Edited by Azizi Powell
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.
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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."
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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.
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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"
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*This article includes the video that is given below.
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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.
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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."
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Given that information, my guess is that the word "mapou" in this title reinforces the belief that Racine music is sacred.
Here's some information about the drummer "Azor":
From http://worldmusiccentral.org/2011/07/28/a-giant-of-haitian-music-lenord-fortune-azor-dies-at-46/ "A GIANT OF HAITIAN MUSIC LÉNORD FORTUNÉ ‘AZOR’ DIES AT 46"
JULY 28, 2011 WORLD MUSIC CENTRAL NEWS DEPARTMENT
"Lénord Fortuné - Azor
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."...
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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.
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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!"
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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."
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Reply
3. negkreyol21
"haha its the same thing you are just mentioning artist every one makes their music differently thats how it goes"
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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."
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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..."
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Reply
6. MrHiaiti
"kite jouda pale..racine mapou the best racine group of all time... and this completely different from rara"
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From http://mymemory.translated.net/en/Haitian-Creole-French/English/kite-yo-pale [translations from Haitian Creole to English] "kite yo pale" = "Let them speak"
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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."
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8. CCSFMusic25
"This is wonderful - thank you so much for the historical information as well as the beautiful music video!"
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2011
9. Pierre Henri Dalencour
"Respect Azor!!!! Ayibobo pou ou!!!!"
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(Google Translate) Haitian Creole to English:
"Ayibobo pou ou!!!!" - "Congratulations to you !!!!"
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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."
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2012
11. DIEGO MANJARREZ4 years ago
"Esta musica no tiene nada que ver con las 21 divisiones?"
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(Google Translate) From Spanish to English:
"This music has nothing to do with the 21 divisions?"
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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
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(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"
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2014
13. Stephan Sainvil
"Racine Mapou will remain forever the best of the best."
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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."
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15. Stanley Dougé, 2016
"he died unfortunately in 2011"
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16. Ray Mercedes, 2017
"ayibobo"
(Google Translate) Haitian Creole to English:
"Ayibobo" = "Congratulations"
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