- REDIRECT
Rara is a form of festival music that originated in
Haïti, that is used for street processions, typically during
Easter Week. The music centers on a set of cylindrical bamboo trumpets called
vaksen (which may also be made of metal pipes), but also features drums,
maracas,
güiras or
güiros (a percussion instrument), and metal bells, as well as sometimes also cylindrical metal
trumpets which are made from recycled metal, often coffee cans. The
vaksen-s perform repeating patterns in
hocket and often strike their instruments rhythmically with a stick while blowing into them. In the modern day, standard
trumpets and
saxophones may also be used. The genre though predominantly Afro-based has some
Taino Amerindian elements to it such as the use of
güiros and maracas. The songs are always performed in
Haitian Kreyòl and typically celebrate the African ancestry of the Afro-Haitian masses.
Vodou is often implemented through the procession. The genre was imported to the
Dominican Republic and is now an integral part of the
Afro-Dominican music scene, where it is known colloquially as
gagá. In the Dominican Republic, the music is often played by the Afro-Dominican population as a cultural tribute to their African ancestors in the same manner as their counterparts in Haiti. Rara in Haiti is often used for political purposes, with candidates commissioning songs praising them and their campaigns. Rara lyrics also often address difficult issues, such as political oppression or poverty. Consequently, rara groups and other musicians have been banned from performing and even forced into exile—most notably, folk singer
Manno Charlemagne who later returned to Haïti and was elected mayor of
Port-au-Prince in the 1990s.