©2006 The Chestnut Hill Local

Grammy-nominated band from Haiti at Mt. Airy benefit
by PAMELA ROGOW

Mt. Airy resident Kayla Ankeny, 20 (second from right), is seen in Haiti with members of the Grammy-winning Haitian musical group, Boukman Eksperyans.

Two weeks ago, Mt. Airy resident Kayla Ankeny, 20, returned from a church sponsored visit in Haiti where she became involved in planning the upcoming benefit tour of the Grammy-nominated Haitian musical group, Boukman Eksperyans. Boukman Dutty, the band’s namesake, was the Voodoo priest who helped free Haitians from slavery and French colonialism in 1804. The word “eksperyans” is the Haitian Creole version of “experience.”

Proceeds from this tour will support the nascent University of Fondwa in rural Haiti. It will also promote a one-hour documentary feature, The Road to Fondwa, about a community that “offers alternatives to the harsh circumstances of the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.”

Kayla’s involvement furthers a 12-year effort by the First United Methodist Church of Germantown (FUMCOG) to support projects in Fondwa. They have helped to build roads and clinics, support an orphanage and establish a college.

“One year, the church’s youth group installed benches along a bumpy road, providing relief for hundreds of people who start heading to market at midnight,” Kayla said. “Some people make that 40-mile round-trip every week.”

The group will perform on Friday, June 30, at the World Café Live in University City and will gather informally for talk, food and more music on the terrace of the Moving Arts Studio in West Mt. Airy, on Saturday, July 1.

Boukman plays racine or “roots music”, combining contemporary sounds like reggae and rock with voodoo rhythms. The 10 people in the band pioneered this musical movement with its political and social commentary. It has been called the most famous band in Haitian history. Of some international renown, the band has played in the Caribbean and throughout North America, Europe, Japan, and Africa, both as a headlining act and alongside groups like the Fugees, Oumou Sangare, Femi Kuti and Baaba Maal.

The current Solidarity Tour will support Haiti’s only rural college, called the University of Fondwa. Founded in 2004 by the Peasants Association of Fondwa to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Haiti’s independence, the school’s mission is to train future leaders in sustainable development.

“The World Bank says that 84 percent of Haitian professionals leave their country in search of better payment, the third highest wage-related migration rate in the world,” said Kayla.

“Boukman’s support of the university reflects its commitment to non-violent transformation for Haiti. One of the band’s founders, Minerose Beaurun, is herself an anthropologist, a telling link to understanding the band’s success in forging a contemporary, conscious musical movement.”

Boukman Eksperyans will perform Friday, June 30, at the World Café Live, 3025 Walnut St., 7:30 p.m., $19 at the door. (215-222-1400), and Saturday, July 1, at Upstairs in the Terrace at the Moving Arts of Mt Airy (MaMa), 6819 Greene St., 7:30 p.m.-midnight to benefit MaMa. Contribution appreciated. Pot luck welcome. Reservations , 215-247-6878.

On July 1, 1:30 p.m., there will also be a talk with members of Boukman Eksperyans at Big Blue Marble Bookstore, 551 Carpenter Lane — a discussion of Haitian spirituality and culture, especially about the myths surrounding Haitian voodoo. Haitian politics will also be discussed.