News / Gladimyr Vaval

Haiti: A look back at the First Rara Weekend in Petit-Goave

Haitian culture is a true treasure, woven from the creativity of its artists, its rich heritage and the diversity of its cultural expressions. Among these cultural gems, the rara stands as a true national emblem, uniting Haitians through its captivating rhythms and centuries-old traditions. During the first Rara weekend, this very essence of Haitian culture shone brightly, revealing palpable social cohesion. Despite the absence of law enforcement, tranquility reigned in Petit-Goâve, testifying to the ability of citizens to come together in peace and conviviality. However, media attention was mainly focused on the first plain, leaving a certain imbalance in the coverage of the festivities. Ratyèfè, three-time reigning champion, once again captivated minds with his talent and artistic mastery, offering an unparalleled spectacle. But his rival, Lambi gran dlo, was not to be outdone, displaying a determination to compete for first place. The event was also marked by unfortunate incidents, reminding us that despite the beauty of tradition, tensions can arise. Clashes between fans of different groups tarnished the festive atmosphere, highlighting the need for careful management of celebrations to avoid such excesses. At the heart of this musical competition, where each group aspires to recognition and victory, a complex picture of rivalries and alliances emerges. Chenn tamarin, although appearing asleep in the first moments, shows signs of waking up, ready to shake up the established order. On Sunday evening, Lambi gran dlo honored the memory of one of its loyal supporters, while Grap Kenèp was the scene of violence between fans, recalling the fragility of social cohesion when passion runs wild. In this whirlwind of emotion and competition, it is crucial to keep in mind that it is the journalist who must look to the events, and not the other way around. This is how we draw up the first ranking for this first weekend: 1. Ratyèfè 2. Lambi grand dlo 3. Chenn tamarind Beyond the results, it is the preservation of unity and mutual respect that must remain at the heart of these celebrations, making the rara not only a musical festival, but above all a symbol of the wealth and resilience of the people Haitian.

Petit-Goave, Haiti: Decryption of the 3rd rara weekend!

It is more and more obvious that in Petit-Goave the media space is absorbed by the rivalry between Ratyèfè, triple champions and lambi gran lambi dlo, a former champion. The past weekend was once again irrefutable proof of the media tension over these two rival bands. With a carnival-like appearance, the fan club of the first dressed in a white shirt, short orange-yellow skirt, purple tie, black boot; the other dressed in a traditional hat, yellow jersey, red pants, red or yellow tennis shoes. This marriage of colors with the taste of carnival is the expression of cultural diversity as La Fontaine said in his book tales and short stories "diversity is my motto." This formula can adapt well to the rara. If it is true in Léogane this marriage of color has existed for ages. It is no less true that this was the case in Petit-Goave because we had to wait for the strong return of Ratyèfè in 2018 to see the rara fan clubs dress differently each new weekend. Last Saturday more than one expected a new face to face between Lambi gran dlo and Ratyèfè because the latter weighed anchor in the direction of the 2nd plain and the latter, in the direction of the city center. Less than in any other circumstance, this duel at the top was obvious. If for some comments it was a favorable opportunity for Lambi to take his revenge on his rival compared to the previous weekend because he had done the profile although he had the advantage because he was two against one. (Lambi,chenn tamarin vs Ratyèfè). This enormous advantage did not work in their favor because the hours that had passed worked against them, as proof they had gone to sleep while ratyèfè remained to play for at least 30 more rounds. Surprisingly but not surprisingly during the meeting long awaited by less than one, at the Acul not far from the Saint Jean-Baptiste church, lambi had decided not to play anymore. However, according to the customs and costumes of the rara when there are two bands, the one who stops playing first, shows weakness and surrender. Consequently, the other who is opposite out of decency and good morals has no other choice to do the same. It follows that for the umpteenth time the great power formation (lambi grand dlo) was unable to take revenge on its rival. For many cultural journalists who were present to witness this event did not have their tongue in their pocket to give their impression of Ratyèfè’s monster performance. This is the case for Brignol, a cultural commentary which wondered if Ratyèfè had the devil in his body so that the most incredulous were in their feeling of joy. On Sunday evening this monster of animation once again made its mark in the art of its know-how. This is what explains the almost unanimity among the cultural journalists of Petit-Goâve in granting first place to this band for its performance and its musical discipline. So, for this weekend according to the circle of cultural journalists of Petit-Goave and with the approval of many other cultural comments. We have the following classification: 1st Ratyèfè 2nd Grap Kenèp 3rd Orgueil de la jeunesse

Haiti: Carnival and Rara: Crossed Perspectives on Culture and Haitian Identity

In our tradition, carnival represents an essential cultural activity. Indeed, for the holding of it this year, the State had drawn from the public treasury not only a huge sum but also a strong concentration of law enforcement to ensure the protection and security of carnival-goers in the area. metropolitan. Despite numerous criticisms and concerns expressed by certain media on the one hand, then on the other hand by the democratic opposition. While it is true that in Port au Prince these concerns had had a no less valuable consequence on the progress of this festivity. It is no less true that this was the case in other provincial towns, as proof in the southeast department the authorities did not record anything as an element of accident or incident during the progress of the carnival unlike Port au Prince. Certainly, socio/economic problems are increasingly worrying, nevertheless what makes us what we are today, a free and independent people is none other than our exceptionality. This deeply expresses our intrinsic characteristic in relation to people. In fact, historically we are a people who laugh and cry, smile and irritate, dance and hit the system, sing and fight so well that "grenadya alaso sa ki mouri zafè ya yo" is the most emblematic song of the slaves for the conquest of our freedom. We do not intend to claim that those who expressed their disagreement with the carnival are showing a historical deficit. However, we leave in the shadows a fundamental question: why is carnival taken care of by the State while the rara is like an abandoned child? The rara is not only a simple cultural tradition but, above all, it is the heritage of our valiant warriors who bravely fought the French expeditionary army, the most powerful of the time. While, this mass cultural, she is still marginalized by state authorities. It is emphasized that social cohesion is the dead point of carnival. On the other hand, this is the strong point of rara. As proof, the Thursday of the Dead in our Voudouesque tradition which represents the opening ceremony for the rara bands is the blatant testimony of this social cohesion. And, in fact, there were circles of people who took divergent directions to attend the opening ceremony of their rara bands. For this opening ceremony the atmosphere was a taste of carnival in terms of color. On the side of Croix Hilaire, for the title champion Ratyèfè full force band, the color of his club was very diverse, a long dress of apricot yellow, mauve white, then white scarf. In terms of performance, this band had completely proven its champion skills thanks to its arsenal of musicians who were not in their testing phase. To tell the truth, they performed their note with surgical precision as a doctor-surgeon in his surgical procedure. The synchronization between the musicians, the instruments and then the fans form a whole and harmonize perfectly well. This band not only has the magic of words and verbs, it seems that they also have the magic to thrill even the most reluctant fans. Moreover, his performance for this dead Thursday was a challenge for his rivals this weekend to the extent that their performances were less good. On the symbol side of light, Grap Kenèp was the wonder of the Thursday evening of the dead. His club dressed in the appropriate color for this evening, purple scarf, purple jersey, then white “kolan”. In a symbolic way, this marriage of color represents Baron in Haitian Vodou. Without a doubt, it was the most beautiful symbolic representation of the evening. In terms of performance, returning from the cemetery we felt a very strong warmth of jubilation, elation, and playfulness for a completely balanced performance. As far as Chenn Tamarin is concerned, it was already 2 a.m. when our team met him, it was a less good performance than what we were accustomed to. On the symbolic side it leaves something to be desired. His news was that he had his own media. Petit-Goave/Culture and Society

Vertières, Fort Mazi: Beyond historical truth;

If you look up the word vertière in a French dictionary, you will not find it for fear that the world does not know this place represents the Achilles heels of the most powerful European army. What’s more, this one had just successfully won the eastern campaign. French historians of the time erased this geographical location from the radar of history because they did not want to tell the story as it is in the sense of explaining the first great humiliation of the expeditionary army French by bands of slaves who were totally ignorant in the art of waging war, much less in the handling of weapons. However, these illiterate wars routed the Napoleonic army, the most powerful at that time, using the means at hand. This expeditionary army, after having brought Europe to its knees, would experience its first rout by slaves in this geographical location, located in the Northern department of Haiti. Funny story, this city is not on the list of French words even though given its historical importance, it should be at the heart of universal history, far from putting an end to the invincibility of the undefeated army army. So as not to offend the white masters, no political leader has ever asked why vertière does not appear in any French dictionary? However, they celebrate this battle with great fanfare every November 18. What historic hypocrisy among our leaders! After Vertière many other historical places are strangled by historians in order to hide the extremes of atrocities of the French colonists on the slaves. It is in this context of historical strangulation that “Fort Mazi” is not mentioned in school history textbooks. This is located in Petit-Goave, 2nd municipal section, Arnoux locality. We came across this mega fort, during a mobile clinic entirely financed by the Ernest Junior foundation, a charitable foundation which works in the social sector, particularly in the field of art and music. According to residents , the oldest in this locality, this fort was built on at least 20 squares of earth by the settlers. It was a huge military complex divided into compartments, outposts, turtle rooms, rooms for treating colonists, a large Catholic church, and a cemetery. However, we never talk about this fort so much so that it is ignored by history teachers in the town of Petit-Goave. Certainly, the desired disappearance of this fort under the radar of history buries the atrocities, the barbarities, the most inhumane punishments of the colonists on the slaves. Looking closely at reality, everything seems true that it is the largest fort ever built during the period of colonization. Moreover, it probably seems the most fortified in relation to its importance. Remember that Vertière only exists in Haitian school history textbooks while Fort Mazi does not appear, much less in French dictionaries or history books. This explains why this fort was a secret place in which the settlers practiced crimes and atrocities that went beyond human understanding. Is it not a clear desire of historians to hide what this immense fort built on at least 20 tiles of earth really was? Discover the history of Haiti: A fascinating story to explore! : https://haitiwonderland.com/haiti/histoire/decouvrez-l-histoire-d-haiti--un-recit-fascinant-a-explorer/81