The movie “The Other Side of the Water” showed how West Indians in New York practice Rara, a form of Haitian music and dance. It’s origin is unknown, but many theories exist as to how it got created. Musicians that play rara do not follow any specific songs and invent music on the spot. When they practice, they let anyone show up and play with them. However, contemporary second-generation West Indians like to establish specific meeting times to practice. This does not coincide with older followers of rara because the musicians should not impose any restrictions on the music they want to play. It takes away from the feeling of detaching from worries and concerns in order to enjoy oneself. Rara is meant to simply be a way of having a good time. It also serves as a way to connect the West Indian community outside of the Caribbean. Thus, it is popular in New York City.
Lois Wilcken’s “The Sacred Music and Dance of Haitian Vodou from Temple to Stage and the Ethics of Representation” discusses the history and beliefs about Haitian vodou. This is the category that rara would fall under. Vodou is also a way for Haitians to enjoy themselves by playing music and dancing. When practicing vodou, people feel that they are possessed by spirits and their celebrations go on all night. Later, these celebrations began to be turned into performances, which made them detract from the idea that nothing is planned out or timed. Normally, spirits guide the performers’ movements and they dance and play for however long they want. The benefit of turning this into a performance is that vodou has become a quite well-known practice. Nevertheless, there are still some misconceptions about it. People view Haitians as cannibals because they associate vodou with the Haitian culture and some of those who practice Vodou do drink blood. However, this is only done on occasion and only certain people actually do it. Additionally, vodou was used as a way to incriminate Haitians during the United States’s 19 year invasion and occupation from 1915 to 1934. Vodou may have resulted in certain setbacks to Haitians because it was looked down upon, but it encourages Haitians to have national pride. Vodou, just like rara, helps unite the Haitian communities throughout the world.
“The Other Side of the Water” showed me the Haitian celebration of rara, and then I read about Haitian vodou in “The Sacred Music and Dance of Haitian Vodou from Temple to Stage and the Ethics of Representation.” I have not know about these forms of performances before. They seem quite pleasing and it surely must connect the Haitian community. My parents are Polish immigrants in the United States, but they never taught me any sort of Polish performance or activity. To have fun, I was only introduced to things all kids do: play with toys, go to the park, play games, etc. It would be nice for me to have an ethnic kind of way to please myself with other Polish people. Vodou and rara seem unconventional to me, but they seem like enjoyable things I would like to experience (if they were performed during the day).
