and Mulatto would take part in Affranchi and it’s the early form of Haitian Contra Dancing. While dancing, the dancers stay upright and poised; the moves are to mimic and recreate the scene of pre-Revolution slaves dancing for entertainment for their taskmasters. In the last part of the dance, the dancer would improvise and start to freestyle. This was the way that the dancers got to impress the people watching. The Affranchi Dance would lead to Haitian Contra Dancing and Haitian Voodoo Drumming. While in Haiti the Affranchi experience can still be observed at festivals, voodoo services, and tourist attractions. 

The second one that I will mention is Kontradans and Haitian Contra Dancing. While the French were in Haiti and controlling it (before the Haitian Revolution), the Frenchmen would enjoy “contra dancing” or otherwise known as “country dancing.” After the Haitian Revolution, the Affranchis adopted and added the creole twist to the Contra Dance. The dances were referred to as contredans but mulattos changed the name to Kontradans. The Knotradans were for public entertainment and it was a group activity. The people that got to participate were the privileged in the post-Revolutionary society in Haiti. The contra started with two lines. The men were across from the woman. Once the dance starts, the men and women mirror the moves and trade partners throughout the song. One dance will usually last 10 minutes. During this dance, one person will dance with fifteen to twenty and become very acquainted with each other for the duration and after the dance is over. The overall goal at the end of the “set” is to end back with the partner you started with. 

The third one is Meringue and The Whipped-Egg Dance. This is a form of art that many Haitians hold near and dear to their heart. This is the dance that helped them embrace themselves. Merengue dance is a quickened and more improvised version of Kontradans. There are however four rules of Meringue Dance. 1 – “It was not performed in theaters or with microphones, as mereng dancers wanted to say ‘we do not need the ornaments to produce entertainment and good art.’”2 – “It was played on simple acoustic instruments by only a few animated musicians.” 3 – “It was played on a lute, guitar, or string-based instrument, differentiating it from the Dominican Republic’s “merengue.” In the DR, an accordion is normally the beat-maker of choice.” 4 – “Lyrics were generally sung exclusively in Haitian Creole.”

The fourth dance is Rara and Easter Week Voodoo Music. Rara is a festival that is vibrant and colorful and goes on during the holy week of Easter Week but now starts on Ash Wednesday and ends on Easter weekend. Rara has some key elements; The Vaksen, Percussion, Horns, and the people. The Vaksen is a large set of cylindrical bamboo trumpets. The Vaksen is a woodwind instrument and an aerophone. It can also be made out of metal, in return making them a boisterous brass instrument. The Haitian people say the instrument sounds monotonous and is trance-like; this pattern is called a hocket. The Percussion has drums, maracas, guiras, bell, and other things used for the rhythm. The horns they use are like the saxophones and trumpets; these are what hypes the parades up. The people or the attendees show up decked out and even sometimes paint themselves. They were big, bright, and loud outfits. 

The fifth and final dance I will mention is Twoubadou and the Risqué Love Songs. Twoubadou is a Haitian Creole word that is taken from the Spanish word “Troubadour.” Troubadour has always been a word used to refer to love, hate, and in-between. Twobadous songs are structured mostly similar to that of the traditional Spanish troubadour’s music; verse, chorus, then verse. The twoubadous are sung in Haitian Creole, Spanish, or French and played with a guitar and a singer. If you are lucky then you will get an accordion or percussion instrument as well as a guitar. The maracas, tanbou, and graj are used to keep the rhythm. The music is still played today but is usually in nightclubs and dance halls. Since this music is older, the Haitians believe twobadou is passed down. 

The most famous Haitian singer is Wyclef Jean. He is a Haitian rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor. He received his claim to fame as being a member of the Fugees; his band members were Lauryn Hill and Pras Michel. During their time as a band, they released Blunted on Reality (1994) and The Score (1996).  He was also featured on “No, No, No” by Destiny’s Child and also had a hand in producing “Hips Don’t Lie” by Shakira. Not only was he in the music industry he wanted to branch out into politics. In 2010 he filed to run for the Haitian Presidential election but the council ruled him ineligible for office. He may not have been able to become the president but he raised funds for a relief project after the earthquake of 2010. 

Works Cited

“Greatest Haitian Singers of All Time.” Pantheon, https://pantheon.world/profile/occupation/singer/country/haiti. 

“Haiti: A Brief History of a Complex Nation.” Institute of Haitian Studies, 22 Mar. 2016, https://haitianstudies.ku.edu/haiti-history. 

“Haiti.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., https://www.britannica.com/place/Haiti.