Overview:
After three powerhouse vocalists—Naïemlee “Lenny” Auguste, Lorraine Stessie Charles, and Joana “JoJ” Joseph—delivered stirring performances on the “Harmonie” live performance on Jan. 9, the Institut Français en Haïti hosted one other main occasion: Youry Vixamar’s “Dekolonizasyon.” 1000’s in Port-au-Prince had been transported by way of his fusion of Vodou rhythms, folks music, and theatrical storytelling.
By Allison Hunter
PORT-AU-PRINCE — On Friday, Jan. 24, the Institut Français en Haïti (IFH) pulsed with the rhythmic beats of Youry Vixamar’s long-awaited live performance. Greater than three years after releasing his album “Dekolonizasyon” in 2021, Vixamar lastly took the stage, guiding followers by way of his journey from Christianity to Vodou. The efficiency, full of highly effective drumming, dance, and storytelling, was greater than a live performance—it was a celebration of Haitian tradition, spirituality, and identification.
Regardless of forecasts predicting heavy rain, a big and decided crowd gathered at IFH in Bois-Verna, Port-au-Prince. Generations of followers got here collectively, unwilling to let the climate dampen the long-anticipated occasion. Their unwavering presence underscored each their deep connection to Vixamar’s music and their dedication to celebrating Haiti’s wealthy cultural heritage.
Launched in September 2021, “Dekolonizasyon” options 11 tracks that fuse conventional Vodou rhythms with up to date influences. The album contains collaborations with acclaimed artists like Fabienne Denis, Misty Jean, and Riva Nyri Précil. At its core, “Dekolonizasyon” is a reclamation of Haitian Vodou tradition, typically misunderstood or misrepresented. Its standout monitor, “Gran Bwa,” gained worldwide recognition when it was carried out on the Cannes Movie Competition in 2023 as a part of the Haitian movie “Freda,” directed by Gessica Généus.

To introduce the present, Vixamar and the dancers threw water and rum to greet the loas— a time period used to explain Vodou spirits. This ritual, required symbolically by the faith’s custom, added a non secular dimension to the musical efficiency. The dancers’ swish, synchronized actions to the sound of “Èzili” or “Erzulie,” typically used interchangeably in Creole and French, captivated the group with the enchanting voice of Haitian singer Riva Nyri Précil. This music calls forth the presence of Erzulie Freda, the goddess of affection, to emerge from the troubled waters. In that second, the bond between the artists and the viewers deepened, nurturing a symbiosis of distinctive creative expression expertise.
After Ézili, Vixamar utilized “Gran Bwa” to maintain the viewers engaged and uphold the paranormal and ancestral components of the efficiency. The highly effective rhythms of the drums and the dancers’ choreography transport the viewers on a non secular journey by way of sacred, but imaginary, woods. Vixamar’s music captures each the majesty and safety of the forest whereas emphasizing the significance of preserving nature inside Haitian traditions.

Past its musical facet, “Gran Bwa” is a real lesson in historical past and tradition. Vixamar, 45, discusses how colonizers tried to eradicate Vodou’s beliefs and practices. He explains how these traditions survived and developed, turning into a cornerstone of Haitian identification. He emphasizes the resilience and dedication of the Haitian individuals to protect their roots regardless of oppression.
Vixamar didn’t at all times have this Vodou sensibility. He grew up in a Christian household and attended a Catholic college. For him, the Dekolonizasyon album is a story of non-public expertise. By way of his drums’ songs and rhythm, he takes individuals on a journey the place he has rediscovered himself with new beliefs.
“Dekolonizasyon is my private expertise, my very own evolution,” he informed The Haitian Occasions in a post-show interview. “In some unspecified time in the future, I informed myself that I wished to get to know myself by way of myself. And I noticed that our tradition has rather a lot to show us.”
“Once I found the drum as a musical instrument,” Vixamar mentioned confidently, “I informed myself I needed to put apart all the pieces I knew. It’s not that they’re unhealthy, however I informed myself I had to create space for this new formation I used to be providing myself.”

Vixamar describes his journey towards decolonizing his thoughts as he discovers the tradition and ancestral traditions he missed in class, realizing that this revelation opens up a brand new perspective on the world.
“For me, Vodou serves as the important thing to understanding agronomy, astronomy, artwork, love, and rather more,” the artist mentioned.
Regardless of uncovering all these insights, Vixamar stays humble and doesn’t overestimate the worth of his newfound beliefs. “I can’t say my information is superior to anybody else’s. I’ll merely say that it’s a part of all information. I received’t impose it on others, simply as I received’t settle for others imposing theirs on me.”
One of many night’s highlights was the gorgeous efficiency by break dancers Samantha Valencia Chertoute and Medgine Paul, showcasing an revolutionary and daring fusion of cultures. By mixing up to date break dance strikes with conventional Vodou components, these performances created a hanging distinction and a fascinating creative synergy.
This fusion of breakdance highlights how trendy artwork can join with ancestral heritage. By combining up to date types of expression with conventional practices, Vixamar exhibits that preserving tradition requires adaptation and renewal. The dancers, with their expertise and fervour, play an important position on this mission, exemplifying the vibrancy and universality of Haitian tradition.
One of the crucial electrifying moments of the “Dekolonizasyon” present was the character’s look as Bawon, a Haitian Vodou spirit typically linked with dying and therapeutic. Wearing conventional apparel, Bawon—symbolic of the cemetery’s guardian who possesses the information of the useless and the outer world in Vodou traditions—made a dramatic entrance onto the stage, immediately capturing the viewers’s consideration and creativeness.
This efficiency by Bawon was not merely a visible efficiency, however a robust reminder of the ancestral beliefs and Vodou rituals that proceed to play a vital position in Haitian tradition. By way of his spectral presence and gestures, he embodied the struggles and losses, but in addition the hopes and resilience of a individuals preventing to protect their roots.

With this staging of the Bawon, Vixamar resonated with the echoes of deep spirituality and reminded the viewers of the perpetuation of Vodou traditions. The spectators, immersed on this spellbinding environment, had the chance to reconnect with the sacred dimensions of Haitian tradition, feeling a stronger hyperlink with ancestral spirits and the symbolic energy of the Bawon.
For Assey Roy “Troy” André, dancer and choreographer on the mission, dekolonizasyon is a mix of pop dance and conventional dance, folklore and emotion. It’s a method of promoting an instrument that’s been demonized, even amongst up to date youth: the drum. He remarks that Youry’s album, by way of his analysis and musical pilgrimages, affords a mission to interrupt psychological and bodily chains.
“His music has the flexibility to move you to a world the place you be happy. It additionally makes you’re feeling at peace, the place your rights, as a human being, are revered,” André mentioned.
On the finish of his present, Vixamar warmly thanked the viewers for his or her presence and enthusiastic help. Visibly touched by the night’s heat welcome and palpable vitality, Vixamar expressed his gratitude by stressing the significance of this connection along with his viewers.
“The viewers was not simply spectators however lively contributors within the reappropriation and valorization of Haitian identification’, the drummer mentioned. “I watched the group having enjoyable, dancing, and studying too. We’re not simply entertaining; we’re additionally educating. I noticed younger individuals, kids and adults alike. I thank all of them for that.”
Vixamar additionally supplied particular because of everybody who helped make the occasion potential, together with the dancers, musicians and employees of the Institut Français en Haïti and a few non-public people. “Every individual had contributed a useful stone to the muse of this formidable mission,” he concluded.