Boukman Eksperyans

Boukman Eksperyans announce their radicalism in their name, an allusion to Boukman the slave who initiated the island's 1804 independence uprising. Always aware that freedom and culture go hand in hand, this ten-member band sing in the sporadically outlawed creole tongue and blend African religious motifs and street slang into a wild, syncretic celebration of Haitian voodoo culture. To sing out so boldly in Haiti, however, is to invite repression; although the band's "Wet Chenn" (Remove the Chains) won first place in a 1989 musical contest, their 1992 entry was banned. In an environment torn apart with military unrest and governmental crackdowns, Boukman Eksperyans are regarded as a radical threat. Thus, their 1990 song, "Kem Pa Sote" was banned from Haitian airwaves. 1991's Vodou Adjae was the first Boukman Eksperyans album released in the U.S.; subsequent offerings include 1992's Kalfou Dangare, 1995's Libete/Freedom (Let's Take It!) and 1999's Live at Red Rocks. Kanaval Rasin-Vodou Adja followed in mid-2000.