Haitian rara music is very much music of the street. Rara bands wielding drums, maracas, multiple hand percussion instruments and long bamboo trumpets called vaksen take to Haiti’s streets in raucous public processions, ostensibly to celebrate Easter week, but in reality to celebrate much more. Rara is associated with Haiti’s history of African and Afro-Creole slavery, during which enslaved Haitians would sometimes be able to parade on Eastern Sunday.
In All Around This World classes we experience a rara procession and par-tay!
More information:
A first-hand account of rara | YouTube: Vaksen in action | Rockin’ umbrella Rara!
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