This pancocojams post showcases five YouTube examples of the popular Haitian folk song "Panama m' Tombe" (also given as "Panama Mwen Tombé" and "Panama'm Tonbe".
Information about this Haitian folk song is also included in this post along with song lyrics.
The content of this post is presented for historical, folkloric, culture, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to the unknown composer/s of this "Panama m' Tombe".. Thanks also to all those who are featured in these showcase YouTube examples and thanks to the publishers of these examples on YouTube. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this pancocojams post.
**** ADDITIONAL SHOWCASE VIDEOS
These examples are given in no particular order and are numbered for referencing purposes only
**** SHOWCASE EXAMPLE #2 - Lumane Casimir-Panamam Tombe
Mathieu Jeanty, Apr 8, 2023 #NT2
#Haiti #1950
"Lumane Casimir
1917-1955"....
**** SHOWCASE EXAMPLE #3 -CLAUDETTE & TI PIERRE (Album II - 1978) A01- Panama'M Tombé
AFRIKA-HITS-70+, Dec 24, 2016
« Panama Mwen Tombé » est une chanson folklorique haïtienne. Chapeau (Panama) qui tombe porte malheur, d’après une légende. La preuve : peu avant de succomber à une crise cardiaque, le président d’Haïti Louis Modestin Florvil Hyppolite ( 1828 – 1896) devait aller à Jacmel pour y mater une insurrection. Alors qu’il partait à cheval il perdit son chapeau mais ne tint pas compte de ce mauvais présage…
chansonshaiti.unblog.fr :
Mwen soti lavil Jacmel, mwen pralé lavallée
En arrivant kafou belè, panama mwen tombe
Panama mwen tombe,
Sa ki déyè ranmasé li pou mwen
Traduction :
Quand je suis parti de la ville de Jacmel, pour aller à La vallée,
En arrivant au carrefour de Bélair, mon chapeau est tombé.
Mon chapeau est tombé,
Celui qui est venu derrière moi l’a ramassé
-snip-
Summary Google translated from Haitian Creole to English: "Panama Mwen Tombé" is a Haitian folkloric song. A hat (Panama) that falls brings bad luck, according to a legend. The proof: shortly before succumbing to a heart attack, the president of Haiti Louis Modestin Florvil Hyppolite (1828 - 1896) had to go to Jacmel to quell an insurrection. As he left on horseback, he lost his hat but did not take into account this bad omen...
**** SHOWCASE EXAMPLE #4- Strings Panama'm Tombe (OFFICIEL)
Dominique Ambroise, Sep 21, 2013
« Panama'm tonbe » est une légende tirée d'une histoire tragique, mettant en vedette la défiance du Président Florvil Hyppolite face aux mœurs chéries de notre pays, son panama tomba au carrefour Bainet... Lire la suite -snip- "Google translate from Haitian Creole to English: Panama'm tonbe » is a legend drawn from a tragic story, highlighting the defiance of President Florvil Hyppolite in the face of the cherished values of our country, his Panama fell at the Bainet intersection"..
GUALDI, Sep 25, 2009 -snip- WARNING: Black Dada's song "Imma Zoe" includes some profanity. However, the audio for those words are muted in this video. The lyrics section in this post uses amended spelling for that profanity. Amended spelling is also used for the four letter form of the word that is commonly given as "the word".post.
This video includes some harrowing scenes such as Haitians jumping into the ocean trying to reach American soil and a White policeman chasing young Black boys who are trying to enter the United States from Haitian boats. This song also promotes violence and there are scenes of men burning tatoos ("tats") on their chest. These scenes may be disturbing to children and others.
**** Edited by Azizi Powell
This is Part II of a three part pancocojams series about the word "Zoe" as an infomal referent for Haitians.
Part II of this pancocojams post showcases the official YouTube video of Black Dada's 2008 record "Imma Zoe". This pancocojams post presents some biographical information about Black Dada and presents selected comments from that YouTube video's discussion thread. Many of these comments include the informal Haitian referent "Zoe"
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2021/05/kreyol-la-eastern-parkway-labor-day_2.html Part III of this pancocojams post presents information about Brooklyn's annual West Indiand Day Parade. This post also showcases a YouTube video of the 2019 Brooklyn, New York's West Indian Labor Day parade that features a Haitian music truck and a huge crowd of paraders. Selected comments from several discussion threads of YouTube videos that focus on Haitian paraders during the Brooklyn West Indian Labor Day parade are also included in this post. Many of those comments include the word "Zoe" as a referent for Haitians.
The Addendum to Part III presents information about Haitian Rara processions, as Rara has greatly influenced the way that Haitians participate in the anual Brooklyn, New York West Indian Day Parade.
The content of this post is presented for linguistic, socio-cultural, and entertainment purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Black Dada for his cultural contribution of the song "Imma Zoe". Thanks to all those who were associated with this song and this video. osng iciaare assicall those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publisher of this post on YouTube..
**** INFORMATION ABOUT BLACK DADA From https://hiphopdatabase.fandom.com/wiki/Black_Dada_(rapper) "Davidson Pierre (born 1980), better known by his stage name,
Black Dada, is an Haitian-American Urban R&B Singer. He is currently signed
to strictly business records Universal Republic. His stage name is derived from
his nick name his mom gave him DaDa, which is the doubling of the first two
letters in his name and the black comes from him being well... black. Black
dada started as an artist under an indie label "House of Sounds" in
Broward County, Florida where he resides.".. -snip- This biographical statement appears to have been written in 2014. A number of commenters in the discussion thread for this embedded video wrote in 2019 and 2020 asking where was Black Dada now and what new music has he performed. However, no information was posted in that discussion thread about Black Dada. I couldn't find any updated information about that singer anywhere else online.
**** LYRICS: IMMA ZOE (performed by Black Dada)
Yeah... This ya boy black a.k.a da da {da da, da da } Got another another one, for my island {oh woa check it} Tatted on my chest now...
[Chorus:]
Said it's Tatted on my chest Yes I'm a zoe I never had a problem getting hoes{dough}
Making this musics all I know So hold on tight cause I'm a blow In donk's chevy (we ride) At the club (we live) On 6"s & 7"S (we ride) At any show (we live)...
Said tatted on my chest, yes I'm a zoe When haters talk mess I lose control. Using my fists, that's all I know. On my own two feet go blow for blow.
What you gotta problem, know you now I'm live. Never had a problem to go inside. F--king* with me is a suicide. Step into the jungle, well you won't survive
Red and blue wet on the chevy paint. Turn in your face, dog my sh-t* will stink Hypotize rims make you go insane
Just like a bobblehead, bobbling brain. Riding swerving from lane to lane. I'm a let the whole world know my name. On my sh-t* cause I'm a pro.
Tatted on my chest cause I'm a zoe...
[Chorus]
Said it's Tatted on my chest Yes I'm a zoe I never had a problem getting hoes{dough} Making this musics all I know So hold on tight cause I'm a blow In donk's chevy (we ride) At the club (we live) On 6"s & 7"S (we ride) At any show (we live)...
If u See me in the streets, know I'm Zoe. If u See me in the club, I act a fool With a gang of killers, that's just my crew. Don't mean to be rude that's how I do. (Yeah)
Cup held high with a mug so mean. Tilt to the side cause I'm sipping that lean. My swagg so loose, gotta be the goose. Flashing lights ike a photo shoot.
Now I'm a do me, you do you. My wrist so cold, don't catch a flu. On my flag got red and blue. Yes I said it red and blue. If you talking don't waste my time. Worry bout yours don't worry bout mine. Dropping hits it's in my soul. It's Tatted on my chest cause I'm a zoe. {check it Woa}
[Chorus]
Said it's Tatted on my chest Yes I'm a zoe I never had a problem getting hoes{dough} Making this musics all I know So hold on tight cause I'm a blow In donk's chevy (we ride) At the club (we live) On 6"s & 7"S (we ride) At any show (we live)...
Said it's tatted on my chest respect my mind. I spit creole anytime. In the booth they know I rhyme. So with the hood you know I shine. Sak pase to all my zoes. What it do to the people I know. To all my stippers on the pole. And all my ni--as* blowing dro.{dro} Let me put u on some game. Hoes ain't never called no lame. We seen the worst and felt the pain. Cloudy weather filled with rain. United we stand, divided we fall. They can't break me not at all. So Stack my chips never go broke. It's Tatted on my chest cause I'm a zoe!
[Chorus]
Said it's Tatted on my chest Yes I'm a zoe I never had a problem getting hoes{dough} Making this musics all I know So hold on tight cause I'm a blow In donk's chevy (we ride) At the club (we live) On 6"s & 7"S (we ride) At any show (we live)...
Source: These lyrics were given in the publisher's summary for this YouTube video. -snip- *These words are fully spelled out in these lyrics.
**** SELECTED COMMENTS FROM THIS VIDEO'S DISCUSSION THREAD Numbers added for referencing purposes only.
2016
BIG BEAR ENTERTAINING
4 years ago
SAK PASE TO MY HAITIAN DOWN IN PALM BEACH COUNTY.WE RIDE ALL THE WAY. -snip- "Sak Pase" = Haitian Creole greeting meaning "What's happenin'"
**** 2017
1. Chevynate 229 "ZoeLife🇭🇹🇭🇹🇭🇹🇭🇹🇭🇹🔊🔊🔊💯"
** 2. Mysterious Queen "Whole Florida anthem"
** Reply 3. Julius 2xx, 2020 "hurricanefan191 This was definitely the Florida Anthem"
** Reply 4. hurricanefan191, 2020 "@Julius 2xxnah people north of Orlando didn't know what
it was"
** Reply 7. Anthony Connor, 2021 "ikindagotfanss nah I know what I said."
** 2018
8. EMPRESS, C Phillips "On my bad days...this is my picker upper....Zoe all day!"
** 9. GBE SCMG TV "Remember watching this on MTV Jams daily🙌🏾"
** 10. Gino 2nice "Shoutout to all my zoes worldwide we in deep outchea"
** 11. Lola Lawler "ZOE GIRL ZOE WAY OR NO WAY🇭🇹🇭🇹🇭🇹🇭🇹" ** 12. complex lifestyle "I remember when this was heavily on the radio back in 08. 99
jiggy jams!"
**** 2019 15. Wolf YRK "Zoe life or no life🔵🔴" ** 16. ashtray813 "This song made being Haitian in school cool.
No more, “y’all eat cat?!” questions for me 🙄" ** [Another comment is given after ashtray813's commment is an abbreviation for profanity. That commenter may have changed her name from the screen name "mekka knight" that is referenced in two of the replies below.]
Reply 17. lauryn love, 2020 "mekka knight no what she is saying is what people would say
to Haitians growing up. Especially growing up in any part of Florida, people
would be soooo mean to Haitians they would say ignorant stuff like "y’all
eat cats" "
** Reply 18, Its Tuca, 2020 "@lauryn love or go do voodoo"
** Reply 19, sanai Desroches 'mekka knight it’s true it still happens sometimes it used to
happen to my mom ain’t nobody try me last time they said I ate cat I made them
eat dirt"
** Reply 20. sanai Desroches, 2020 "@Elizabeth
Suffren right it still happens sometimes
at my school🙄"
** Reply 21. Mark Williams, 2021 "Let's not act like y'all didn't roast us African americans
also😂😂growing up in south florida that's
all that went down from the moment you got on the bus to the moment you got
home😂😂 all the homies split up haitians vs
blacks roast sessions 😂😂"
** 22. Dorothy Jacques "I love this song 2020 Zoe forever🇭🇹🇭🇹🇭🇹🇭🇹🇭🇹🇭🇹🇭🇹🇭🇹"
** 23. Austin "If you from Palm Beach you wasn't bumping Zoe nothing in the late 90's and early 2000's. It wasn't till TOP 6 came around that they got love in the streets. FACTS💯"
** 24. Alex Del aguila "I was jamming to this at 18 years old n I'm mexican....much
love to my Haitian ppl..."
** 25. Oscar Garza "2019 ZOE 🇲🇽 🇨🇴
🇵🇷
🇨🇺" WITH 🇭🇹 🤝" -snip- Mx= Mexico; Co=Colombia, PR= Puerto Rico, CU=Cuba with [support] HT= Haiti
** 26. Marco Static "HAPPY HAITIAN FLAG DAY TO ALL MY ZOES 🇭🇹🇭🇹🇭🇹🇭🇹🇭🇹🇭🇹🇭🇹🇭🇹🇭🇹🇭🇹" -snip- From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haitian_Flag_Day "Haitian Flag Day is a Haitian holiday to celebrate the
creation of the Flag of Haiti and revolution in Haiti that got its people
freedom from France and set the precedent for slave uprisings in the US. The
day is celebrated each year on the 18th of May, which is the anniversary of the
date of the flag's adoption in 1803. The day is observed in numerous cities of
the US that have a large Haitian population.[1][2]”…
** 27. Journal Wright "This is so motivational. I love the beat and the melodic and
inspirational flow."
**** 2020
28. Terrence Jackson "That's how you represent yo people ✊🏿✊🏿✊🏿✊🏿"
** 29. Jean-Paul Chatelier ""Black Dada make us proud with this song, Imma Zoe and will
always be."
** 30. Oghens Atumah "Used to play this on the way to school, when I first heard
it on BET."
** 31. Min French "From new york but Bae from Miami and he played this a few
times and introduced me to this song we both of Haitian decent"
** 32. LOVELY KWEEN "I’m not even a zoe but livin n Florida everybody bumpin this😫😫"
**** 2021
33. Christina Alexis "This song still popular in south fl 🙌🏽🙌🏽🇭🇹🇭🇹🇭🇹"
** 34. Kesha Charlosrtin "🇭🇹❤️ Blessed to
be a Zoe"
** 35. ArizonaGirl1 "The original ZOE!!! Just remembered this song from my lil
boo's playlist 10 years ago. He was 19 living in Miami coming back and forth to
Az to visit. It's still 🔥🔥🔥" -snip- "The original ZOE" probably refers to the fact that there's also a 2009 remix of this song by Black Dada featuring Rick Ross and Birdman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NPM60msrPA&ab_channel=JASONBRICKS
** 36. Relevant P. "Still going hard in 2021 Respect Black Dada Zoe Life!"
** 37. Franklin Drade "This song Legendary 💤💤💤🦅🩸"
** 38. MiWa Williams "This song so lit💪🏾"
** 39. Rocky Ball "Haitian hands up we stay zoe!!! For ever and ever"
** 40. Jackie Bonilla "Love my zoes!!!!
**** This concludes Part II of this three part pancocojams series.
This is Part I of a three part pancocojams series about the word "Zoe" as an infomal referent for Haitians.
This post presents excerpts from several online sources about the word "Zoe" as an informal referent for Haitians.
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2021/05/the-haitian-anthem-imma-zoe-by-black.html for Part II of this pancocojams series. Part II showcases the official YouTube video of Black Dada's 2008 record "Imma Zoe". That pancocojams post also presents some biographical information about Black Dada and includes selected comments from that YouTube video's discussion thread. Many of those comments include the informal Haitian referent "Zoe".
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2021/05/kreyol-la-eastern-parkway-labor-day_2.html Part III of this pancocojams post presents information about Brooklyn's annual West Indiand Day Parade. This post also showcases a YouTube video of the 2019 Brooklyn, New York's West Indian Labor Day parade that features a Haitian music truck and a huge crowd of paraders. Selected comments from several discussion threads of YouTube videos that focus on Haitian paraders during the Brooklyn West Indian Labor Day parade are also included in this post. Many of those comments include the word "Zoe" as a referent for Haitians.
The Addendum to Part III presents information about Haitian Rara processions, as Rara has greatly influenced the way that Haitians participate in the anual Brooklyn, New York West Indian Day Parade.
The content of this post is presented for linguistic and socio-cultural purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
**** PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE I'm not of Haitian descent, and therefore I'm not a Zoe. Also, I've never been to Miami, Florida or any other part of Florida where the "Zoe" referent for Haitians was coined. Also, I'm not aware if I've ever met anyone who is from Haiti or who is of Haitian descent, although it's very likely that some African Americans I know or have met have some Haitian ancestry.
I didn't know that "Zoe" is a referent for Haitians until I happened upon that word used that way yesterday (May 1, 2021) while reading some YouTube discussion threads about Haitian konpa music.
My search for information about that use of the word "Zoe" eventually led me to a YouTube video of Black Dada's 2008 song "Imma Zoe". That video is showcased in Part II of this pancocojams series. As a result of that video, I now know that, when it is used as a referent for Haitians, the word "Zoe" is pronounced to rhyme with the English word "toe".
I'm still not clear if "Zoe" refers only to Haitian Americans or Haitians regardless of where they live/d. I also am not clear as to whether "Zoe" is a referent that is actually used now or was ever used in Haiti. (It seems clear that that referent originated in Miami, Florida as a result of its use by the Zoe Pound gang). That said, while "Zoe" as a referent for Haitians can be credited to the Zoe Pound gang, the use of that term as a self-referent and as a group referent doesn't have to have anything to do with the Zoe Pound gang. The descriptions of the Zoe Pound gang are given without any comments from me. I'm sure that there are people who disagree with these descriptions. (Note that the article excerpts that are featured in this pancocojams post give different dates for when the Zoe Pound gang was founded.)
These excerpts are given in no particular order.
Numbers are given for referencing purposes only.
Additions and corrections are welcome about the referent "Zoe" and about "Zoe Pound", including when and why that gang was started.
**** ONLINE EXCERPTS ABOUT THE WORD "ZOE" AS AN INFORMAL REFERENT FOR HAITIANS
[Pancocojams Editor's Note: reddit.com comments sometimes include profanity and sexually explicit referents. Those comments aren't given in this excerpt, but are on the pages of this discussion. The numbers given for these comments in this pancocojams post don't correspond to the numbers the comments have in that discussion.]
1. Posted byu/Docto_ace, 2020 "Why do Haitian people call themselves zoe?
QUESTION ❓
I hear that word a lot when Haitian people be talking to
each other. what does it mean?"
** 2. YoMojoMoe, 2020 "Zoe means bone in Creole. Bones are tough and hard to break,
similar to Haitian people. Tough and hard to break"
** 3. ProfessionalCouchPot, 2020 "It’s a pride thing that started with Zoe Pound in Florida.
The Zoes came up from Haitians to protect Haitians. Eventually the name stuck
when the Zs started making noise."
Zoe is an anglicized version of zo which means bone in
Kreyol.
But if they speaking straight Kreyol they could literally be
referring to bones.
L’Union Fait La Force 😤🇭🇹" -snip- Google translate from French to English
"Unity Makes Strength 😤🇭🇹"
**** Excerpt #2: From https://unitedgangs.com/zoe-pound-miami/ Zoe Pound Miami[No date given or author credited; retrieved on May 1, 2021] "The Zoe Pound, originally from the Little Haiti area of
Miami, Florida, is a Haitian gang born in 1992. Many of its affiliates
considered it to be a social initiative aimed at protecting young Haitians from
other ethnic groups. In reality, its members almost immediately began dealing
with the sourcing and distribution of narcotics, quickly turning the gang into
a drug cartel.
As the years went by, the Zoe Pound also began accepting an
increased number of members. At some point, roughly 25,000 people had sworn
allegiance to the gang in Miami alone.
Throughout the nation, more than 50,000 individuals wore the gang’s
colors and collaborated with the gang in some way.
According to former members, national pride has always played a major role in
defining the association’s modus operandi and way of life. Some would tell of
colorful spectacles taking place outside of schools and other important
buildings throughout the Greater Miami area.
Decorated with Haitian flags and lavish accessories, vehicles would
parade in front of exits, give out candies and subtly conduct recruiting
campaigns”…
**** Excerpt #3 From https://hiphopdatabase.fandom.com/wiki/Zoe_Pound#:~:text=Cool%20Cake%20(rapper)-,History,easy%20money%20committing%20criminal%20acts. [No date given or author credited; retrieved on May 1, 2021] "Zoe Pound was founded in the 1980s in the Little Haiti
section of Miami, Florida by a small group of Haitian immigrant youths who were
tired of being attacked by mainly African Americans and a small amount of
Hispanics. It started as a way for the Haitian youths to protect themselves
from African Americans but turned into something much larger. Zoe Pound is
currently one of the most dangerous criminal organizations in the East Coast.
However the inception of the gang served as a pivotal factor in promoting
Haitian pride among South Florida's youth. In fact prior to the introduction of
Zoe Pound into the American fiber, many Haitian-American youth denied their
heritage in fear of persecution. Zoe Pound would put on grande spectacles at
various High Schools in the Greater Miami area just as school was letting out.
These spectacles consisted of leagues of old school Chevys also known as
"Dunks" (covered with candy paint, with oversized rims and bearing
massive Haitian flags). These events were somewhat legendary and in many ways
displayed the kind of pride that Haitians everywhere should have in themselves
and their heritage. Before long Haitian youths all over South Florida started
wearing Haitian bandanas with pride. Due to the extreme secrecy of the
organization, not much is known about the groups chapters outside of the United
States (Bahamas, Haiti, Jamaica, Trinidad, France, United Kingdom, West Africa,
Brazil, Belize, and Canada) but great strides by law enforcement has been
keeping the gangs main chapter in Miami, Florida in control post 2002, although
MPD hints the group is still very active in and around South Florida including
Miami.
There is a rumor that has circulated around media circles
for years, before any rap artist can shoot a video in Miami, they must get
permission from the Zoe Pound. Several musicians have shouted out Zoe Pound in
songs and music video including Lil Wayne, 50 cent, Tony Yayo, Gorilla Zoe,
Rick Ross, Trick Daddy, Cam'ron, Pitbull, DJ Whoo Kid, Pastor Troy, Diddy,
T.I., Jim Jones, Eminem, Jha Jha, Wyclef, Nu Jersey Devil, Young Jeezy, Lil
Boosie, French Montana, 1017 Brick Squad, Young Money, Rum Squad,Haitian Fresh,
Shawty Lo, Lupe Fiasco, Lil Durk, Future, and others."
A very ruthless gang that originates with Haitians
immigrants. It became an official recognized gang of killers around 1994-1995.
They mostly reside in south Florida along with other foreign countries. They
carry the symbol of the Haitian flag with them along with their Haitian pride.
It is said that some Zoe Pound gang members use Voodoo to take people out. The word
Zoe by itself means somebody that is of Haitian decent. A Zoe Pound gangster
interviewed on the History Channel’s Gangland stated that there was Haitians
with a pound of drugs and that's how the name Zoe Pound came about. Originally
Zoe Pound was not a Haitian movement, but a "lick" (way to make easy
money). Many Zoe Pound Members do not view themselves as gang members, but view
themselves as a group standing up for their Haitian people. Many of them also
believe that it is foolish to go around throwing up gang signs, and gang
tattoos are not mandatory – most likely to keep their operations as secret as
possible. The only colors they represent are the colors of their Haitian flag.
Past Zoe Pound activities have included: armed robbery,
piracy, drug trafficking, and murder."
A zoe boy is a real Haitian boy. If you are a Zoe boy, you
dont take nothing from nobody, you work to earn your respect, you stay on your
feet at all times, and you are more than proud to be Haitian. Everywhere you
go, you show people your pride. Your first impression should always be that I
am Haitian and I love it. You should never let anybody take your pride away
from you. You should stand tall and represent your country anytime, anyplace,
and anyhow. You should always think that your flag is the number one flag in
the world. Let people know that we were the First Black Independent, and that
every other black race comes after you!
Bon Gout BBQ, in Miami, continues a culinary tradition and
taps into the experience of Haitians in America.
By Dinkinish O’Connor, July 16, 2019
"MIAMI — Haitian restaurants bloomed here in the 1990s and
2000s as their reputations grew for serving ambrosial rice and bean platters at
cheap prices.
[…]
Jean (B.J.) Lucel, an owner of Bon Gout BBQ in Little Haiti,
was 5 when he emigrated from Port-au-Prince in 1986. “There were Haitian ‘jump
days,’ when certain schools would jump Haitians. People were running and
fighting,” said Mr. Lucel, 37.
Zoe Pound, a Haitian gang — Zoe derives from zo, the Haitian
Creole word for bone — is said to have emerged in the ‘90s as a reaction to
those attacks. (Some Haitian-Americans refer to one another as Zoe, even if
they’re not affiliated with the gang.)
Eventually, some of the people ridiculing Haitians became
customers at the local restaurants. “You may not like Haitians,” said Mr.
Lucel, “but you can’t deny our food.”
[…]
Pride runs deep in this culture set between two red, white
and blue flags, even as Haitian-Americans feel their dignity is repeatedly
challenged. President Trump, for one, last year used a vulgar epithet to
describe Haiti and some African nations.
Is there healing in the sacred barbecue pit? As Mr. Lucel
talked hopefully about Miami’s cultural unity, and how far Miami has come from
those Haitian jump days, I pondered the Zoe references throughout the menu."...
**** This concludes Part I of this three part pancocojams series.
This pancocojams post provides information about Stevy Mahy and showcases a video of Stevy Mahy and James Germain singing "Haitian Cherie"["Dear Haiti"}. The English translation for that song's Haitian Creole lyrics is also included in this post.
The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Othello Bayard for composing the poem that became this song. Thanks also to Stevy Mahy and James Germain for their musical performances. Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and all those who produced this video Also, thanks to the publisher of this post on YouTube.
****
INFORMATION ABOUT STEVY MAHY
From https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&u=https://www.last.fm/fr/music/Stevy%2BMahy/%2Bwiki&prev=search [translated from French to English]
"Stevy Mahy is a Folk Trilingual (English, French and Creole) native of Guadeloupe.
From a father and a mother to musicians and singers, Stevy Mahy goes early to pace recording studios or rehearsals, so naturally she will record songs such as "manman dépi ou pati" or "I want a Little brother "with [her] mother, that of the age of 9 years.
Then it is a succession of travels, meetings, musical collaborations.
And then his taste for the image, the realization will take the step.
After a short stay in London, she decided to turn to the United States ...
Always beautiful encounters ...
But finally her first love catches up with her ... She has to sing ...
An envy that coincides with her return to Guadeloupe for her who is born in Paris and spends part of her childhood in Guadeloupe.
"All my departures take me back to Guadeloupe".
A place where finally its complexity of Creole woman find a jewel case.
She finds herself, re-sources herself and rehearses buried melodies.
It is also at this moment that she meets a talented artist, Victor'O.
A friendship is born which will give birth to a song on the album of "Inspire Me":
The story of the true power of friendship that inspires strength and courage, but also the bond that is established between angel and protégé.
A beautiful encounter that hides another.
When recording "Inspire Me", Stevy meets Joel Jaccoulet (author, composer, producer).
The composition process starts almost intuitively.
A late afternoon, set on the terrace, the words and melodies of "Beautiful" take shape ...
Kreyol folk becomes the best defining term for this encounter and the musical universe of Stevy Mahy. English, Creole, French ...
A Creole woman open to the world and yet well inscribed in her environment.
[Her] album "The Beautiful Side of a Kreyol Folk Trip" is an invitation to a beautiful journey through [her] musical influences flourishing the Soul, Lauryn Hill and the sounds of Creole music.
-snip-
The pronoun "her" is in brackets because the translation feature's default is male pronoun.
****
SHOWCASE VIDEO: HAITI CHERIE - Stevy MAHY feat. James Germain (official HD video)
B Caribbean, Published on May 12, 2012
http://itunes.apple.com/fr/album/hait...
Fruit de sa rencontre avec Haïti ,Stevy MAHY nous livre aujourd'hui son premier single inédit depuis la sortie en 2010 de son album «the Beautiful side of a kreyol folk trip».
Avec la participation du chanteur haïtien James GERMAIN le titre HAITI CHERIE se veut le trait d'union entre nos histoires si proches,si riches,unies dans une même souffrance originelle et sublimées par la créativité et l'intelligence des hommes et femmes qui les ont incarnées...
«nou sé an sel pep dessan an ba kal a machan...vou epi mwen sé mem bagay...sé mem bitin...»
HAITI CHERIE qui à été enregistré en partie à Port au Prince,dans les hauteurs de Pétionville,est un mélange subtil de mélancolie et d'espoir porté par deux voix uniques unissant leur talent pour la première fois...pour nous dire ces mots simple et justes :
«Haiti cherie la vi pa fini....»
-snip-
(Google translate from Haitian Creole to English)
"Stevy MAHY is the first of its kind to be releas:ed in Haiti today, with his debut album "The Beautiful Side of a Kreyol Folk Trip".
With the participation of the Haitian singer James GERMAIN the title HAITI CHERIE wants to be the link between our stories so close, so rich, united in the same original suffering and sublimated by the creativity and intelligence of the men and women who have them incarnated ...
«Nou se an salt pep dessan an ba kal a machan ... you epi mwen se mem bagay ... se mem bitin ...»
HAITI CHERIE which was recorded partly in Port au Prince, in the heights of Pétionville, is a subtle mixture of melancholy and hope carried by two unique voices joining their talent for the first time ... to tell us these simple words And fair:
"Haiti cherie the vi pa finished ...."
"Haïti Chérie" (French pronunciation: [a.iti ʃeʁi]: Dear Haiti)[1] is a traditional patriotic song of Haiti of a poem written by Othello Bayard that was initially called it Souvenir d'Haïti ("Memory of Haiti")[2] and composed to music in 1920. It is widely considered as a second national anthem,[3] and one of Haiti's most famous méringues.[2]
Haiti, my beloved, no other land is more beautiful than you.
I had to leave you, in order to better understand how valuable you are
I had to leave you, for me to appreciate you
So I could truly feel all that you were for me
There is sunshine, nice rivers and great drinks
Underneath the trees, you'll always find great shade
Where you'll find a gentle breeze to keep you cool
Haiti, is a country dear to me
In the white man's land, you're freezing and it's never good
And all day, you're forced to burn coal
You can't see clearly because the sky is always dark
And for 6 months, all trees are without leaves
In my country, there is sunshine to provide heat
All year long, the trees continue to provide shade
A soft breeze always blowing on our beaches
Haiti, is a country dear to me
Once in the white man's country, all faces are one color
There is no variety such as our different shades of Kreyòl (Milatrès, Marabou, and Grifonn)
That love beautiful dresses, powders and fine scents
Nor black beauties that know the sweetest things to say
In my country, when all of these beautiful people leave church, it's like going to the movies
you have to see this, you would remain wide mouthed and open eyed
What an amazing country Haiti is!
When you're in the white man's country, you don't see mangoes or roosters anywhere
Neither sapoti or beautiful green and purple star apples
Neither pineapples or beautiful cashew apples
that give us great cashews to make delicious brittle with
You'll find oranges that came from Italy
But that are passed ripe and half rotten
In Haiti, everything is finger licking good!
And on that note, we're better then any other country
When you're in my country, wherever you go and along your path it's: "hello sir" "hello miss" "how are the kids?"
without knowing, you're invited in for a drink and to play some games.
Every handshake invites a conversation
Its politics, it's a bad situation
what we need to do is accept it how it is
If God is good, he will grant us salvation
When you're in the white man's country, you're afraid to go out day or night
Everyone is walking so fast that you'd think they're crazy dogs
Where are they going? Why are they running?
They in such a hurry that they never stop to ask how you're doing
In my country, people don't go by time
You have the liberty to take your time
Wherever you go, it's "hello" and friendly handshakes
People are never in a rush, we chat along our path
When you're in Haiti, you always have enough time to whistle
what doesn't get done today, can get done tomorrow if you want
If tomorrow works, cool... If it doesn't... cool.
It doesn't matter, everyone knows that God is good
In Haiti, people are never desperate
we trust in a God that never lies
We'll do whatever we can today, because tomorrow is never certain
What a great country, my God! It's Haiti!
-snip-
Click that Wikipedia link for this song's Haitian Creole lyrics.
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
This pancocojams post showcases a video of the song "Racine Mapou De Azor" by the Haitian Racine/Rara band "Kamelit" and provides information about Rara/Racine music.
This post also provides information about Kamekit's lead drummer Lénord Fortuné, also known as "Azor".
Selected comments from this video's discussion thread are also included in this post.
This post is presented for folkloric, religious, cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Kemelit and its lead drummer Azor for their musical legacy. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publisher of this video on YouTube.
****
INFORMATION ABOUT RARA AND RARA/RACINE MUSIC
From http://haitianmusicsvideo.com/kamelit-racine-mapou-de-azor/
...."From Vodou to Compas to Racine to Rara and Beyond: Haiti became the first black-ruled republic in the Americas in 1804, and music has mirrored, and at times shaped, the twists and turns of Haitis politics and culture ever since. A primary source of Haitian culture is Dahomey, the birthplace of vodouthe most commonly held world view among Haitian people today. We explore how each of Haitis rulers has championed his own preferred music. The Duvalier dictators favored compas dance music, and suppressed the most African-identified cultural expressions. When Baby Doc was run out of the country in 1986, African-derived racine, or roots, music exploded.
Rara is a vibrant annual street festival in Haiti, when followers of the Afro-Creole religion called Vodou march loudly into public space to take an active role in politics.
During the six weeks between the eve of Lent and Easter Week, Haitian Rara bands take to the streets, offering the urban and rural poor of Haiti an opportunity to negotiate power under conditions of political and economic insecurity as well as publicly celebrate Vodoun religious culture. Through the performance of music, song, and dance during long parades of many miles, Rara bands serve participants and audiences by recalling to memory an oppressed and brutal past. Perhaps more crucially, these bands express much about the current realities of Haitian social, spiritual, and political life as they perform religious work for Voudoun spirits, solidify the notion of community through the patronage of local big men, and contest political oppression. In the Dominican Republic, this tradition is known as gaga.
Rara processions incorporate various types of musical instruments such as kongo or petro drums, twompet (trumpets), tcha-tcha (maracas), graj (metal scrapers), bells, kes (doubled headed and stick beaten, often with a snare like device), flutes, saxophones, and various kinds of rattles made from zinc such as the tchancy, a can filled with seeds. However, the leading instruments in these celebrations are the vaksin, cylindrical trumpets made of bamboo, and the klonet, made of hammered zinc and ending in a flared horn.
These bands are led by presidents, colonels, queens and other members of the complex rara hierarchies. The bands set out on foot from the ounfo (temple) onto the streets where they attract their followers. After the temple, they move from house to house collecting money and occasionally engaging in low level conflict with other groups. The groups are led by their president who has a whistle and a whip, which he uses to clear malevolent spirits from the path of the procession. Despite its seasonal association, rara may take place at any time of the year and animates political rallies, demonstrations and celebrations of all types. Rara processions have traveled with the Diaspora, so it is quite common to experience these celebrations in cities in the United States, Canada, and France, among others."
-snip-
I'm quoting most of this entire article for folkloric reasons as a means of helping to ensure that the information in this article is retained and shared.
****
From http://axisoflogic.com/artman/publish/Article_58204.shtml Kamelit "Racine Mapou De Azor" By Kamelit (Performers)
Directors JN Baptiste and Laurent Garry, Thursday, Jan 21, 2010
"This Haitian Style of music is called Racine/Rara, this video has been filmed in Haiti and the song was performed by the group Kamelit.
The rhythms of Racine and Rara are very similar if not the same, Racine is mainly used in Vodou ceremony while Rara is considered to be the marching bands. From Vodou to Compas to Racine to Rara and Beyond: Haiti became the first black-ruled republic in the Americas in 1804, and music has mirrored, and at times shaped, the twists and turns of Haitis politics and culture ever since.
... Rara is a vibrant annual street festival in Haiti, when followers of the Afro-Creole religion called Vodou march loudly into public space to take an active role in politics.
During the six weeks between the eve of Lent and Easter Week, Haitian Rara bands take to the streets, offering the urban and rural poor of Haiti an opportunity to negotiate power under conditions of political and economic insecurity as well as publicly celebrate Vodoun religious culture. Through the performance of music, song, and dance during long parades of many miles, Rara bands serve participants and audiences by recalling to memory an oppressed and brutal past. Perhaps more crucially, these bands express much about the current realities of Haitian social, spiritual, and political life as they perform religious work for Voudoun spirits, solidify the notion of community through the patronage of local big men, and contest political oppression. In the Dominican Republic, this tradition is known as gaga".
"Racine Mapou De Azor"
Filmed at Carnival 2007 in Haiti"
-snip-
*This article includes the video that is given below.
-snip-
I'm quoting this entire article for folkloric reasons as a means of helping to ensure that the information in this article is retained and shared.
****
INFORMATION ABOUT THE TITLE OF THIS SONG AND INFORMATION ABOUT KAMELIT'S LEAD DRUMMER
I believe that the title "Racine Mapou De Azor" means "Racine Mapou music from [the drummer] Azor" - "Azor" was the name for the lead drummer of the Kamelit band.
Here's a quote that I found online about the word "mapou""
From http://www.kean.edu/~hsa/proverbs.html Haitian Proverbs
[Haitian proverb] "Mapou mouri, kabrit manje fey li:
When the mapou (oak-like tree) dies, goats would eat its leaves.
Meaning: This proverb is said in Creole to recall the scene of old age. It is also said to compare the prime and the declining days as well as abundance and poverty. If a youngster has been disrespectful to an old man mapou who is past his prime, that proverb would be an appropriate remark.
Note: the mapou has a special meaning in Haitian culture. It is a sacred tree for the believers of Vaudou."
-snip-
Given that information, my guess is that the word "mapou" in this title reinforces the belief that Racine music is sacred.
Haitian master drummer and singer Lénord Fortuné, also known as Azor, died July 16. He was 46. Azor was given a state funeral and he was posthumously decorated by Haiti’s president Michel Martelly.
“Haiti has lost one of the most popular virtuosos of music of the past 50 years and a tireless Ambassador of Haitian culture,” said President Michel Martelly. “With Vodou music as a backdrop, the group that he led and which bears his name, Racine Mapou of Azor, traveled around the world and enabled all to discover the value of the music lakous (yard music) and the Haitian identity.
Thanks to him this music, entered in a long enclave, shows and is appreciated by millions in both Haitian and foreign music lovers.”
Lénord Fortuné was born June 19, 1965. He became one of the most popular musicians in Haiti and toured the world showcasing the traditional rasin (also known as racine) music and dances of Haiti. In addition, Azor’s music videos introduced Haitian music to wider audiences."...
****
SHOWCASE VIDEO: Kamelit "Racine Mapou De Azor"
PRIDESOFHAITI, Uploaded on Oct 18, 2009
This Haitian Style of music is called Racine/Rara, this video has been filmed in Haiti and the song was performed by the group Kamelit.
-snip-
Here are selected comments from this video's discussion thread.
These comments are presented in relative chronological order with the oldest dated comment given first excerpt for replies. Numbers have been assigned to these comments for referencing purposes only,
2009
1. conceptartandcode
"my friend this is not rara this pure vodoo music ou mizik rasin .... rara music is playing by raram ,foula, bourara...
anyway good post!"
**
Reply
2. PRIDESOFHAITI
"I am glad that you brought this to my attention but in my opinion there is not a whole lot of difference between the two.
I believe that racine is much more spiritual than rara.
I would even say that rara is almost like a marketed version of racine.
But like they say here in America, if it walks and quack like a duck it must be a duck."
**
Reply
3. negkreyol21
"haha its the same thing you are just mentioning artist every one makes their music differently thats how it goes"
**
Reply
4. conceptartandcode
"nope my friend they are not the same thing.... well it's up to you if u don;;t want to beleive it."
**
Reply
5. conceptartandcode
"like u said it's in your opinion...but that doesn't mean your opinion is the truth ...yes there is not a lot a difference btwn the thow but they are 2 separate groove ....anyway you welcome i invite u to do more researches and ask some well aware people maybe they will tell u..."
****
2010
Reply
7. jubilee203
"Same thing. RaRa is a continuation of a voodoo ceremony on foot or band version. In a ceremony azor would be considered the hougan. He is responsible to talk to the lwa thru singing. In ceremonies only the drum is used mostly. But right after the voodoo ceremony all the participants would get on foot, with the additional instrument like the vaksin, making the rara. So they can go to the cemetery to pay homage to the dead. Unlike band a pied, rara only come out during voodoo season in december."
****
8. CCSFMusic25
"This is wonderful - thank you so much for the historical information as well as the beautiful music video!"
****
2011
9. Pierre Henri Dalencour
"Respect Azor!!!! Ayibobo pou ou!!!!"
-snip-
(Google Translate) Haitian Creole to English:
"Ayibobo pou ou!!!!" - "Congratulations to you !!!!"
**
10. Zaafirah013
"R.I.P. Azor. Although You will be missed by so many, your contributions to racine pap jam mouri."
-snip-
(Google Translate) Haitian Creole to English:
"pap jam mouri" = "can never die."
****
2012
11. DIEGO MANJARREZ4 years ago
"Esta musica no tiene nada que ver con las 21 divisiones?"
-snip-
(Google Translate) From Spanish to English:
"This music has nothing to do with the 21 divisions?"
**
Reply
12. Samuel Laguerre3
"si y no a la misma ves. eso viene de la cultura haitiana. el vodou haitiano en lo cual se encuentra 21 nationes. las 21 divisiones es version dominicana del vodou haitiano y como los dos tiene sus raices en africa por eso se ve muy parecido aunque es differente
-snip-
(Google Translate) From Spanish to English:
"Yes and no at the same time. That comes from the Haitian culture. The Haitian vodou in which is 21 nations. The 21 divisions is Dominican version of Haitian vodou and as the two have their roots in africa that is why it looks very similar although it is different"
****
2014
13. Stephan Sainvil
"Racine Mapou will remain forever the best of the best."
**
14. Tim Rowley
"Amazing. Racine Mapou de Azor have been my favourite Haitian sound since I found them on the album "Rhythms of Rapture" [Smithsonian Folkways].
I'm always trying to guess how many drummers i hear, as most temple music has three drums. I'd love to watch the band playing."
**
Reply
15. Stanley Dougé, 2016
"he died unfortunately in 2011"
****
16. Ray Mercedes, 2017
"ayibobo"
(Google Translate) Haitian Creole to English:
"Ayibobo" = "Congratulations"
Update: November 21, 2017- a blog visitor's English translation is added
This pancocojams post showcases the Haitian Gospel song "Pa Gen Moun Pou Ou Bondye"
This post includes the lyrics to this song as found online, and an attempted English translation using Google translate, my interpretation of that translation into standard American English and my extrapolations of some of the words that Google translate didn't translate. Additions and corrections would be very much appreciated.
This post is presented for religious, cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Clevenson Richmond, the composer of this song. Thanks also to the soloist Rebecca Francois and the other members of the singing group Eprodere. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publisher of this video on YouTube.
Update: November 21, 2017-
Hat tip to chrisschronicles for English translations of the song title and lyrics from Haitian Creole to English.
****
SHOWCASE VIDEO: Pa Gen Moun Pou Ou Bondye www MagazineChretien com Haitian Gospel Music Video 2015
Anderson Dorcin. Published on Jul 25, 2015
-snip-
[From this video's sub-title]
Group- Eprodere
Soloist Rebecca J. Francois
Director Benjamin Toussaint
Composition -Maestro Clevenson Richmond
Benji Lakay Production
****
SUB-TITLES FROM THIS VIDEO*
LYRICS - PA GEN MOUN POU OU BONYE*
(composer Maestro Clevenson Richmond)
Ooooo
Hallelujah!
ooooo
Mwen gen
Prueve pou mwen pale
De sa ou fe saw de se verite
Vi mwen demontre’l
pu sa
mwen te ye pou sa ou
fem vin ye
Se ak tout fos
map chante
Poum prouvo
Grande’w kotem
pase e
Oui ou meritel
Emwen egziste pou mwen di
kiles ou ye
Pa gen moun pou
ou
Bonye
Sak dificil pou lom
Facil pou ou
Ominisyans ou fo
Ou plein ak lanmou
telman ou pa limite
Pouki pou’m ret nan on kwen
Pouki pou figuim Fennen
Daye ou pi wo, ou rive pi loin
kot les hommes paka konen
Tout aksyon’w yo
setifye
Pouvwa’w depase sa
lom kreye
Pawol ou Puisan
Fos ou dedouble Missil lom
envante
Ou telman gran bonte’w
elve
ou di sa’w vie ou fe sa’w vie
Pa gen moun pou ou
Pa gen moun pou
ou
Bonye
Sak dificil pou lom [what is difficult for us]
Facil pou ou
Ominisyans ou fo
Ou plein ak lanmou
telman ou pa limite [4x]
Ou di saw vie ou fe saw vie
Pa gen moun pou ou
Bonye
Pa gen moun pou ou
I attempted to copy these lyrics as they were given on that video. However, I may not have correctly indicated which verses are repeated and may have made other mistakes copying these words.
****
UPDATE: November 21, 2017
My sincere thanks to chrisschronicles for this transcription of "Pa Gen Moun Pou Ou Bondye" from Haitian Creole to English. Read Chris' full comment in this post's comment below:
LYRICS: THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR YOU [English translation]
(Composition -Maestro Clevenson Richmond)
I have evidence, so I speak
of what you do and what you say.
It's the truth.
My life evinces it,
because of what I was,
because of what you've made me into.
I'll sing with all my strength
to prove your greatness wherever I go.
Yes, you deserve it
and I exist to declare who you are.
Chorus:
There is no substitute for you, God.
What is difficult for man is easy for you.
Your omniscience is strong.
You are full of love, so much you don't limit.
(or "aren't limited," I'm unsure re. active/passive voice)
(repeat)
Why should I sit in a corner?
Why should my face be downcast
when you are higher,
you reach farther,
where man cannot know?
All your actions attest
that your power surpasses
that which is manmade.
Your word is strong.
Your strength is more than twice
the missile man has invented.
Bridge:
You are so great, your goodness is high up,
You say and do what you want.
There is no substitute for you.
-end of translation by chrisschronicles-
Thanks!
-end of November 21, 2017 update-
Note: I removed Google translates' translation from Haitian Creole to English which made no sense.
Here's my attempted transcription based on that Google translate translation:
NOBODY BUT YOU GOD
(composer Clevenson Richmond)
Ooooo
Hallelujah!
ooooo
I have a testimony to share
Of heaven's angels
My life shows this
I was for You (God)
before I experienced this
Everything else is false
I'm singing (Your praises)
I don't need proof
of how great You are
Yes, You are to be praised
We exist to tell others who You are
There is no other God but You.
What is difficult for others
Is easy for You
Those who reject You are false
You are complete love
You aren't limited
Why do I need to worry
Why does my fatigue end
You are higher than anyone
You reach so high that
people are unable to know where
I am very sure of this
There is nothing beyond
That which You have created
You are Omnipotent
People have invented fake truths
But You are a great God
What You say You do.
There is no God but You.
No God but You, good God.
What is difficult for others
Is easy for You.
Those who reject You are false. [4x]
I have seen heavenly angels.
[There is] No one but You
God
No one but You. [4X]
-snip-
The choir and soloist riff on this ending verse.
-snip-
"I'll change this attempted transcription if I receive (or find online) a transcription from someone who speaks Haitian Creole. Or if I receive corrected words from any of this blog's readers (via comments), I'll add those words to this transcription in italics. Thank you!
This post presents information about the Haitian band "Nu Look" and showcases the Nu Look video entitled "Confessions".
The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Arly Larivierre, soloist for Nu Look, and the entire Nu Look band. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post. In addition, thanks to the producer of this video and its publisher on YouTube.
****
EXCERPT OF INTERVIEW WITH ARLY LARIVIERRE
From https://haitianhollywood.com/haitian-celebs/item/arly-larivierre.html Interview with "Arly Larivierre
"Birthplace: Cap-Haitien Haiti
Biography
Arly Larivierre, born in Cap-Haitien Haiti, is a Haitian singer-songwriter, musician, record producer and leader of the konpa band “Nu Look”. Arly Larivierre’s father Daniel Larivierre was the lead singer and composer for the great Haitian band Tropicana D’Haiti. ….
He later migrated to the US, where he resides in Florida and was briefly part of the group D-zine in the late 90′s. In 2000, he joined forces with Gazzman Pierre and formed the band “Nu Look” which became one of the greatest duo in the HMI history books. Nu Look has become a reference in the Haitian music industry. During the last 13 years of Nu Look’s existence, under the leadership of Arly Lariviere as their Maestro and main composer, Nu look has successfully enlisted themselves in the hearts and soul of most konpa lovers, with mega hit songs, such as “Loving You”, “Why Do You Say You Love Me”, and “Notre Histoire” “Wasn’t meant to be” “A qui la faute” among others. Arly Larivierre has grown to be one of the most prolific Haitian composer of this generation.
With the sudden departures of Nu Look’s last two lead vocalists, Gazzman Pierre and Pipo Edersse Stanis, Arly is about to undertake one of the biggest challenge of his musical career; being the sole lead singer since the formation of Nu Look, over 13 years ago. The “iGotThis” album is about to be released in less than 24 hours, Arly Larivierre, sat with HB to discuss his upcoming album “iGotThis” and what it means to him….
AL- First I wanted to clear any confusion about the title of the album “iGot This” because many people see the statement “I am Arly Lariviere” “iGot This” and that wasn’t the idea. Rather it’s a statement showing that I am taking on the responsibility of Nu Look to ensure that the band is here for years to come… I have gotten a lot of advice from fellow lead singers in the industry that I have very good relationships with, and they broke it down for me very simply. They pretty much made me see that if I didn’t take on the role as lead singer, Nu Look would continue to have these problems. They went on to explain, that it’s one thing for there to be a lead singer in front of Nu Look and me on the side playing the keyboard, but it turns into a completely different situation every time I start singing “Oh Papa Bondieu” or “Si Se Yon Mal” and the crowd goes crazy with their arms wide open, while the lead singer of the band, is just left there feeling out of place or neglected. They will always have a problem with that and it’s okay for them to feel that way because at the end of the day, they are human. We all are. This made perfect sense to me and I knew that being the lead singer was the route that I had to take....
HB- How would you describe your personal style?
AL- If we are looking at the music that I have sang in the past you would say love songs. But the music I write in general is made to touch on real-life experiences that people go through every day, whether it be between friends, or lovers, or business. It’s about the world that we live in today.
HB- If your life was comparable to any of your love songs, which song would it be?
AL- All of them!!! ha ha ha ha!!! “...
****
LYRICS: CONFESSIONS
(Arly Larivierre)
Verse I
Se ou sèlman ki konnen sa m sakrifye pou nou.
Tout moun ap kritike m, menm fanmi m yo arive nye m.
Relatyon " à long terme" projè n yo "à court terme".
Sèl sa k'ape kenbe m se konfyans mwen mete nan lanmou.
Chorus I
Gen de jou mwen pè mwen dekouraje,
se komsi m'ape mache tou sèl
nan yon enpas "sans issue".
L'amour ne se paie que par l'amour, se sa yo di.
Se sèl espwa mwen genyen
se la m pwize fòs pou m kontinye.
Verse II
Mwen refize dakò ak opinyon piblik,
ki di ke de "nos jours " konpromi ranplase lanmou.
Kotidyen m pa fasil, " aimer c'est prendre un risque ".
Ou vle di twòp pou mwen, sèl chwa m se ale jiskobou.
[Chorus I] X
Bridge
Se plis jou ap pase, plis anksyete m ape grandi,
se plis ou enpòtan pou mwen, plis mwen gen " à perdu".
Mwen p'ap "baisser les bras" m deside ale jiskobou
pou si nou pa ta reyisi pou mwen pa di "what if".
Se ou sèl ki konnen reyalite lavi n
Se ou sèl ki konnen sa kotidyen n ye
X 2
[Bridge] X
Chorus II - 1
Jan mwen ògèye mwen p'at panse se te posib,
Ou fè mwen aksèpte "le peu" de sa ou ka ban mwen.
Yo rele m egare, o m merite pi plis ke sa.
Mwen pa di "le contraire" men se sa ki fè m kontan.
Chorus II - 2
Nou mèt pase lontan "ap pale",
nou mèt pase "des heures" eksplike n,
nou p'ap ka konprann mwen
paske sikonstans an nou pa menm.
Nou mèt pase ane, nou mèt pase "des ans" eksplike n,
nou p'ap ka konprann mwen
paske sikonstans an nou pa menm.
Chorus II - 1(a)
Jan mwen ògèye mwen p'at panse se te posib,
ou fè mwen aksèpte "le peu" de sa ou ka ban mwen.
Yo rele m egare, o m merite pi plis ke sa.
Mwen pa di "le contraire" men respekte desizyon m.
-snip-
*This transcription is from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3VVmPB7xy0 NU LOOK "Confessions" (PAWOL)
Anton channel, Published on Aug 23, 2014
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ENGLISH TRANSLATION* - CONFESSIONS
(Arly Larivierre)
Verse I
Only you know what I sacrificed for us.
Everyone will criticize me, even my family arrivals disown me.
Relatyon "long terme" we project "A court terme".
Only this k'ape keep me my confidence placed in love.
Chorus I
Some days I'm afraid I discouraged
In effect m'ape walk single
at an impasse "sense Issue".
Love is repaid by love payroll, so they say
It is the only hope I have
there I tap the strength to continue.
Verse II
I refuse to agree with public opinion,
saying that two "these days" compromises replace love.
Daily I not easy, " love is to take a risk. "
You mean too much to me, my only choice is to go jiskobou.
[Chorus I] X
Bridge
It is more the days go more my anxiety yells grow,
is much important for me, plus I have "versus wasted."
I will "give up" I decided to go jiskobou
for if we did not succeed to me by saying "What If".
Only you know reality Lives
Only you know that everyday we are
X 2
[Bridge] X
Chorus II - 1
How proud I p'at I think it was possible,
Or do I accept "the little" of what you can give me.
They called me foolish, oh I deserve more than that.
I say "as contrary" but what makes me happy
Chorus II - 2
We can spend long "talking"
ye than "some hours" we explained,
we will be able to understand me
circumstances because we do not even.
We can spend years, we may pass "some years" we explained,
we will be able to understand me
circumstances because we do not even.
Chorus II - 1(a)
How proud I p'at I think it was possible,
you accept "the little" of what you can give me.
They called me foolish, oh I deserve more than that.
I say "as contrary" but I respect the decision.
-snip-
*This is Google Translate's translation of Haitian Creole & French words to English. Most of the lyrics for this song are Haitian Creole (Kreyol) and a few of the lyrics are in French. Google translate didn't give translations for a few other words and phrases. Additions and corrections are welcome.
For example. Google translate indicated that the word "jiskabou" was Haitian Creole, but didn't give any English translation for that. I did a Google search for that word but that search resulted in websites about the color "red". I also found a video of the group Barikad Crew performing a song entitled "Jiskobou".
Does "jiskobou" mean something like a red rage (stark raging mad/crazy?)
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SHOWCASE VIDEO
Nu Look - Confessions - Official Video
Your Zouk TV, Published on Aug 29, 2014
-snip-
This record was released in 2013.
This post presents information about Haitian Cubans and showcases one video each of two Haitian Cuban choirs: Creole Choir of Cuba and La Caridad de Ramón. Selected comments from these videos' discussion threads are also included in this post.
The content of this post is presented for historical, cultural, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to these featured choirs for their for musical legacy. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.
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INFORMATION ABOUT HAITIAN CUBANS
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haitian_Cuban
A Haitian Cuban (Spanish: Haitiano-Cubano, French: Haïtien Cubain, Haitian Creole: Ayisyen Kiben) is a Cuban citizen of full or partial Haitian ancestry.
Origins
French, Haitian Creole and culture first entered Cuba with the arrival of Haitian immigrants at the start of the 19th century. Haiti was a French colony, and the final years of the 1791-1804 Haitian Revolution brought a wave of French settlers fleeing with their Haitian slaves to Cuba. They came mainly to the east, and especially Guantanamo, where the French later introduced sugar cultivation, constructed sugar refineries and developed coffee plantations.
By 1804, some 30,000 French were living in Baracoa and Maisí, the furthest eastern municipalities of the province.
Haitian immigrant workers (1912-1939)
Due to the United States occupation of Haiti, many Haitian peasants left to find work as laborers in neighboring countries like Cuba. These immigrants lived a fine line trying to maintain their Haitian culture and assimilating enough to be able to work and live in a foreign society. In 1937, over 25,000 Haitians were forcibly removed from Cuba and shipped back to Haiti.[2] This different treatment of migrant laborers is due to several factors. Cuban racists beliefs combined with economic concerns were a direct catalyst for this drastic Haitian exodus.[3]...
Recent years
Later, Haitians continued to come to Cuba to work as braceros (hand workers, from the Spanish word brazo, meaning "arm") in the fields cutting cane. Their living and working conditions were not much better than slavery. Although they planned to return to Haiti, most stayed on in Cuba. For years, many Haitians and their descendants in Cuba did not identify themselves as such or speak Creole. In the eastern part of the island, many Haitians continued to suffer discrimination. But according to the Fidel Castro regime, since 1959, when he took over, this discrimination has stopped.[10] After Spanish, Haitian Creole is the second most-spoken language in Cuba where over 300,000 Haitian immigrants speak it. It is recognized as a language in Cuba and a considerable number of Cubans speak it fluently. Most of these speakers have never been to Haiti and do not possess Haitian ancestry, but merely learned it in their communities. In addition to the eastern provinces, there are also communities in Ciego de Ávila and Camagüey provinces where the population still maintains Creole, their mother tongue. Classes in Creole are offered in Guantanamo, Matanzas and the City of Havana. There is a Creole-language radio program.[11]"...
The choir was founded in 1994 during the 'Special Period' when the Cuban economy fell into a black hole following the end of the USSR and of Soviet support for the revolution. Food was short while homes and work places often went dark due to lack of electricity. It was at this difficult time that members of the Professional Choir of Camagüey who were descendants of Haitians, decided to re-forge the resistance songs and laments of their forebears. Led by their Choir Director Emilia Díaz Chávez, Grupo Vocal Desandann, as they are called in Cuba, revived the songs of their ancestors for modern times. Desandann literally means 'descendants' and as the choir say: "For us music is like food, it feeds the spirit and is a major inspiration for everyday life".
Songs are sung in creole, Cuba's second language, first created by slaves by fusing words together words from their African languages, the Taíno language of Caribbean indigenous people, with French, Spanish and English. Creole was spoken by the choir's parents, grandparents and great grandparents, people doubly displaced, first from Africa then from Haiti. The first wave of Haitians were brought to Cuba as slaves to work in the sugar plantations of the French aristocracy who fled Haiti after the slave revolts of the 1790s. Subsequent waves of Haitians came to the island during 19th and early 20th century, and again in the 1950s during the brutal dictatorship of Papa Doc Duvalier. All lived in the countryside in conditions akin to slavery enduring harsh discrimination until the 1959 Revolution brought with it literacy, education and equality...
The Choir have two albums, Tande-La (2011) and Santiman (2013).
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FEATURED VIDEOS
These videos are presented in chronological order based on their publishing date on YouTube with the oldest dated video given first.
Example #1: Creole Choir of Cuba - Tande (music video)
The Creole Choir of Cuba, Uploaded on May 6, 2010
-snip-
Here's information from the video summary of another performance of this song by The Creole Choir of Cuba:
"The Creole Choir of Cuba are called 'Desandann' in their home country which means 'descendants' and with the songs on their forthcoming album 'Tande-La' (a title which translates as 'listen') they tell the stories of their Haitian ancestors who were brought to Cuba to work in near slave conditions on the sugar and coffee plantations.
This live performance of the title track from their album 'Tande-La' was recorded at the 2009 Edinburgh International Festival." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkzPD4_sau0.
-snip-
Here's a comment from the embedded video's discussion thread:
Lesprilib1, 2012
"The original version of this song is from a Haitian vodou-rock band called "Boukan Ginen". "Tande" means "LIsten". The song is about the search for spiritual enlightenment. "Limyè a se sa nou vle, se sa menm nou mande = the light is what we want, this is what we request"."
-snip-
Here's a link to a sound file of Boukan Ginen's recording of Tande (Limyè a) = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHIYgIVjXgQ
-snip-
Click https://dreamsofginen.wordpress.com/2012/04/26/whats-in-a-name/ April 26, 2012, "What’s in a name?" for information about the meaning of the Haitian Creole word "Ginen". Here's an excerpt from that post:
..."Within Haiti, the term “Vodou” was not, until the twentieth century, commonly used to describe the religion as a whole, but only a particular rite and its related dances and drum rhythms...
Haitian Vodou does have an internal name, Sèvis Ginen (Service to Ginen), corresponding to the closest thing one will find in Vodou to an affirmation of faith, the often employed phrase, “Mwen sèvi Ginen” (“I serve Ginen”). The word Ginen (alternately called Gine, nan Ginen, peyi Ginen, Lafrik Ginen, etc.) can be literally translated as “Africa.” The word owes obvious debt to the French word Guinée—the name for the region, the so-called Guinea Coast, from which numerous Africans were deported to St. Domingue (present-day Haiti) as slaves during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. However, in the context of Vodou cosmology, the Africa of Ginen is different from the continent presently identified by that name, for which a different Kreyòl word, Afrik or Lafrik, is used. Rather, Ginen is the home of the spirits, a forested island residing simultaneously at the bottom of the cosmic waters (anba dlo) and at the backs of mirrors (do miwa). As a living and accessible mythic past of ancestors, heroes and divine spirits, Ginen serves as a vouchsafe for matters of religious practices and belief.
To say that one serves Ginen it to say that one serves the ancestors and spirits that are perceived to come from, and continue to exist in, Ginen. This mythical present-past is a source of limitless spiritual power, in large part because it is seen as the true source of authentic, which is to say right, religious practice—of konesans (spiritual wisdom) and règleman (ritual knowledge). At the same time that Ginen is a past and an eternal present, Ginen is also a sacred future, a place which is longed for, and which one hopes to see someday. All Vodouisants hope eventually to become holy spirits that can dwell in the utopian world of Ginen. For these reasons, Ginen is in some respects comparable to the Christian idea of heaven, the New Jerusalem of the Revelation of St. John, Augustine’s City of God, Aztlan of the Aztecs, and the Dreaming of Aboriginal Australians"...
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Example #2: Haiti in Cuba - La Caridad de Ramón
Bartolomesincasas, Published on Jul 28, 2012
"La Caridad" is the folklore ensemble of a group of people of Haitian descendance living in a village called Ramón. It is located in a zone of coffee cultivation within the municipality of Palma Soriana. The hamlet lies above the banks of the Cauto river, which flows from the Sierra Maestre in the eastern part of Cuba. Like the groups "Gagá de Thompsón" and "Gagá de Barranca", "La Caridad" is a "grupo portador" - a safekeeper of Haitian popular traditions in the Cuban context.
The group was founded by the late Tomacito Poll in 1983, and several family members still belong to La Caridad (His son Pochólo -Victor- started another roots-band called "Ibó"). All these bands have links to the Casa del Caribe in Santiago de Cuba. Fundación Interchange and Revista Batey are making an effort to uncover the history of Haitian inmigration and processes of cultural transformation in Cuba. The idea is to publish a book with dvd next year.
-snip-
Selected comments from this video's discussion thread:
2013
kmokedoyo
"Thats haitian creole, for sure :) they are cubans and their ancestors are from haiti, those ladies who were singing and dancing, their father was and Haitian houngan who came from Jacmel Hati. they may have spanish accent when they speak, but believe thats haitian creole, just and old one :)"
**
Guy Edouard
"these people are Cuban born with Haitian Ascentry....meaning years ago when Haiti became independent it became a save zone for any runaway slave in the Western Hemisphere ....so that culture is from Haiti and they are speaking Haitian Creole but with a Spanish accent cuz they were born in Cuba not Haiti but they still posses haitian blood. So for you people not familiar making idiotic comments stop it."
**
Reply
Charles Davis
"Exactly!!! I afro-cuban and I totally understand, consorte!! :)"
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Angie Marie
"My husband said it's real kreyol they are speaking and the song says: rele yo pou mwen (calling something to come) voodoo music.. soon as he heard the music he said that lol"
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2014
Stanley Dougé
"that's not the same creole as we who stayed in Haiti speaks it's probably overtaken by the spanish interesting the french became second place in the creole it's beautiful bondye beni nou my beautiful compatriots"
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Richardo Marco
"Jesus Raydel Sanchez yo soy haitiano que habla Creole ! y yo entiendo casi todo de lo que estan cantando , el idioma se ha alterado un poco pero todavia se entiende ! viva Haiti viva CUba !"
[translation from Google translate: "Jesus Sanchez Raydel I'm Haitian Creole speaking! and I understand most of what they are singing, the language has changed a bit but still means! Haiti viva viva Cuba!"
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2016
Nickalous Harris
"Would love to learn more about my the history of my Hatian ancestors. Also would love to travel to Haiti too. There is so many black people in North America who don't even know who they're descendants of. It's SAD. NO KNOWLEDGE. Especially when you have been robbed of it"
