Understanding Haitian Music and Culture in 2023

Originating in Haiti, rara is a unique form of festival music used for street processions. Rara music centers on a set of cylindrical bamboo trumpets called vaksin as well as metal trumpets called kone or klewon which are made from recycled metal. The vaccine 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 s