WFHB Bloomington Community Radio
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Boukman Eksperyans is a mizik rasin (roots music) band that regularly tours the world as a favorite on the world music circuit. Founded in Haiti 40 years ago, the group merges traditional Haitian instruments and sacred Vodou rhythms with rock and reggae. Co-founders Lòlò and Manzè (Théodore Beaubrun, Jr. and Mimerose Beaubrun) have long been deeply invested in their community through their scholarship on Haitian cultural and spiritual practices. In particular, they are known for their environmental activism and their strong commitment to fostering civic participation in democracy.
Ahead of a week-long residency at IU for the Society for Ethnomusicology 2019 Annual Meeting, WFHB’s Adriane Pontecorvo had a chance to speak with Paul Beaubrun, whose parents founded Boukman Eksperyans and who now performs both as a solo artist and with the group, about the band’s style, history, social activism, and status as Haiti’s “voice of the people.”
Boukman Eksperyans will be performing at the main stage of IU’s First Thursdays on November 7, and at IU’s Alumni Hall on Friday, November 8 at 9pm.
Special thanks to Dr. Rebecca Dirksen of IU’s Folklore and Ethnomusicology Department for arranging this interview.
Songs: “Nou Pap Sa Bliye,” “Ke’m Pa Sote,” and “Nou Pap Sa Bliye” from Boukman Eksperyans album Vodoo Adjae.
Produced and edited by Adriane Pontecorvo.
