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Surviving Material Poverty by Employing Cultural Wealth: Putting Music in the Service of Community in Haiti

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 December 2018

Rebecca Dirksen
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Extract

Haiti and its citizens are frequently squeezed between a confusing and uneasy pair of polarizing superlatives: the Caribbean nation is routinely identified as “the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere” at the same time that its culture is upheld as one of the richest in the post-colonial Americas. Although these labels can (and probably should) be dismissed as oversimplified and destructive, they do offer a striking dichotomy to contemplate. Can seeming economic poverty be balanced against so-called cultural richness? Can the domains of economy and culture be reconciled as mutually useful? Specifically, can culture be exploited to enhance daily life and improve material existence?

Abstract in kreyòl

Abstract in Kreyòl

Atik sa a demontre kontradiksyon ki egziste nan fason langaj medyatize ki mete etikèt peyi pi pòv pou kategorize Ayiti kontrèman a richès kilitrèl peyi a ki byen selebre; alò, sa mande yon egzaminasyon nan kòman mizikalite kapab chanje reyalite materyèl popilasyon an. Ann Ayiti, gen yon “konsyans sou malsite” e konsyans sa a reflekte nan tèks mizikal ki sòti pandan dènye senkantan yo. Anplis, chante monte-konsyans sa yo sòti nan lòt sektè ki pa vrèman konekte avèk travay mizikal. Pa egzanp, yon gwoup hip-hop ki sòti nan yon zòn defavorize nan Pòtoprens ťap j ere yon pwojè pandan lontan pou retire fatra nan lari; mizisyen yo te ankouraje patisipasyon kominote a atravè pawòl angaje nan mizik yo. Nou kapab gade angajman sosyal-mizikal konsa kòm yon aksyon kiltirèl, epi angajman sa a demontre kòman moun itilize mizik pou reponn a kondisyon pòvrete yo, donk sa rantre nan domén kote j wenn solisyon pi souvan al tonbe nan kadraj solisyon ekonomik.

(translated by Patrick Sylvain)

Type
Articles
Information
Yearbook for Traditional Music , Volume 45 , 2013 , pp. 43 - 57
Copyright
Copyright © 2013 by the International Council for Traditional Music

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