koute
Here I will post documentations of my first trip to Haiti. I have been studying Haitian Folkloric dance for about 4 years now and finally I had the chance to visit the country from which these movements, drums, songs and culture have originated.
Postings begin April 1st, 1st page of the blog.
Friday, March 21
The last full day with Peniel’s organized trip.
As per our daily schedule, breakfast at the Oloffson. Then we were bussed to our first destination, Fort Jacques. We had a few local kids as our tour guides.
I like his first words to me, a quick 6 second clip.
The tour begins
Giving thanks (in one of the conference rooms of Fort Jacques, picture a cool-temperatured cave within the Fort)
Our next destination, Leogane. Every year, beginning during Lent and culminating on Good Friday, rara bands march the rural roads of Haiti. The musical instruments of a rara band are unique. They include drums carried on shoulder straps over miles of dusty country roads. Horns made from beaten out hunger-relief oil tins, with “Gift of the American People” still clearly marked on them, make trumpet sounds, one note from each horn. The pitch of the note is determined by the size and shape of the horn.
a passing rara band on the bus ride up to Leogane
Here’s a really good example of how a rara band is heard in the distance and then consumes your ears body and mind, then proceeds on…
Picture taken by Selena Rhine
Once we get there, we learned that they are only preparing for the next day, so there’s not too much for us to see…little did we know how great of a night this would be.
Starting with Selena having to take a pee! First gal off the bus…and one by one, for the first time we are off our protected bus and interacting with the people! And especially the kids!!! Oh how wonderful they are. It’s amazing how much you can communicate without knowing another’s spoken language. Smiles, dancing, lots of creative body language can communicate more than verbally speaking.
Picture taken by Selena Rhine
And then come the magical Snake men
And an appropriate song on the bus following our trip to Leogane
Oneza speaks of our experience
And oh how I felt the full moon that rose that evening…although, I kept saying to Selena…”I think it’s a full moon in Haiti every day.” That’s how connected I felt.
